Gasteruptiid wasp female with a prominent ovipositor at the rear
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/16 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)

Macro in Canberra - November 2023 to March 2024

BirdsinCanberra October 17, 2024

Capturing the image of this wasp made my day. I had seen it flying around from leaf to leaf, and I was hoping that it would settle on one for a while. Eventually it did and I was able to take some photos. To me, the thing that draws your attention is the long, white-tipped tail, which is the ovipositor for this Gasteruptiid wasp female. She will use it to penetrate the cells of solitary bees and wasps, in order to lay her egg beside the host species egg protected in the cell. Her egg, however, will hatch first allowing her offspring to feast on the egg or larvae of the host species. It seems cruel but this wasp has evolved to reproduce that way and is an example of the small world around us humans. This is my favourite photograph among the ones below because it shows the delicate beauty of this wasp and also shows the variety of animal life around us. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Brandy Flat Hut
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 125, 40mm, f/14 and 1/80 SEC])

Hiking the Brandy Flat Hut Track - Namadgi National Park, ACT, August 2024

BirdsinCanberra September 16, 2024

In late August I undertook the roughly 11 km Brandy Flat Hut Track from the northern end. This route is considered easier than the southern route because there is less climbing but it is still an interesting trail. The trailhead was easy to find and the trail route was mainly on a fire trail so it was easy to follow. I would recommend the trail, with the hut being the turnaround spot, and a convenient place to take a rest and a snack. There was also a lot wildlife to be seen on the day I did the walk, even if the season was winter.

A Handmaiden moth (*Amata nigriceps*) appearing to getting to toss its head like a horse
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)

Macrophotography of some invertebrates on the South Coast - Summer 2023-24, South Coast NSW

BirdsinCanberra May 28, 2024

The colouration of the Handmaiden moth (Amata nigriceps), and similarly coloured moths, used to confuse me when I was younger, as to whether they were dangerous or not. Now, I can appreciate the beauty of that simple colour combination. Fortunately, one of them flew into the garden at Narooma, where it landed on the wood of a raised garden bed. I managed to get to an angel in front of the orange and black moth without scaring it off, where I took the above shot. I really liked how the moth seemed to be in the process of shaking its head through to its who body, just like a horse would do. This was just one of the photographs that I took when I had a pleasant time over a few months focussing on macro photography at Narooma, trying to capture shots of a number of little creatures. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

The head of a Beach Stone-curlew
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Beach Stone-curlew, shore birds and other wildlife - Shoalhaven Heads, NSW, January 2024

BirdsinCanberra January 30, 2024

Walking across the sanded-up mouth of the Shoalhaven River, I had already had an enjoyable morning photographing sone wading birds. Approaching the southern head of the river that was now sealed, and where the dune vegetation was taking root on the beach, I startled a Beach Stone-curlew when I must have appeared suddenly near it. The bird darted a few steps from cover and stopped, Every now and then it would make a single note call, but I did not hear a response. The bird and I stopped at our respective locations, looking at each other. I was worried that I would scare the curlew when I lifted my camera up to photograph but the bird stayed still, keeping an eye on me. I was excited that I was able to photograph this species but I was also trying to calm down and think about what settings I needed and the best angle to shoot. I was attempting to take photographs in case the bird flew off but I was trying to balance that with taking good photographs to record my first sighting of a Beach Stone-curlew. I enjoyed the chance to see such a beautiful bird so close up and that sighting made my morning. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Young Peron’s Tree Frog on the back steps of the garden
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 640, 100mm, f/16 and 1/100 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)

Interesting little creatures in a garden - Narooma, NSW, October-December 2023

BirdsinCanberra December 26, 2023

Sometimes it is nice to pause and look at the little creatures that inhabit the same space as us in our garden. Initially, they can be hard to see but when we slow down and take a second look at the greenery do we notice the little creature. One evening, I walked out the back door of the house in Narooma to look for those little animals and was barely noticing the steps ahead of me. There were some leaves on them, as there often were, but one brownish leaf looked different that night. I had another look and there was a small Peron’s Tree Frog, probably a juvenile, on the edge of a step. I had taken only a few paces from the back door and already nature was there. The frog was not that fussed by me and even let me take a very close front on portrait. That made my night. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

A farmer’s fence stretching into the waters of Lake George, with the windmill farm in the distance and water birds in the foreground
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/11 and 1/400 SEC])

Lake George has water again, bringing some beautiful wildlife - Lake George, January 2022

BirdsinCanberra January 9, 2022

After about twenty minutes of easy driving, after taking the exit off the Hume Highway onto the Federal Highway heading towards Canberra, motorists will see a long, steep-sided hill range to the right with sporadic tree covering. To the left, Google Maps will display a large blue body of water, Lake George. For most of the last decade, people would have suffered cognitive dissonance looking at Google’s blue symbology but when they looked to where the water should be they would be confused by the dry, withered flat ground passing the car window. However, with the rain of the past 18 months the lake is almost back to its glory days. It is easily visible from the Federal Highway and a stop at Weereewa Lookout shows a body of extensive water covering the area between the high ground to the east and west. It is great to see the water in Lake George again, and to see the beautiful wildlife the water is supporting. I visited the lake twice recently and was thrilled with all the birdlife as well as the interesting insects. I of course took my camera with me and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Gang-gang cockatoo male eating some wattle blossoms(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] with internal flash) — Gang-gang cockatoo male eating some wattle blossoms
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] with internal flash)

Gang-gang Cockatoos at hollows and a male Satin Bowerbird - Red Hill Nature Reserve, September 2021

BirdsinCanberra September 18, 2021

Canberra’s COVID-related lockdown continued but we were now allowed to exercise for two hours a day but just in the local area. Fortunately, I live a few minutes walk from the wonderful Red Hill Nature Reserve, a lovely escape among the suburban housing. Because of the lockdown the neighbouring Federal Golf Club was closed meaning its greens were empty of people and perfect for some photography. In fact, the whole of the reserve seemed to be free of people, making it a truly lovely experience. I figured that I would go for a walk that Sunday morning with my camera because I sensed that part of the reason for the exercise extension from only one hour a day to two hours was to help the mental health of Canberrans. So, I felt that walking with my camera would also help relieve the lockdown blues, which it certainly did that lovely morning with Gang-gang cockatoos, a male Satin Bowerbird and some lovely Laughing Kookaburras acting as photographic subjects. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Two Greenish Grass-darts mating on the lavender in our garden distracted me one Saturday morning(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 500, 100mm, f/14 and 1/200 SEC]) — Two Greenish Grass-darts mating on the lavender in our garden distracted me one Saturday morning
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 500, 100mm, f/14 and 1/200 SEC])

Admiring the beauty found in small creatures around my garden - January to May 2021

BirdsinCanberra June 14, 2021

I don’t know how many different species of insects and spiders inhabit the tiny bit of nature that we cultivate in our garden but they are a constant source of amazement to me. I sometimes wonder, when I watch them go about their lives, if they register that our garden seems different to the expansive bush not far away. Do they even notice or do they see the red bricks of our house the same as sandstone rocks out in the scrub. I feel frustrated when they flee from my lens, don’t they understand that I mean them no harm, indeed I just want to photographically capture their stunning life form to display to anybody who will look. But I console myself that they can’t understand that a hulking shape getting nearer is no threat to them because even a herbivorous animal can still accidentally tread on a fragile, tiny creature ending its life right there. Occasionally, I am lucky because these tiny animals go about their business oblivious to the whir of my camera drive snapping their private moments. That was the case with the two Greenish Grass-darts that top this post. I was able to lie headfirst in one of our lavender plants, using a reflector to light the engrossed insects while I snapped away happily. They were not the only beautiful creatures that I came across earlier this year. With the aid of my macro lens I have been fortunate enough to peer closely at the co-inhabitants of the area that we live on, seeing the stunning detail that they have evolved to live their lives. That is one of the reasons that I love macrophotography, a true portal to a different world. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets are always a nice sight (Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC]) — A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets are always a nice sight
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Full dams bring beautiful animals to Callum Brae Nature Reserve - April 2021

BirdsinCanberra May 8, 2021

I was so used to seeing the small, ex-farm dams at Callum Brae Nature Reserve as half-filled or completely dried vestiges of a wetter time in Canberra that I was shocked when I finally saw them full. It was not only a very positive sight but I was seeing life back in them and around them. Back in February 2020 I phtoographed the dams when they were completely empty, with their cracked dirt floors exposed to the heat of the sun. A little bit of rain soon afterwards provided some liquid covering but I did not expect to ever see them actually full. When I did see them finally full on a recent trip I also saw some Eastern Snake-necked Turtles swimming in the brown water but I have no idea where they came from. Besides the filled ponds I was delighted to see a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets at a hollow. It is past the breeding season but I am always happy to see these truly gorgeously coloured birds that can never be quiet. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Corang Arch with the sun setting behind it(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 320, 16mm, f/13 and 1/100 SEC]) — Corang Arch with the sun setting behind it
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 320, 16mm, f/13 and 1/100 SEC])

Stunned by the natural beauty around Corang Arch, The Budawangs - April 2021

BirdsinCanberra May 1, 2021

In the end, the sun was setting faster than we realised so we had to walk quickly with our large packs to get to the iconic Corang Arch while we still had enough light for photography. On arrival we could see that the golden rays of the late afternoon sun were already striking the harsh cliff face that was composed of rocks formed when water bathed them in ancient waters. Despite that final rush we were thrilled to get to this intriguing arch, to admire it with the sunset and see the escarpment as the day’s light sunk in the distance. This was why we had been hiking for about four hours and it was worth it. Corang Arch is a natural rock arch in the Budawang National Park, colloquially shortened to just the Budawangs. In April 2021 Bigfigtree and myself decided that we wanted to photograph this beautiful arch. Neither of us had been hiking for a while but this goal made us want to try. We were so glad that we did because the experience left us both feeling enriched, with some great photography to be had and some interesting animals. For me, beyond the impressive landscape, I finally took a photograph of my first snake. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Twig-like Katydid on our fly screen door(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite) — Twig-like Katydid on our fly screen door
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)

Macro photography around home in November and December 2020

BirdsinCanberra March 21, 2021

Sometimes home is a great place to take photographs because there is a wild jungle in the garden with all sorts of wonderful creatures contained within. Over the summer of late 2020 I found myself always taking a camera with me when I was out gardening or doing other things in the yard. I always wanted to be ready to take those fleeting shots of the amazing tiny animals that keep us company but we barely notice. Sometimes, an overturned clump of mud would come alive with life or a pruned branch would reveal an insect upon it. This led to a lot of random photographs that did not really fit in other posts so I knew that I would have to do a compilation to include them all. Over time I became fascinated with those small creatures and I find macrophotography allowed me to see them in far more detail than my eyes did. Sometimes they were not so small, like the truly amazing looking Twig-like Katydid at the top of this post. In the small ones, sometimes the shots revealed colours that we were not able to see, I became amazed at the colours in some flies. I know that insects and spiders are not everybody’s favourite subject but I find them fascinating and I hope that you like the photographs below.

Emerald Moth at night around Blue Waterholes(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/14 and 1/180 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite) — Emerald Moth at night around Blue Waterholes
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/14 and 1/180 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)

Natural beauty of the Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park in March 2021

BirdsinCanberra March 17, 2021

My good mate and fellow photographer BigFigTree said he wanted to try to get some atmospheric shots of the wild Brumbies on the Long Plain in Kosciuszko National Park, and that there was a spare seat in his car if I wanted it. I jumped at the chance so we decided to do the trip over the Saturday and Sunday of the Canberra Day Long Weekend. I am so glad that he invited me because it opened my eyes to a whole wilderness just on the outskirts of Canberra that is so beautiful. We had a great couple of days, stopping to take photos, camping beside the beautiful Blue Waterholes and just moving at a slower pace. Our Brumby photographs did not turn out well but we found so many other subjects. He is a great photographer and I would recommend checking out his Flickr feed, linked above. It really was a fun two days and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Silvereye on a blackberry bush in the morning sun(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC]) — Silvereye on a blackberry bush in the morning sun
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Big spiders and small birds made the Cotter Reserve interesting in February 2021

BirdsinCanberra February 27, 2021

The Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) rather elongated shape is because when it was seperated from New South Wales (NSW) the new Federal Government decided that the soon to be created national capital, Canberra, needed to have its own guaranteed water supply. In this part of Australia the water generally flows from the Australian Alps, south of Canberra, so the ACT was given access to rivers that would supply it with fresh water. One of these rivers was the Cotter River, which was damned soon after the founding of Canberra to create the Cotter Dam. To help preserve the quality of water there is no urban development around lake, just the regenerated natural environment created by what is known unofficially as the Cotter Reserve.

Nankeen Kestrel against an overcast sky(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC]) — Nankeen Kestrel against an overcast sky
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC])

Overcast photography around Kambah Pool in January 2021

BirdsinCanberra February 14, 2021

I read about a trail that crossed McQuoid Creek near Kambah Pool that I thought looked interesting. I did not want to do the full trail but I wanted to concentrate on the area around the creek itself. The trail was easy enough to access, it was opposite the small carpark located outside of the Kambah Pool entrance. While I was prepared to get my feet wet crossing the creek, because I had already read about that possibility, I was not prepared for the waist-high grass that I encountered. The rain over spring and summer had caused a lot of growth in this area meaning that the trails were no longer too distinct. I started following a trail made by a vehicle and missed the connecting trail. I only realised I had missed the trail when I encountered the Pine Island to Kambah Pool trail, which was a well-made and maintained trail. The area that I was in was very small and I never went too far from where I could still hear the odd car driving to Kambah Pool so I was in no risk of getting truly lost but I knew that my original plan was not going to work. The weather was also challenging because it was very overcast which not much light reaching the subjects that I was looking at. Fortunately, on both days that I visited the weather cleared up a bit towards the end of my time there so I had some better lighting. I was happy to see a Nankeen Kestrel on my first visit as well as Dollarbirds; those sightings prompted me to return the next weekend in anticipation of what I might see. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below of what I did see.

Rainbow Bee-eater in a tree on an overcast morning at Gigerline Nature Reserve(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC]) — Rainbow Bee-eater in a tree on an overcast morning at Gigerline Nature Reserve
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Nankeen Kestrel, Rainbow Bee-eater and some wonderful insects - Photographing at Gigerline Nature Reserve in November 2020

BirdsinCanberra January 19, 2021

Gigerline Nature Reserve sits astride the Murrumbidgee River just south of Tharwa. I had visited part of the reserve before when I went to Tharwa Sandwash but I had not really visited the rest of the reserve. After heading there once, I ended up visiting it twice because I wanted to see more. My first visit was with the plan to walk along the Gudgenby River as far as I could, thinking that the water level would not be too high. I was wrong, the water level was right up and I could barely get to the remaining banks of the river from the surrounding countryside. As part of that trip I walked up to the top of the ridge of the peninsula that separates the Gudgenby and Murrumbidgee Rivers before they join. I am glad that I did because I came across the path that followed the ridgeline down to the tip of the peninsula. I did not have time to explore that path on my first visit so I knew that I would be back. I ended up having two great visits and saw my first wild Rainbow Bee-eaters, truly a beautiful bird. The second visit was a bit of a macro paradise, with so many subjects to photograph. I hope you like the photographs below.

Grey Fantail on a nest(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC]) — Grey Fantail on a nest
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])

Grey Fantail on a nest, Superb Fairy-wrens and a lot of insects - Photographing at Denman Prospect on Saturday, 2 January 2021

BirdsinCanberra January 10, 2021

I had recently ridden my mountain bike through the area of Denman Prospect, not realising that there was some bushland there. I was interested in returning with a camera because Denman Prospect is on the edge of Canberra, facing to the west and north-west, with rural land between it and the mountain ranges. While the bushland was very near a growing suburb I thought that it may be worth a visit to see what wildlife was around. I was so glad that I did visit because I had a wonderful morning and stayed far longer than I planned. I spent most of my morning exploring Stringybark Hill, which did not seem to be an official reserve and contained what looked to be a lot of new growth native forest. I probably heard more birds than I saw or was able to photograph because the bush was reasonably thick, with a dense canopy that hampered lighting but also kept the undergrowth under control. The open areas had tall grass and other plants, keeping me on the look out for my first opportunity to photograph a snake, which did not happen. I really enjoyed my walk and I was constantly distracted by things to photograph. I will certainly be returning to this site in the future. I hope you like the photographs below.

Australasian Pipit with a juicy caterpillar(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC]) — Australasian Pipit with a juicy caterpillar
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])

Australasian Pipits, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and interesting ruins - Photographing at the Glenburn Heritage Precinct on Sunday, 27 December 2020

BirdsinCanberra December 31, 2020

I had been thinking about cycling and photographing at the Glenburn Heritage Precinct for a while without committing to the ride but then I decided to put the idea into practice after some friends were talking about a separate trip that they were planning. So on Sunday, 27 December 2020, I set off very early in the morning for the car trip to the start of the trail. The precinct is on the left-hand side of the Kings Highway just after the road crosses the Molonglo River on the east of Queanbeyan. The area consists of the ruins or remains of a rural community that tried to establish itself in the area in the 1800s. They did not succeed, eventually abandoning their former homesteads and other buildings. They tried hard to make the community thrive, even establishing a school for a period of time but it was not to be. This area has now been turned into a heritage precinct that consists of three trails. Because the ruins are situated in two clusters, the trails form an inverted triangle from the Kings Highway entrance. One trail takes visitors to the western ruins, while another trail heads to the eastern ruins and the remaining trail is a loop that covers both sets of ruins. The full loop is approximately 12 km that follows fire trails, grass tracks or occasionally disappears under overgrown vegetation. I took my mountain bike because I wanted to cover the distance at a reasonable pace but still be able to see things. The trail was not challenging although the Glen Burn Creek had some water in it, so my feet got a little wet crossing it but that was a nice way to cool them off. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning at the precinct, being a little upset when I realised that it was over. I liked seeing the early settler history of the area as well as the wildlife that I encountered along the way. I would go back because I am sure that I would see things that I missed. I hope that you enjoy the photos below.

Two Silver Gulls in the Molonglo River beneath Scrivener Dam(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 100, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC]) — Two Silver Gulls in the Molonglo River beneath Scrivener Dam
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 100, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])

Water birds, overgrown paths and flowers - Commuting and photographing in Canberra in November 2020

BirdsinCanberra December 8, 2020

Canberra is a very bike friendly city. I tend to commute on my mountain bike so that I can also ride some of the winding trails on my way to work because I find it is a great way to wake-up, clear my mind and be ready for the day ahead. My usual commute routes have changed character over the last month or so because of the heavy rains that have fallen on this recently very dry city. There is so much vibrant growth that some narrow trails are more traces of dirt through metre or higher thick vegetation. I thought that the overgrown paths may be interesting to photograph and I am not sure when the next La Nina event over Australia will be so now was a good time to photograph these totally transformed places. I normally leave home early enough so that I can have a fun ride and still get to work with plenty of time to spare. I was also fortunate because we had a work lunch one day that allowed me to leave early so I could take my time on the ride home. I really enjoyed combining photography and mountain biking, the synthesising of which gave me new appreciation for great routes I ride regularly because I was looking at them in a different way. This post is a little to my normal posts, a bit light-on in regards to animal life but I was able to photograph some water birds and I also have some macro shots from my house at the end. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Speckled Warbler in a tree(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC]) — Speckled Warbler in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])

Speckled Warbler, Orange-winged Sittella and, at last, frogs! - Photographing at Cuumbeun Nature Reserve on Sunday, 4 October 2020

BirdsinCanberra October 11, 2020

Heading east out of Canberra towards the coast most of Canberra’s residents will use the Kings Highway. We all know that highway well as it winds its way to the refreshing coastal waters during a Canberra summer. I also decided to go for a drive one Sunday morning in October but with the intent to stop much closer to Canberra. I probably expect that most people who drive that road think that the bit of natural bush land on the southern side of the highway just after it climbs out of Queanbeyan is an uncleared development waiting for Queanbeyan to expand. I also had not really given it much thought until I became curious as to what the land was and whether I could photograph on it. The land is part of the Cuumbeun Nature Reserve, which is open to the public. It is a 709 hectare reserve only created in 2001.

Australian pelican swimming along the Molonglo River(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC]) — Australian pelican swimming along the Molonglo River
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC])

Australian Pelican on the Molonglo, Galahs and little birds - Photographing in a pine forest on Sunday, 27 September 2020

BirdsinCanberra October 7, 2020

Australia has some native conifers but they are in small numbers so there are no massive pine forests such as exist in Europe and North America. The pine forests in Australia are generally commercial pine forests that tend to contain Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata), which is considered a pest outside of these commercial forests because it is such a successful and quick growing tree. These commercial forests are generally open to the public, with a number located close to Canberra, which were generally planted to improve Canberra’s water quality because previous agricultural clearance activities caused too much erosion that carried soil and other substances into the Canberra water supply. One forest sits behind the National Zoo and Aquarium at the south-western end of Lake Burley Griffin, where the Molonglo River continues below the Scrivener Dam.

I had seen a number of photograhs from inside pine forests that inspired me to take some shots as well. The challenge with pine forests is the light, because the conifers are good at blocking out light so when sunlight gets through there tends to be a lot of contrast between the dark and light areas. Pine forests are not my favourite locations to photograph in because most native animals have not evolved to live in them, so they are generally devoid of a rich diversity of life.

With that said, I did find some interesting subjects to photograph on my way to the forest, especially around the Molonglo River where an Australian Pelican was swimming on the river. There were also a number of birds in the trees at the Yarralumla Equestrian Centre where I parked my car so I could walk to the forest.

I hope you like the photos below.