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.

A European Bluebottle may not appeal to everybody but I love the contrasting metallic blue with the rust red eye(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash) — A European Bluebottle may not appeal to everybody but I love the contrasting metallic blue with the rust red eye
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)

Flies, spiders and a beautiful flower - Lockdown macrophotography August/September 2021

BirdsinCanberra September 9, 2021

I suspect that most people would not appreciate the beauty in flies, especially a blow fly, more so an introduced species like the European Bluebottle. Most people would understandably fear the fly-borne filth and disease or detest the low-pitched humming noise. However, I love macrophotography of these specific tiny creatures because their colours are wild, like some miniature drone with a metallic blue abdomen and a gold mask through which two rust-red eyes are protruding. They are almost garish in their shiny colours but they symbolise why I enjoy macrophotography, because sometimes having a different perspective can show beauty in anything. Finding beauty is especially important at present, with Canberra still in COVID lockdown, so I am happy to find the tiniest bit of beauty to help keep me bright. Because of the necessary restrictions I am not getting out on the weekends so I am once again taking trips into my garden jungle to see what wonderful creatures I can find. Recently, the warmer weather and longer days started to bring new floral life to the garden so insects are out, as well as the spiders that feed on them. This is the start of a great time to photograph nature. While I can’t travel far, I can search our yard for more subjects to practice macrophotography on. Unfortunately, while the weather over the last two weekends was not great I just felt I needed to have the camera in my hand again so I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Acacia Tree Hopper climbing up a wattle stalk(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/10 and 1/200 SEC]) — Acacia Tree Hopper climbing up a wattle stalk
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/10 and 1/200 SEC])

Animals beside a dirt road between destinations in March 2021

BirdsinCanberra April 20, 2021

I think we all know what it is like when a plan does not turn out as expected. That happened to me on a weekend in March 2021 but I had a whole new experience so I was not that upset. I found myself photographing beside Mount Franklin Road when I should have been following it to my planned destination. Canberra had experienced some heavy rain the weekend before so I checked the ACT service page to see if there was any news on the status of Mount Franklin Road, was it open or closed. Unfortunately, there was no information so I had to take my chances. That Sunday, 28 March, I drove towards my objective to the south-west of Canberra, ever hopeful that the dry weather over most of the week would mean that the roads were safe and open. The first, and clearest, indication that was not the case was when I turned onto Brindabella Road where a sign post gave the status of the surrounding dirt roads and Mount Franklin Road was closed. Being incredibly optimistic, and having already traveled half-way to the destination, I pushed on, only to find that the Mount Franklin Road was indeed closed, with a locked steel gate across it to emphasise that point. However, there was still bush around and the closed road meant that I could walk along its dirt surface without fear of being run-over by a car, so I grabbed my camera bag to go for a hike in order to see what subjects there were. I ended up having a fantastic morning, mainly with macro subjects. At times I found myself lying in dewy grass, my head buried in a shrub trying to get the right angle for a shot and thoroughly enjoying the experience. I also had a chance to use my drone to shoot some pictures of the Murrumbidgee River in flood. I hope that you like the pictures 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.

Silvereye on Silver Wattle looking for its next place to feed(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 360mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC]) — Silvereye on Silver Wattle looking for its next place to feed
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 360mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])

Honeyeaters, Rufous Whistler and a multitude of small birds - Photographing at Paddys River on Sundays, 6 and 13 September 2020

BirdsinCanberra September 25, 2020

While I have visited where Paddys River meets the Cotter River, I have only ever driven across the bridge over Paddys River further upstream on my way to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve but never given a thought to stopping there. So I decided it was time to stop at that bridge to explore that area underneath it to see what animals there were. In the end, I visited the area over two successive weekends because I found so much of interest. I was focussed more on the birds but there was other life around, all of which will make me include this location on my regular visit list. It was so tranquil yet so full of life with different species of honeyeaters, and so many small birds whirling around me. Plus there was the reassuring gurgle of Paddys River flowing past me on both visits.

A pair of Australian Wood Ducks with 16 ducklings(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/11 and 1/400 SEC]) — A pair of Australian Wood Ducks with 16 ducklings
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/11 and 1/400 SEC])

A large Australian Wood Duck family and macro shooting, including my first frogs - Photographing around Canberra in April 2020

BirdsinCanberra May 9, 2020

I am still trying to get back into a routine but life always seems to get in the way but at least I got out a number of times in April. I was happy to get out at night a couple of times to do some night-time macro shooting. My son even came out with one time to Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve and pointed out my first frog, which I had already walked straight past. As there were school holidays we went out for some afternoon walks around Red Hill Nature Reserve and he patiently waited for me to take some photographs. Even though Canberra was still in the middle of the COVID-19 restrictions it was an enjoyable April and I also made another video that you can watch in this post. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

The Gang-gang Cockatoo pair in a tree(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC]) — The Gang-gang Cockatoo pair in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])

A possible pair of breeding Gang-gang Cockatoos and Satin Bowerbirds practicing their mating dance - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 2 November 2019

BirdsinCanberra November 17, 2019

Red Hill Nature Reserve was its usual awesome destination. I started on the Garran side before crossing the Federal Golf Club to get to the reserve proper. It was a fantastic morning where I think I saw a breeding pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos. There were also some other birds showing interest in hollows, which is a good sign at this time of year. There was also a group of Laughing Kookaburras, and I always enjoy seeing them. I hope you like the photographs below.

One of the Grey Fantails momentarily perched on a tree, before it started moving again(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]) — One of the Grey Fantails momentarily perched on a tree, before it started moving again
(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])

So many Grey Fantails, some other small birds and even a Nankeen Kestrel - Photographing at the Tharwa Sandwash on Sunday, 8 September 2019

BirdsinCanberra September 15, 2019

Australian Capital Territory. It was a quiet little spot at the end of an unsealed road but with a tranquil beauty despite the strong wind blowing that morning. I really did not care if I saw any birds or not, I was just happy to soak up the peaceful. quietness of this location. The car park was almost at the river bank, with large, shady gums providing a canopy over the short walk to the river edge. The Murrumbidgee River was slowly slipping past in an almost imperceptible way. Everything about this spot seemed to reinforce that it was a location to slow down in. I had originally had a plan to climb a nearby hill but, in the end, I barely covered much distance, I just stayed very close to the river. I really enjoyed my quiet Sunday morning there and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

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

Two types of beautiful honeyeaters, Crescent and White-eared - Photographing around Cotter Dam on Sunday, 21 July 2019

BirdsinCanberra July 30, 2019

Cotter Dam is one of Canberra’s water sources, part of the city’s watershed to the south, thus giving the Australian Capital Territory its elongated shape. The urban area is in the north of the territory while lovely bushland is in the south. I thought it would be worth a trip to the area around the dam to take some photographs. If the wildlife opportunities were slim I figured I would take a photograph of the dam itself. The weather was forecast to be sunny so I was looking forward to a fine morning to take some nice pictures. Unfortunately, a fog rolled in, covering the whole area. Even the dam surface was obscured. The wind disturbed the top of the fog allowing some views of distant mountains but the thick body of the fog remained. I was still able to see some birdlife but photography was a challenge. Unfortunately, I missed a shot of a lyrebird on the trail because the fog was thick, reducing the light. I was trying to set up a low light shot but I do not know if my movement disturbed the bird or the sound of two trail runners coming up behind me spooked it but the bird moved off the trail and I could not see where it went. Despite losing that shot, I was able to take photographs of two types of honeyeaters. Later on that day I took my camera out around home to take some more photographs. I hope you like the photos below.

Two rain-drenched Eastern Grey Kangaroos at Mount Taylor Nature Reserve on Sunday morning(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/800 SEC]) — Two rain-drenched Eastern Grey Kangaroos at Mount Taylor Nature Reserve on Sunday morning
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/800 SEC])

Amazing spiders, interesting insects, drenched kangaroos and beautiful scenery - Photographing around Canberra on Friday to Sunday 24-26 May 2019

BirdsinCanberra June 4, 2019

This was not the weekend I had planned nor was I expecting. I started photographing on Friday afternoon when I again had to go to Westfield Woden Shopping Centre so I decided to walk back home while taking photographs. The weather on Saturday, while cold, was fine enough to photograph around Red Hill Nature Reserve. However, on Sunday morning there was rain and I was wondering if I would get out to Mount Taylor Nature Reserve. Happily I did. Monday, a public holiday in Canberra, no such luck, it was bleak; wet and cloudy for most of the day. I think the bad weather made it harder to see birds over the weekend as they had either gone or were trying to find ways to minimise energy loss in the face of the colder temperatures. The kangaroos I encountered on Mount Taylor on Sunday were drenched with rain but their fur coats appeared thick, probably providing needed insulation. Rain drenched birds would be cold but would also find it harder to fly. Sorry, there are no bird photos below but there are kangaroos, spiders, insects, landscape and one dinosaur skeleton (photographed in a museum). I hope you enjoy the photographs.