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.

Great Egret catching a pipefish among the oyster lines
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Egrets and Sea-eagles, some constants of Spring - Narooma, NSW, Spring 2023

BirdsinCanberra November 15, 2023

A Great Egret walked through the water, paralleling a row of damp, black oyster bags that sat across the water’s surface. The bird was advancing slowly until it jabbed forward with its yellow beak and one of its wings half-opened to balance it. Withdrawing its head from the water a pipefish wiggled hard, trying to escape. The egret climbed onto the oyster bags and carefully readjusted the pipefish in its beak through a couple of rapid openings and closings, before swallowing the fish. Whereupon the egret returned to patrolling along the top of the bags. I was able to witness the whole encounter from just a few metres away where I was sitting in my kayak on a lovely Spring morning on Wagonga Inlet in Narooma. The inlet is coming alive with a lot of birds and other creatures. I spent a fair bit of time paddling around the inlet enjoying some beautiful mornings and wonderful encounters with birds. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Eastern Longfin Goby on the sandy bottom
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/10 and 1/320 SEC] in an Aquatech Elite II sport housing and PD-140 Lens Port)

Wonders of life under shallow water - Beautiful Narooma Part 5, Summer 2022/23

BirdsinCanberra March 21, 2023

Exploring even the shallow waters of Wagonga Inlet around Lewis Island were filled with so much interesting life. Little fish and other creatures occupied the waters, including those areas that were dry at low tide but underwater when the tide was in. There were many Eastern Longfin Gobies that were so much smaller than me but barely paid me any attention. Intuitively, they somehow knew that I was too large to see them as a meal. Despite their superb camouflage they also possessed some colours that the sunlight brought out because it was able to penetrate these shallow waters.

Variegated Shore Crab with a small Bluebottle wrapped around it
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Living between land and water - Beautiful Narooma Part 4, Summer 2022/23

BirdsinCanberra March 16, 2023

Narooma is on the coast and is built around the beautiful Wagonga Inlet so a lot of the wildlife lives on both land and water. With the movement of tides every six hours those creatures that can exist in both domains increase their chance of finding food and avoiding becoming food. Often, a good hiding place in the water is still a good hiding place when it is dry. However, sometimes things do not work out. Such as with this sad looking Variegated Shore Crab safe from most predators in a rock crevice but a wave probably wrapped a small bluebottle with its stinging tentacles around the crab. I am unsure if the tentacles can kill the crab or if it even felt them but I thought it made for a very colourful photograph.

Head study of a male Chestnut Teal on a rainy day
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Good weather for ducks on a rainy day - Huskisson, NSW, September 2022

BirdsinCanberra September 19, 2022

Chestnut Teal males have a wonderfully, almost fluorescent green head, set-off by some very red eyes. They are a truly handsome bird. Their green comes alive when the light hits it properly giving it a shimmering effect like the finest dress satin. They are also a species of duck that tolerates high salinity, which means they are often seen in estuaries and bays. So I was not that surprised when I saw their magnificent green heads on a rainy, wet Saturday in Huskisson at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum. As the saying goes on a rainy day, it was good weather for ducks. Although those teals were wild, they were accustomed to the presence of humans walking around making them easy to approach. While one male eyed me warily I was able to take the photograph above, catching its wary stare back at me. I was happy to get a shot showing the shimmering green, even if the light was not great due to the grey rain clouds. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Storm wave refracting around South Head
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 2500, 278mm, f/7.1 and 1/1000 SEC])

Storm waves at South Head - Sydney, NSW, July 2022

BirdsinCanberra July 25, 2022

The big storm waves had already passed but I was in Sydney on the morning of 6 July so I wanted to see what shots I could take of interesting waves. While the sea was calming down I thought that there was still drama in the surging water that would make heading out in the rain worthwhile. Even from sheltered Camp Cove I could see that there was white-capped water everywhere in the outer parts of Sydney Harbour. Walking along the well maintained footpath, then descended a slippery muddy track, I found a place just inside the base of South Head below Hornby Lighthouse. The storm-tossed sea was a greyish-green with waves dashing ashore every few seconds. I was reluctant to walk further around the rock platform because the only possible route took me across an area that was occasionally inundated by rushing waves. Despite not being in the best spot for the compositions I was thrilled to be watching the harbour waters contorting with the waves running across them. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Little Egret wading in the late afternoon sun at Merimbula
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Fur Seals, beautiful water birds and gorgeous scenery - South Coast NSW, June 2022

BirdsinCanberra July 22, 2022

The afternoon sun was getting low in the western sky when we finished walking along the boardwalk at Merimbula. This walk took us from the bridge over Boggy Creek in the centre of town, along the side of Merimbula Lake. The tide was low with mudflats and sand exposed. A group of egrets were wading through the still waters of Merimbula Lake and among them was a lone Little Egret. The sun was on the other side of the birds so they were not in an ideal position but the Little Egret raised its head to look in the direction of the sun and I was able to get a photograph when its eye glinted in the sun and there was a rim lighting effect on its white plumage. That was at the end of day one of our trip to the south coast of New South Wales. We needed a coastal fix to recharge our batteries from an early, cold winter in Canberra. We spent four days along the south coast, looking at sites from Eden up to Narooma. It was a wonderful trip to a beautiful part of the world. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Wild Australian Fur Seals having a disagreement on the breakwater at Narooma
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])

First time seeing wild Australian Fur Seals, and other coastal wildlife - Narooma, NSW, February 2022

BirdsinCanberra April 5, 2022

I was a kid again, captivated and enthralled by wild creatures swimming and basking across the inlet entrance from where my son and I were. I looked to see if any of these beautiful Australian Fur Seals were on our side of the Narooma coast entrance but they were all across the water from us. My teenager son was likewise enraptured looking at these amazing marine mammals living their lives in front of us. We took a seat on the rocks to enjoy the show. We had already seen a lot in Narooma, remarking on the clear waters where so many fish thrived. I had wanted to come to the inlet entrance because I had read that seals were sometimes sighted there and I was hopeful that we may glimpse one but instead we saw a group of them. It was so wonderful to sit down on a rock, under beautiful weather, beside the sea and be engrossed in wild animals not bothered by out presence. We had a wonderful time and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

White-faced Heron searching for food in exposed sea grass
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Herons, egrets, sea-eagles and even insects along the mangroves - Tomaga River, NSW, March 2022

BirdsinCanberra March 28, 2022

The eyes of the White-faced Heron regarded me momentarily but I was at the edge of the exposed sea grass flat, too far to be a threat, especially when the heron was looking for food. The grey coloured bird went back to the vital search for food in the rich habitat where small marine creatures tried to hide under the limp sea grass strands. I could approach no closer n my kayak but it was securely resting where some water still lapped its side. This was my second trip to the Tomaga River which had some beautiful wildlife along it but the weather this time was so much nicer than the previous time. I was paddling up the river while the tide was ebbing but I did not mind, I was just enjoying the beauty of mangroves and a wonderful tidal river on the coast. I paddled as far up the river as I could, enjoying every moment and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Australian pelican flying in to enjoy fish scraps from amateur fisherman at Tuross Head boat ramp
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 200mm, f/10 and 1/800 SEC])

Australian Pelicans, waders and beautiful wildlife at a river mouth - Tuross Head, NSW, January 2022

BirdsinCanberra January 30, 2022

Overcast skies hung threateningly overhead on the day in January 2022 when I went to Tuross Head. Rain was threatening most of the time and a strong wind blew up later in the paddle. However, none of that mattered because it was just such a wonderful time paddling around the shallow waters there with the beautiful birdlife and other animals. A kayak was the ideal means to see the region because I could paddle up shallow creeks and easily move between sand bars. The wildlife was captivating, from the Eastern Curlew that I saw even before I put my kayak in the water to the Semaphore Crabs that blanketed the mudflats up the Tuross River. And once I saw the Australian Pelicans I was in my element. I had a great time photographing those big water birds that can look so clumsy walking but are masters of using the wind to manoeuvre in the air. Later, after the kayak, I was in a suitably elevated position to photograph some of those magnificent, large water birds as they came in low to land on the estuary surface around the boat ramp. I had a marvellous morning despite the overcast conditions and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Red Fingered Marsh Crab on the bent trunk of a Grey Mangrove
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Admiring the beauty of a mangrove ecosystem - Currambene Creek NSW, January 2022

BirdsinCanberra January 18, 2022

Mangrove habitats are such fascinating ecosystems because they straddle the worlds of land and water because of tidal movements. I was fortunate in January 2022 to have time to head down to the ever beautiful Jervis Bay where I ignored the stunning white beaches because I was heading for the wonderful Currambene Creek to explore a mangrove habitat. Although the beaches of Jervis Bat are deservedly famous for their beauty I was captivated by being among the mangrove trees. I was captivated by the life in the habitat, especially the crabs. The Red Fingered Marsh Crab has such striking colours with its lime green carapace contrasting with its red claws. I was fascinated to see these crabs moving on the exposed trunks of the mangrove trees. Even more fascinating, was when I approached the trees, the crabs did not head into the water but they shot up the trees to holes and crevices higher up in the trunks, well above the hide tide mark. While it was not significant behaviour it still brought home to me how this habitat provided for different creatures in a variety of ways and how much I enjoyed drifting between the crooked trunks of those amazing trees. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Chestnut Teal male swimming on Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day morning
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 286mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Ducks and other beautiful harbour wildlife - Sydney Harbour, December 2021

BirdsinCanberra January 1, 2022

Many decades ago I grew up in Sydney, where I spent a lot of time playing on and under the harbour, and ducks were not something that I remember in that body of water from my childhood. However, on Boxing Day 2021 I was on Sydney Harbour in my trusty Riot Brittany 16.5 blue kayak photographing an Australasian Darter on Shark Island’s rocks when I heard a long splash in the water behind me. In the initial milisecond after hearing the disturbance in the water my mind’s processing of that noise made me think it was a shark but when I quickly looked around I was relieved to see that a pair of Chestnut Teals had just skimmed to a landing on the surface behind my kayak. I was not really expecting to see teals on Sydney Harbour. As I wrote above, I had grown up around the harbour, where I had done a lot of paddling, snorkelling and scuba diving and I don’t recall seeing ducks on the harbour. Now I was back there on a vacation so I was surprised to see the Chestnut Teals calmly swimming past my kayak on the harbour. Those awesome birds were just one example of the natural beauty that can still be found around the busy shore of Sydney Harbour. While the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House are the world famous icons of the harbour city, I am glad that the wildlife is still there, surviving among the human activities in a busy harbour. While it was only a few days, I really enjoyed the short time back in Sydney, having an opportunity to kayak on and snorkel in Sydney Harbour. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Little Black Cormorant swimming in the Shoalhaven River looking for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Beautiful coastal wildlife under overcast skies - NSW South Coast, December 2021

BirdsinCanberra December 18, 2021

Canberra is a lovely city but I also like the coast, especially the variety of wildlife there. So, with the easing of the COVID restrictions in New South Wales (NSW), like a lot of Canberrans, we wanted a break down the coast. The weather was not forecast to be the best, with the rain and clouds having blanketed the southeast corner of NSW for most of November, and no sign of beautiful weather on the horizon for early December. That meant we had to make do with the weather at hand. We had a very simple plan, to drive down for a lunch at Narooma. Then follow the Princes Highway north for dinner and accommodation at Mollymook before continuing the next day through to Jervis Bay and the Greenwell Point area. Even though this was more of a family getaway I still took my camera because I wanted the chance to photograph, even with a compalining family telling me to hurry up. I am glad that I did take my camera, even if I was only pairing it wth my trusty go to lens, the Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM. I also viewed only having one lens as a challenge to see what compositions I could achieve across the two days. Even with that self-imposed restriction I was thrilled to be able to capture some of the lovely wildlife that we saw, including a Little Black Cormorant on our second day that was looking for food in the Shoalhaven River. The two day trip was a great little rest and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Australian Pelicans on rocks between the Moruya River and Racecourse Creek(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/11 and 1/500 SEC]) — Australian Pelicans on rocks between the Moruya River and Racecourse Creek
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/11 and 1/500 SEC])

Beautiful birds, boulders in a creek and a sunken barge; all in one morning - Moruya River, July 2021

BirdsinCanberra July 20, 2021

There were groups of Australian Pelicans wherever I looked when I was paddling on the Moruya River, on the south coast of New South Wales (NSW) in July 2021. They were not the same birds moving around but distinct, small groups of these stunning birds, with their basic black and white plumage but colourful bill and yellow eye circle. They were big birds so they tended to dominate the space they occupied, making for wonderful photographic subjects. While they are very common, seeing those birds throughout my paddle really helped make a great day even more special. That was not how the day was looking initially because cold, windy, overcast conditions met me at the river and I was thinking about what my alternate plans were, either cancelling or shortening my paddle. I am glad that I persevered with close to my original plan because the weather improved during my paddle, making it a wonderful day. The perfect partner to my trip earlier in that week. I really hope that you like the photographs below.

Juvenile Striated Heron hunting for food in the mangrove forest(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC]) — Juvenile Striated Heron hunting for food in the mangrove forest
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Juvenile Striated Heron, Pacific Black Ducks and life in the mangrove forest - Paddling and photographing along Cyne Mallowes Creek on Thursday, 7 January 2021

BirdsinCanberra January 12, 2021

I had felt that my paddle along the Clyde River in November had not been the best choice for photography and that the area must have had more to offer. The night that I returned from that trip I looked at Google Maps to see where else I could paddle in that area that may have better photographic opportunities. My searching led me to consider the small, tidal Cyne Mallowes Creek that was not far north of the put-in location that I used. A little bit of internet searching showed that this creek may be a good choice for taking some interesting shots. So with some free time in early January 2021 I decided to head down to Nelligen again to try my luck up that creek. I am very glad that I did because I had a wonderful experience. I saw my first Striated Heron and I even switched to a macro lens to capture some of the interesting subjects that I found where the creek got shallow near its end. I also enjoyed drifting along with the current photographing crabs among the mangroves. I hope that you like the photographs below.

A Pied Cormorant sitting on a wharf pylon(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC]) — A Pied Cormorant sitting on a wharf pylon
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC])

Seabirds, New Holland Honeyeaters and wonderful shorelife - Photographing around Sydney in December 2019

BirdsinCanberra February 23, 2020

Being in Sydney over Christmas in 2019 was a chance to get away from the smoke in Canberra. It was also a great opportunity to photograph the shore life around the south-eastern side of Sydney Harbour, including the birdlife. Strangely, it was hard to find too much birdlife so I am not sure if the December weather patterns and bushfires had made it harder on Sydney birds than usual. However, I did enjoy photographing some Crested Terns and a Pied Cormorant, although they were at a distance from me so the shots are not the best. I also had the opportunity to do macro photography of some cool insects I found around the place. The weather was mostly pretty good with reasonable light, although there were some gusty winds at time. Still it was nice to enjoy the photographic opportunities I had. I hope you like the pictures below.

Video - An introduction to the natural history of Parsley Bay (the first video I have made)

BirdsinCanberra December 31, 2019

Parsley Bay is a wonderful little inlet that I loved visiting as a child. Over Christmas 2019 I was in Sydney so early on the morning of Boxing Day, 26 December, I went for a snorkel in the bay. On a whim, I took my GoPro5 with the idea that I may want to film while I was snorkelling so I could make a movie later on. This video was my first attempt at making a movie and I really enjoyed the experience. Somewhat ironically, given the focus of this website, the film was not about birds nor about Canberra. With any luck, the next video will be in line with the content of this site. I hope you like the video I have posted at YouTube. I have pasted the description below.

“Parsley Bay is a wonderful little inlet on the southern side of Sydney Harbour in Australia. It is a special place to visit if you are interested in marine life as it has a rich biodiversity in a shallow safe environment. This very amateur video shows some of the marine life to be found in Parsley Bay as well as a little bit about the natural environ. It is not professional but hopefully it will provide some entertainment and some information.

I made this video, my first ever, on a whim when I decided to go snorkelling in the bay on Boxing Day, 2019. The visit was only about 30 minutes and at about 6 o’clock in the morning, hence why the lighting is a bit dark. I filmed it on a GoPro 5 then edited the footage using iMovie but only had a cheap quality microphone so the voiceover may sound a bit poor. Please do not expect too much but hopefully you will enjoy it.”

Cannot get much further from birds in Canberra to a Variegated Shore Crab in Sydney Harbour

Photographing at Parsley Bay Reserve, Sydney, on Boxing Day, 26 December 2018 - Eastern Water Dragon posed for me and some crabs gave me good shots

BirdsinCanberra February 13, 2019

I always think Parsley Bay Reserve is one of those under-appreciated places. It has a family friendly beach with a shallow sandy bottom that extends far out into the bay. It also has interesting animals running around it. When I used to scuba dive I always looked forward to diving in Parsley Bay as I would always see something interesting. As a child I loved walking thought the bush at the back of the reserve. I recall one night coming down to collect tadpoles in a pond, high up toward the back of the reserve, when a largish eel made an appearance, possibly attracted by my net disturbing the water like a struggling morsel of food. The place has always held a fondness for me, so I was really happy to wander around the park with my camera on Boxing Day 2018. Although I was happy to photograph a currawong at its nest and to see a cormorant, I was even more excited to photograph a water dragon and some crabs, two animals I had been hoping to photograph that day. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.