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.

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.

White-faced Heron prowling for food on the rocks
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/500 SEC])

Birds and dolphins seen while kayaking - Jervis Bay, NSW, April 2022

BirdsinCanberra April 25, 2022

There were oystercatchers, cormorants and three White-Faced Heron prowling over Scottish Rocks in Jervis Bay. The small waves were slowly washing my kayak and I closer to where the birds were and the animals were still going about their normal behaviour. A clear blue sky lit this scene of seabirds on the rocks while I decided to focus on a single heron that was towards the back of this gathering. It was making its way over the rocks, probably looking into rock pools while it moved across the uneven surface. I was happy in that moment of warm weather, sllghtly rocking water and a wild bird acting naturally in front of me. My day trip to Jervis Bay was definitely worth it 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.

Little Pied Cormorant looking for food from the top of a dead tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1000 SEC])

An ecosystem in an enclosed estuarine lake - Durras Lake, October 2021

BirdsinCanberra November 9, 2021

Canberra was in lockdown for about two months during 2021 but with the easing of restrictions it was time to head back to the coast to see some different scenery. I thought that it would be nice to return to Durras Lake for a kayak and to see what wildlife I could find to photograph. I like Durras Lake because it is shallow so I can enjoy looking at what is beneath me, and it has some flooded terrain where is it is nice to glide through in a kayak. I was hoping to see some nice things to photograph as well as to use my underwater camera housing. I was not disappointed in either case with a number of birds around and the water temperature making snorkelling pleasant. The trip was a wonderful way to mark the end of lockdown with some beautiful natural things to see. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Book Review - Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry by Richard Flangan

BirdsinCanberra September 1, 2021

Mass die-offs of captive salmon, slime-covered formerly pristine marine environments, feckless governments, and communities apparently powerless to stop greed trumping rationality. These were just some of the issues that Richard Flanagan raised in his book Toxic: The Rotting Undebelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry. Yes, this is the same Richard Flanagan who is more famous for his novels but this examination of the Tasmanian salmon industry comes from his heart with a full cohort of references to show it is more than an emotional tirade.

Common Stingaree under a rock ledge at Parsley Bay(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 1600, 35mm, f/5.6 and 1/250 SEC] in an Aquatech Elite II sport housing and PD-140 Lens Port) — Common Stingaree under a rock ledge at Parsley Bay
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 1600, 35mm, f/5.6 and 1/250 SEC] in an Aquatech Elite II sport housing and PD-140 Lens Port)

First underwater photography and other shots around Sydney in April 2021

BirdsinCanberra April 11, 2021

Over a year previously, in March 2020, I purchased an Aquatech Elite II underwater housing for my Canon EOS 7D Mark II. I had been inspired to try underwater photography by looking at the amazing photos from under the sea and I really wanted to be able to take some shots myself. However, that was when COVID-19 really hit, and just like so many other people, I had to pause my plans. In December 2020, I thought that I would be able to finally use the kit during the Christmas holidays but a new COVID outbreak in Sydney meant we could not go there at that time. So, it was finally at Easter this year that we visited Sydney and while my family slept I headed down to one of my favourite harbour beaches, Parsley Bay, to take an initial foray into underwater photography. I sucked! However, I gained a lot of experience and I knew why people take the effort to shoot photographs underwater, there was so much to photograph. I was hooked and I am looking forward to taking more photographs so that I can hopefully improve. I realise that it will be a while before I am taking decent underwater photographs so to ensure that this post is not too disappointing I have also included below some aerial shots from Nielsen Park and as well as some shots from a garden in Sydney. I hope that you like the photographs below.

White-bellied Sea Eagle when the heat was getting to its highest level(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC]) — White-bellied Sea Eagle when the heat was getting to its highest level
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Nature and natural beauty of Shoalhaven Gorge - January 2021

BirdsinCanberra January 31, 2021

Shoalhaven Gorge is a stunningly beautiful gorge just a few hours from both Sydney and Canberra. I had paddled up the Shoalhaven River in July 2020 but I had not gone as far into the gorge as I wanted. So, jumping ahead to January 2021 I was fast running out of time to paddle the gorge before I needed to return to work. My initial plan was to do a two day trip with an overnight stay in the gorge but for a number of reasons I could not make that a reality. In the end, I was left with the option of waking at 4AM to drive almost three hours in order to paddle 13km up the river and 13 km back down, to then drive another almost three hours to be back in Canberra that night with my family. It had to be done. And, I am glad that I did paddle in the gorge, the beauty of the location and animals that I saw made the trip more than worthwhile. I watched a White-bellied Sea Eagle fly along the river and I also had to chase away a Lace Monitor from my stationary kayak were just two of the encounters that will stay with me. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Two Purple Swamphen chicks about to enter Sullivans Creek(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 200mm, f/10 and 1/640 SEC]) — Two Purple Swamphen chicks about to enter Sullivans Creek
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 200mm, f/10 and 1/640 SEC])

Purple Swamphen chicks, parrots and other great wildlife enjoying the green from the rain - photographing around Canberra in January to March 2020

BirdsinCanberra April 4, 2020

The start of the year felt very busy, I was out and around Canberra but I did not seem to have much time. I was out photographing but I could not find the time to process and organise the photographs I had taken so I ended up with a lot of photos and no blog posts. Although I do not like composing long posts that cover several photographic trips I thought that would be the best way to allow me to publish the photographs below. There are a mix of photographic styles and subjects from various parts of Canberra with a number of different subjects. Some of these were captured while I was out specifically looking for photographic subjects, others were shot while I was out doing other things but had taken my camera with me. There are a number of birds and other animals below. I really enjoyed photographing the Purple Swanphens, even if they are common birds. I was also happy to photograph the Australian King-parrots that visited my garden because they are truly beautiful birds.

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.”

Some of the flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos in a tree(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/125 SEC]) — Some of the flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/125 SEC])

A lovely flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos kept me company - Photographing at Cotter Bend on Sunday, 30 June 2019

BirdsinCanberra July 5, 2019

Cotter Bend is one of the small reserves located where Paddys River, the Cotter River and the Murrumbidgee River meet just downstream from the Cotter Dam. There is a short walk from the main reserve along a trail, then a fire road to the Cotter Caves. These were naturally-formed caves in the area that were previously open to the public. However, the continued tours through the caves were damaging them and the people visiting the caves scared off a colony of Eastern Bent-Wing Bats in the caves. In recent times the caves were closed to the public via the means of a steel gate. This decision was prompted by the unstable cave geology as well as in an attempt to encourage the bats to return. The Sunday morning of my visit was cold and overcast, with even a brief, light rain squall. I did see some birds but they were hard to photograph in the low light of the morning. Fortunately, later in my walk a large flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flew into the area, a bird that I am always happy to see. There are not many pictures below but I hope you like them.

Not how I usually see Sulphur-crested Cockatoos launch into flight(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500 SEC]) — Not how I usually see Sulphur-crested Cockatoos launch into flight
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500 SEC])

A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo showing-off and intriguing life around a pond - Photographing around Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve on Monday, 11 March 2019

BirdsinCanberra March 15, 2019

Mount Mugga Mugga has been hollowed out by a quarry that is now disused. This silent scar probably provided many of the rocks used to build Canberra, now it sits as an empty reminder of how the countryside has been changed by the creation of Canberra. The surrounding forested area is now the Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve. There was not much birdlife in easy view, with most of my photos showing the life around a pond built to help control rain run-off. I was surprised this pond did not have much birdlife in or around it, as it seemed to have a better ecosystem than the pond I photographed on 23 and 24 February; which had an amazing amount of birdlife in an area smaller than Mount Mugga Mugga’s pond. Maybe the closer proximity of houses and the road have kept birds away form this body of water. While I was disappointed by the lack of birds higher up I had a marvellous time beside the pond photographing a variety of life. I have not been put-off, indeed I have already started thinking about when I will go back next time. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.