Dusky Woodswallow
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 1000, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

New camera - Canon EOS R5 Mark II

Jon Steinbeck February 9, 2025

In January 2025 I was finally in a position to upgrade my camera gear and go mirrorless. The camera I purchased was the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. This was my first mirrorless camera and my first professional level camera. Of course I tested the camera in the garden as soon as I could but I really wanted to find better subjects to see what it could do. So early on a Sunday morning I headed to Callum Brae Nature Reserve. After just a couple of hours of using R5 Mark II, I was so happy with my choice and my only regret was not upgrading sooner.

On top of things, an Eastern Yellow Robin on a garden statue
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Bird visitors to a garden - Narooma, NSW, 2024

Jon Steinbeck August 3, 2024

A garden can be a realm of nature that surrounds a house, however it is more than just a collection of plants. A thriving garden is also a thriving ecosystem where various interplays happen between a variety of organisms all living out their own life cycles. The rear garden of the house in Narooma is a green sanctuary that is not large but I can enjoy and wander around in. It is also a place that a variety of birds visit. We are lucky having a lush nature reserve behind us that birds visit our garden from. One visitor we had was an Eastern Yellow Robin. Fortunately, I was walking up the stairs to the garden with my camera when this little bird decided that a garden statue of a cowering dragon made the perfect perch. It landed on the dragon’s head, like that was the cause of the dragon’s distress. I was worried that lifting my camera would scare the little robin away but it disregarded my movements. It remained there long enough for me to take several shots, trying out slightly different angles as well. The bird was delightfully posed and made my afternoon with its presence. I was really happy with how the shot turned out and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

Chestnut Teal male swimming on the Clyde River at Batemans Bay
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1600, 371mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Winter around Narooma and beyond with ducks and snakes - Narooma, July 2023

Jon Steinbeck September 25, 2023

Narooma continues to hold appeal, especially as a welcoming place to escape some of Canberra’s winter cold. Spending a week in Narooma meant that there was time explore around the area a bit more. One location worth exploring was on the way back to Canberra, at the Wray Street Oyster Shed right on the bank of the Clyde River at Batemans Bay. In the water beside the blue-painted shed there was a mixed group of ducks swimming not far from the shore. Among the ducks were Chestnut Teals, including a number of males with their wonderful dark green heads that shimmer in the light. Unfortunately, the teals were swimming in the shadow so the intense colours were not obvious. These birds are very common on calmer, estuarine waters near the coast and they have such wonderful colours. I always enjoy photographing them and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Pied Oystercatcher on a fence rail
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])

Sea-eagles, herons and oystercatchers - Beautiful Narooma Part 2, Summer 2022/23

Jon Steinbeck March 6, 2023

One fine morning in Narooma I decided to head out to photograph. It was the first time in a while that I had been able to get out with a camera. I didn’t have much time so I was not planning to go far. I decided to head straight for the tiny Lewis Island that sat just west of the road bridge over Wagonga Inlet. In approaching the foot-bridge to Lewis Island I saw a lone Pied Oystercatcher standing on one leg atop the white, wooden rail along the footbridge. To me, not only did the rail provided a firm base to rest my camera it also created an obvious leading line guiding the eye to the oystercatcher. I advanced slowly across the bridge, periodically stopping to take some shots, knowing that at some stage the oystercatcher would flee from me. It did not take long for the bird to decide I was too close. First its folded leg came down, then it took a few steps along the railing before it flapped its wings to fly a few metres to the sand on the island. I felt bad for disturbing the bird but glad it had not flown too far.

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

Jon Steinbeck 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.

Very happy with this head shot of a female Eastern Grey Kangaroo that almost hopped into me
(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])

Happy with a kangaroo head portrait and different angles of birds - Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve, October 2021

Jon Steinbeck November 30, 2021

Sometimes there is an unexpected moment with a wild animal that makes for a special encounter, even with a very common animal. I was fortunate to have such a moment with a female Eastern Grey Kangaroo at Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve one Sunday in October 2021. I was walking through some light scrub heading towards a dam when a kangaroo bounded along from the opposite direction. I stopped when I noticed the movement but the kangaroo was still moving, abruptly halting her progress just five metres from me. She stood up on her hind legs, taken aback a little by this human unexpectedly in front of her. She stared at me, possibly considering what I was doing. While she was looking at me I raised my camera carefully to take some photos. I was too close for my lens to get her whole body so I focused on her head. The sun was almost directly behind my shoulder, nicely lighting her eyes. After a few seconds of this meeting she shifted weight, jumping off around me into the scrub that I had just come from. I really enjoyed the brief encounter during a visit when it was a challenge to find many animals. Despite the difficulty in finding animals it was nice to be out and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

Two Rainbow Lorikeets on the feeding stand
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Beautiful Rainbow Lorikeets become lockdown photography models - Lockdown photography, August 2021

Jon Steinbeck August 27, 2021

The COVID-19 related Lockdown continued in Canberra and it was a necessary step to keep the population safe. However, it was still a weird time, trying to work from home but not really being able to, but not being able to leave home when the weather was great for photography. I also felt guilty if I was away from my computer during the day and therefore not doing the office work but as a counter I figured that I no longer had to commute to work so that time now became my time to look for photography subjects in our garden. I was fortunate of an afternoon because things happened around the garden. The previous post had some lovely Gang-gang Cockatoos that flew in on one day and for this post some vivacious Rainbow Lorikeets dropped by to provide colour and noise to our locked-down home. These wildly coloured birds that remind me of wonderful, youthful summers in Sydney really made my day. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Female Australian Wood Duck calling from a tree while some rain drops fall(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 3200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC]) — Female Australian Wood Duck calling from a tree while some rain drops fall
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 3200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Great weather for ducks on a raining, winter morning - Photographing at Callum Brae Nature Reserve, August 2021

Jon Steinbeck August 19, 2021

The weather over the last few weekends of July then into August was generally wet and overcast, in line with that old saying of “good weather for ducks.” Because of those conditions, I had not been out photographing for a few weekends so I was really missing something. Although Sunday, 1 August, was another drizzling and overcast morning I decided to go photographing regardless. I could wait for perfect weather but who knew when that would come. Besides, I would not always have perfect weather so I had better practice with less than ideal circumstances so that I was ready to photograph the beauty of nature in all climatic conditions. With that resolve I headed to one of my favourite spots, the nearby Callum Brae Nature Reserve. Over the few years that I have been photographing I was used to seeing Callum Brae as a dry habitat but the rain over the last 18 months had given new life to it. I was keen to see how the environment was changed with rain falling. If I found no other animals, I knew that I would see ducks. Despite the scattered showers and overcast conditions I thoroughly enjoyed my morning wandering around the beautiful but soggy reserve. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Common Brushtail Possum standing in our garden one morning(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 2000, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC]) — Common Brushtail Possum standing in our garden one morning
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 2000, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC])

Possum in our garden in the day and other disconnected winter photographs - June 2021

Jon Steinbeck July 4, 2021

One morning, almost two hours after sunrise, the native birds visiting our garden were making a massive din; squawking and calling. There were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Noisy Miners and probably some others as well. The noise drew my attention because it sounded alarmed, something was worrying all these birds. I assumed the it was someone’s cat, or, more exotically, a feral fox that had come into the yard. Cautiously, I went outside where I was surprised, and very much delighted, to see a Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) standing up in our back garden. These are nocturnal animals so not what I was expecting during the day. It stayed standing on its haunches for a while, meaning that I had enough time to grab my camera from inside the house. The possum remained upright for a little while when I returned. Its focus was fixed across the garden in the direction of a large iron bark, like it was not interested in me. I was captivated by the possum so I never examined what it was looking at. Then, it suddenly darted across, to where it was looking, causing the birds to make even more noise. The possum ran about two meters up the iron bark before effortlessly jumping onto the top of the wooden slat fence between us and our neighbour. The possum ran along the top of that narrow fence towards the rear of the garden, where I lost sight of it behind the garden shed. The cockatoos perched on the power line continued to observe it for a few seconds more, calling loudly among themselves while looking downwards to where the possum must have been dashing. Possums and cockatoos compete for tree hollows so I could understand why those two species did not get on.

A male Superb Parrot eating Broad-leaf Privet(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1600, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC]) — A male Superb Parrot eating Broad-leaf Privet
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1600, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])

Beautiful Superb Parrots paid a visit to our garden - April 2021

Jon Steinbeck May 16, 2021

This is a very shot post because on the Friday before Bigfigtree and I were due to go to Corang Arch the next day I observed what I decided was a very good omen for our trip. I really wanted to post these photographs but I had no story ready that they fitted so I have made the photographs a post in and of themselves. The good omen was that I had just returned from work that Friday afternoon when I saw that there were four, possibly five stunningly beautiful Superb Parrots (Polytelis swainsonii) in a Broad-leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) tree eating the berries. I thought that I saw three males and two females but later I could only count two males. Initially one male was high in a eucalyptus tree in our neighbour’s front yard, while the other parrots were in a tree in our garden. When I approached the tree in our yard most of these bright green birds flew straight to the eucalyptus but at least one male stayed behind to continue eating on what he must have decided were very delicious berries. He was the main subject of the photographs because he resolutely continued to eat on a branch that was exposed and closest to me. Occasionally a cloud would clear from the sun and he would be lit up beautifully by the late afternoon glow. Eventually, most of the other birds returned to the privet tree to eat more of those tiny berries but the females were generally on the inside of the tree.

Gang-gang Cockatoo female chewing on a tree(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]) — Gang-gang Cockatoo female chewing on a tree
(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])

Gang-gang Cockatoos, other parrots and some cute jumping spiders - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve and Hughes in Mid-October 2020

Jon Steinbeck October 26, 2020

It had been a while since I had visited Red Hill Nature Reserve, despite it being almost right on our doorstep. I had been distracted because normally on Sundays I headed to a number of other locations around Canberra but I felt I had ignored this local jewel for too long. The inspiration for my return was actually a bunch of weeds. I had been driving on a road that runs along the north side of Red Hill when I notices large patches of purple on the hill. I suspected that they were probably weeds but I thought that they may make a nice subject for a photograph. I am glad that a few days later I did go out photographing because I had a wonderful encounter with some Gang-gang Cockatoos that I followed up the next day. While I did not travel far that weekend I had fun, including watching some of the jumping spiders I found around our house. I ended up doing more photography than I planned but I am glad that I did. I hope that you like the photos below.

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

Jon Steinbeck 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.

Wild Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at a feeding station in our backyard(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC]) — Wild Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at a feeding station in our backyard
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, flowers and small wildlife - Photographing around home in early September 2020

Jon Steinbeck September 20, 2020

Canberra has been reasonably lucky with COVID-19. As spring arrives there are no lockdowns and people are able to go out with minimal restrictions to enjoy the bush that surrounds and enters Canberra. While I still love getting out to the lovely natural areas around Canberra I can still find some interesting photographic subjects around my own home. Spring has brought out flowers, that have attracted insects and the birds are coming back as well. I thought I would gather some recent photos into a single post of some of the things that I photographed in my garden; subjects that did not really fit into other posts.

When you see scenery like this under a moody sky, your plans for photographing wildlife change(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/100 SEC]) — When you see scenery like this under a moody sky, your plans for photographing wildlife change
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/100 SEC])

Snow on the Brindabella Ranges around Canberra - Photographing around Canberra on Sunday, 23 August 2020

Jon Steinbeck August 27, 2020

I am creating a pattern of starting posts with apologies and this one also starts with an apology. I am sorry, there is only a single picture of a bird below. I set out to meet a friend at the Stony Creek Nature Reserve to photograph birds and wildlife there but snow fell around Canberra on Saturday, 22 August and was still lying on the Brindabella Ranges the next day. As I was driving the 25 minutes to the nature reserve, and I was only about five minutes drive from my house, I looked out and saw the scene in the photograph at the top of the post. There is no doubt that I love bird and wildlife photography but I cannot ignore scenery like that when the sky makes it even moodier thanks to the dawn’s red glow and brooding clouds. I had to pull over to take some photographs. Coincidentally, while I was photographing, my friend phoned to say that he may be late or may not be able to get to the reserve as he was also photographing what he was seeing. We agreed that sometimes, when photographing, you just have to go with what is presented to you. Eventually, we did meet up, but on the road to the reserve where we both had pulled over to take more photographs. I stopped a couple more times on the way to the reserve. I also bumped into a nice guy who, like us, was out photographing the scenery. My friend and I eventually got to the nature reserve but it was then that a large cloud blocked out the sun. While was saw a number of birds the light was not bright enough to get good shots, so I only took one, possibly half-reasonable, shot of a Crimson Rosella. I was not disappointed with the morning because I really enjoyed the scenery and I thought that Stony Creek Nature Reserve was definitely worth another visit. Later that morning, I took my camera out to the yard, while I was supposed to be gardening, to take some shots around the garden. To cap off this very different photographic journey to the one I had envisioned, I had found a wombat skull in my touring around on Sunday and spent a couple of nights during the week trying to come up with the best way to photograph it. All in all, those change of plans on Sunday turned out for the best and I had a lot of fun. I will be back to photographing birds again but I do consider myself to be a nature photographer as well, so it was exhilarating to expand my photo collection that day with some different shots to those that I usually take. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

Australian Wood Duck female calling by a small pond(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC]) — Australian Wood Duck female calling by a small pond
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC])

Superb Fairy-wrens, Australian Wood Duck and Galahs - Photographing at Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve on Sunday, 16 August 2020

Jon Steinbeck August 19, 2020

Sunday’s weather might not have been great but the available light was better than it had been for a while so I decided to head back to Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve. The recent heavy rains across Canberra meant that the reserve was very wet. At one stage I found myself walking up a slight hill yet there was pooling water amongst the grass, even on a slope. Lighting wise, there was a bit of cloud hanging about but the sun was coming through. Canberra is at the end of winter so the days are getting longer and the birds appear to be starting their mating preparations, with the Wood Ducks calling and male Fairy-wrens showing their blue plumage. I went a slightly different way to the path I travelled last time, wanting to explore more, although I still found myself climbing up a hill. I am glad I went out for the morning and I am glad the light gave me a chance to get some shots. I hope you like the photos below.

Two Little Corellas at a tree hollow(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC]) — Two Little Corellas at a tree hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])

Little Corellas at a hollow, a number of ducks and other wonderful things - Photographing around Callum Brae Nature Reserve on Sunday, 19 July 2020

Jon Steinbeck August 5, 2020

The sun rise that Sunday morning at Callum Brae Nature Reserve was spectacular, with some amazing hues. I did not have the right lens to take the shot I wanted so I left the macro lens on my camera and shot the sunrise through the trees. The colours did not last long, then they were gone and I did not do justice to what it was like. The sunrise was a nice sight to see as it was the start of a new day and the birds were up and going. There was a group of Little Corellas that were mixed in with some Suphur-crested Cockatoos but not afraid to ensure that they were not pushed around by the larger birds. The dams were still full with two different species of ducks taking advantage of the abundance of water. I also had to continue my photographic fascination with Eastern Grey Kangaroos by taking a few shots of a mob. I hope you enjoy the photos below.

Immature Gold Whistler with a caterpillar(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC]) — Immature Gold Whistler with a caterpillar
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])

Golden Whistlers, Weebills and a Galah at a hollow - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve in July 2020

Jon Steinbeck July 30, 2020

For one reason and another it has been a while since I have been to Red Hill Nature Reserve, even though it is very near to my house. Recently, I just felt it was time to head back to this wonderful little reserve. That was especially the case when the sun was shining and I had a window of a couple of hours to get out to enjoy the weather. I just grabbed my go to Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM telephoto lens plus the monopod and went up the hill. I am so glad I did. Both times it was mid-morning when the sun was up and the birds were still active but a little quieter than earlier in the morning when I usually go out photographing. Still the light was not too harsh and both times I made this dash I found some great subjects. You can see in the landscape shot below, looking across to the Brindabella Range that there was still a dusting of snow on the peaks around Canberra on the first Saturday. Despite that, the weather was not too cold and it was nice to be outside. I have also included some shots of flowers from our garden. Only the second one is an Australian native but I was enjoying the chance to practice some flower photography with natural light. It was good to be back on Red Hill, even if for a brief visit and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

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

Jon Steinbeck 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.

A Grey Fantail displaying in a shrub(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC]) — A Grey Fantail displaying in a shrub
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])

Spotted Pardalote, Grey Fantails and a White-throated Treecreeper made my morning - Photographing around Black Mountain on Sunday, 5 April 2020

Jon Steinbeck April 17, 2020

With the current COVID-19 pandemic we have to be responsible about going out as we do not want to inadvertently spread the disease. With that in mind it has been a challenge to find locations to photograph so to ensure that I avoid crowds but still get out to exercise while taking my camera with me so I can also photograph. This post is predominantly about a walk I did around the base of Black Mountain but I have also included some extra recent photographs from around Canberra. Unfortunately, the Sunday that I visited Black Mountain was very windy and cloudy, making the lighting unpredictable as the clouds moved across the sun. I was still happy to get out for a walk and because I was able to photograph some birds, particularly the Spotted Pardalotes. I hope you enjoy 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

Jon Steinbeck 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.