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.

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

BirdsinCanberra 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

BirdsinCanberra 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.

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.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill looking for food in the grass(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC]) — Yellow-rumped Thornbill looking for food in the grass
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Scarlet Robin and Red-necked Wallaby joey - Photographing at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Sunday, 30 August 2020

BirdsinCanberra September 10, 2020

Sunday, 30 August was just such a beautiful morning it would have been a waste to stay home, sleeping in. Instead, I headed out early for Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve to the south of Canberra. Unfortunately, I was too keen, the gates were still closed when I arrived, which was a little unusual because in the past I have driven straight in, even before 7 AM. This day, may be it was a new rule to actually abide by the opening hours, the reserve did not open until its scheduled time of 7:30. While it was frustrating that I could not drive straight in, I spent the time wandering around just outside the entrance photographing things.

The male Flame Robin near the car park(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC]) — The male Flame Robin near the car park
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])

A Flame Robin pair and a pair of Spencers Skinks - Photographing on the Square Rock Hike on Saturday, 28 September 2019

BirdsinCanberra December 9, 2019

Square Rock Hike in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a wonderful trail that is both easy and scenic. I was accompanying my son on the hike as part of our routine bush walks. The trail was very popular on that Saturday, with the car park already filling up by the time that we arrived. We met a number of people on the trail and up at the actual Square Rock lookout. There was a lot of wonderful birdlife as well as some Spencer’s Skinks, which seemed relatively accustomed to the presence of humans. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

Very happy with this picture of a New Holland 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]) — Very happy with this picture of a New Holland 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])

Love the beauty of New Holland Honeyeaters and Eastern Yellow Robins are awesome as well - Photographing at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Sunday, 9 June 2019

BirdsinCanberra June 21, 2019

I can understand a fascination with clouds and I only wish I was a better photographer so my photographs could really convey the beauty contained in the clouds on that Sunday morning at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. There were clouds and fog, normally not good for photographing but with clear patches of sky and strong winds the clouds could be floating sculptures one minute then alien jellyfish eating mountains the next. Sometimes the clouds and fogs sandwiched the landscape between them, giving the mountains an otherworld sense appearing briefly from a magic cloud bank. There was also a mist rising from the ground, helping to encase the shrubs in wisps of mystery. But there were clear patches of vegetation where I saw some beautiful birds. I think I have taken my best photograph so far of a New Holland Honeyeater, it was like the bird knew I was photographing it so was happy to pose. The morning was just a wonderful start to the day. The drive into Tidbinbilla set the tone of the visit when I had to stop the car so I could start photographing the clouds. My mood was further boosted when a very kind indigenous ranger saw me arrive early at the Dalsetta Car Park and pulled in with his ute to offer my a lift up to the top of the ridge, as he thought I was going to photograph the clouds from up there. He was a friendly guy and we had a brief chat about photography. He had taken some photos of a previous thick fog which filled the whole valley. It is just a wonderful start when you have a friendly person greet you as they want to give you a hand. It was a wonderful morning and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

The Wedge-tailed Eagle perched at the top of the tree(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/320 SEC]) — The Wedge-tailed Eagle perched at the top of the tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/320 SEC])

Two perching Wedge-tailed Eagles as well as a Scarlet Robin - Photographing at Namadgi National Park on Saturday, 8 June 2019

BirdsinCanberra June 19, 2019

I will be honest, this was not the walk we had planned for Namadgi National Park, I got my Boboyan Roads mixed up so we turned onto Old Boboyan Road when we should continued along Boboyan Road. I am not upset because we will do the originally planned walk very shortly and I was also able to see two Wedge-tailed Eagles. I saw one of them in the distance through a mess of tree branches, I was amazed I had picked out this awesome bird of prey which was perched motionless on a far away dead tree. I was even happier when I could get photographs from a better vantage point further along the trail. My son and I both enjoyed the trail, despite the weather not being great, cloudy with the temperature hovering around 6ºC (about 43ºF). In addition, I was undeniably happy to get some OK shots of the eagles considering the bad light as well as the distance to the birds. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

A male Scarlet Robin among a group of small birds looking for food(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/500 SEC]) — A male Scarlet Robin among a group of small birds looking for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/500 SEC])

Bewitched by beautiful Scarlet Robins and watching a group of Red-browed Finches look for food - Photographing at the Pinnacle Nature Reserve on Sunday, 7 April 2019

BirdsinCanberra April 17, 2019

Seeing lovely, red breast plumage on a small bird always gets me excited as it will probably be a robin. That Sunday morning I went to the Pinnacle Nature Reserve because I had seen so many lovely photographs taken at this location uploaded to Canberra Nature Map, I just had to go to see for myself. Very soon after arriving I was again attracted by some Gray Fantails, which were a prelude to another group of small birds, including the Scarlet Robin at the top of the post. I then kept seeing these robins for the rest of the morning. Getting to the reserve had not been hard, just a 20 minute drive from my house and I was seeing some lovely birds in a lightly wooded setting. The area was better than I imagined and there was still so much more to see. I hope you enjoy the photographs below from another magical morning.

A male Gang-gang Cockatoo at Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/500 SEC]) — A male Gang-gang Cockatoo at Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/500 SEC])

A beautiful pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos and a stunning Scarlet Robin made an appearance - Photographing at Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve on Sunday, 17 March 2019

BirdsinCanberra March 20, 2019

I really wanted to return to Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve as I felt I had not really seen the reserve. It is impossible to really understand what a location can offer as far as birdlife from a single visit. I had also had contact during the week with Mike who really knows the area and corrected me on some things. He also pointed out the disused quarry will be filled in over the next 20 to 30 years, which will be interesting to see how nature regenerates around the area. I am so glad I did go back Mount Mugga Mugga as I saw so many more birds this time. I had a wonderful time watching a group of small birds go about their life on the slopes. I was particularly happy to get some pictures of a beautiful Scarlet Robin. My already fantastic morning was made even better when I came across some Gang-gang Cockatoos in a tree that were in a great position for photographing. It was a great start to a Sunday and I wished I could have stayed longer. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.