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.

A White-throated Treecreeper who may have found some food(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 248mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC]) — A White-throated Treecreeper who may have found some food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 248mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])

A White-throated Treecreeper searching for food and the lovely blue of a male Superb Fairy-wren - Photographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 27 July 2019

Jon Steinbeck August 4, 2019

Red Hill Nature Reserve is a lovely place to start a weekend. The weather was a little overcast so I figured I needed to be on the north facing aspect to take advantage of whatever sun there was. Unfortunately, while I was photographing the fog rolled in to block the sunlight on what had been developing into a lovely day weatherise. Despite the fickle weather I was able to find some interesting subjects, including a White-throated Treecreeper who was happy to be on a tree in close proximity to me. I also took some low-light shots of two juvenile male Eastern Grey Kangaroos fighting as well as a shy Red-necked Wallaby. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

A Crested Tern looking for food in the rough water(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]) — A Crested Tern looking for food in the rough water
(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])

Little Wattlebird swings with the wind while a Crested Tern flies against the wind - Photographing at the Royal National Park on Saturday, 13 July 2019

Jon Steinbeck July 19, 2019

The Royal National Park, just south of Sydney is the oldest national park in Australian and the second oldest national park in the world behind Yellowstone National Park in the US. My son and I had been planning to visit the park so we could walk the trail to the Figure 8 Pools. The day of our visit was one of the windiest days in Sydney. The sky was reasonably clear but the wind was blustering through the area. At one stage on the rock platform, I almost felt I was going to be blown over by the wind. When we were able to get out of the wind the weather was actually very nice. Despite the gusting conditions I was able to see some birds. The strong wind made it challenging to take photographs as I was always being buffeted, hence why I have a number of iPhone shots below. The photographs are not the best but it was a very beautiful day. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

A male White-throated Treecreeper looking for food(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC]) — A male White-throated Treecreeper looking for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])

A White-throated Treecreeper looking for food and some interesting insects - Photographing at Casuarina Sands Reserve on Sunday, 31 March 2019

Jon Steinbeck April 3, 2019

I decided to return to Casuarina Sands Reserve on this Sunday as I was trying to practice long exposure landscape photography. I thought the small rapids on the Murrumbidgee River at this spot would be the ideal location to use to practice a technique that can produce stunning results. I will be completely honest, I am not there yet but I enjoyed being by the river. I was enjoying being by the river photographing the environ but then I suddenly realised I had not had a chance to photograph any birds or other wildlife. I was fortunate to come across some insects that made interesting subjects while I was still looking for birds. Walking hurriedly back to the car because, as usual, I had been too involved with my photography; I was running late to get the car home for my wife. Again, as usual, I saw some birds that I just had to photograph, including the lovely White-throated Treecreeper, who lived up to his name of creeping up a tree. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

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

Jon Steinbeck 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.

A female Rufous Whistler giving its morning call

Photographing at Campbell Park Woodland on Monday, 31 December 2018 - a Gerygone, treecreeper and a pair of Dollarbirds

Jon Steinbeck January 6, 2019

This was my first visit to Campbell Park Woodland. I had heard about this site for a while and I knew it would be quiet as far as the office buildings were concerned. Because this site backs onto office blocks used by the Australian Department of Defence there is a lot of parking at the site as well as intimidating signs warning visitors of trespassing. On. my walk to where the woodland began behind a fence I was worried I may have been misled about the site as there did not appear to be much birdlife. I decided to head towards a small dam I could see on my Google Maps app because all animals need water. That was when the morning lived up to its deserved reputation. Just around this small dam I saw a treecreeper, an immature woodswallow as well as Dollarbirds. I was told by somebody I met at the dam that there was another dam further on that is also good. Unfortunately, I ran out of time so could not get to the second dam. That will be for another day, and I will use the Canberra Ornithologists Group Campbell Park Woodland map as a guide. I hope you enjoy the photos below.

Photographing at the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Sunday, 14 October - Honeyeaters and cooperative kookaburras

Jon Steinbeck October 26, 2018

I really wanted to return to the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) because the birds are so plentiful there. I was hoping to get a good photograph of an Eastern Spinebill. The gardens open at 8:30 so I started outside in the vegetation between the gardens and the Australian National University (ANU). Because this small patch of vegetation backs on to the botanic gardens it appeared to have a number of bird visitors. The weather in Canberra has been overcast for a while so it was not easy getting good photographs under a thick canopy, especially when my flash ran out of batteries and I had foolishly not packed any spares. I have since corrected that mistake. Even though I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked I was happy just watching the incredible birdlife. I saw New Holland Honeyeaters fly through the tight trees. I was equally impressed by the Eastern Spinebills, which seemed to jet through, even whizzing past my head when I had been standing still for a while. Once I entered the ANBG proper I failed in my attempt at photographing the spinebills but I did have a great opportunity to photograph some kookaburras. I could not spend too long in the gardens, as I had to get back home, but I am already looking forward to going back.

Walking around the base of Black Mountain on Monday, 1 October 2018 - a Noisy Friarbird was calling

Jon Steinbeck October 1, 2018

At the base of Black Mountain there is a part of the Australian National Botanic Gardens that extends outside of the fence, so is open earlier than the rest of the garden. It is is the Bushland Nature Walk. A 1.2 km walk that roughly follows the contour of Black Mountain taking you to a sturdy viewing platform with a panoramic view looking east over Lake Burley Griffin and Canberra. There are also a number of information boards along the way explaining about the vegetation you are seeing. I had wanted to do this walk for a while and the public holiday presented the perfect opportunity. From the moment I started the walk there was so much birdlife. I saw Fairywrens, a Red Wattlebird and a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. It was a good harbinger of what was a very enjoyable walk through some lovely bushland on the edge of Canberra with a spectacular view at the end of it. If that walk had not been enough I decided to drive home via the western end of Lake Burley Griffin to see what birdlife was around, I thought I would practice using my car as a mobile hide. I am so glad I did as I was rewarded with the opportunity to take some photos of a richly coloured Sacred Kingfisher, a type of bird I really love but have not had a chance to photograph yet. I hope you enjoy these pictures as I really enjoyed taking them.

Some of the water birds inside the sanctuary at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

A walk around Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Saturday, 1 September 2018

Jon Steinbeck September 3, 2018

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a large national park about 30 minutes drive south of where I live. It is situated in a valley with the Tidbinbilla River running through it. I convinced my son to come with me on Saturday to go for a walk around the fenced-in sanctuary that sits in the middle of the reserve. This is a predator proof area centred on a wetlands habitat giving wild native fauna communities a chance to live without the threat of feral animals. The native fauna have the run of the sanctuary while humans are confined to well maintained paths. We had an enjoyable morning seeing so many wild birds, platypus and even a turtle. My son is not really into wildlife but agreed he would like to go back again, which is good as I bought an annual pass :-)