Brayshaw’s Homestead looking north to the grey clouds
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 200, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/1000 SEC]

Wildlife along a wet Settlers Track - Namadgi National Park, ACT, January 2022

BirdsinCanberra March 6, 2022

Walking along trails of green grass under grey clouds that occasionally drizzled rain while at other times opened to reveal glorious blue skies helped refresh my son and I. The fresh wind moistened by humidity and light precipitation was never too strong, just enough to keep us cooled while we walked along the Settlers Track in Namadgi National Park. The birdlife was around but hard to see, but there was other wildlife and natural subjects to photograph. The two well-preserved former settler’s homes seemed out of place among this natural beauty, but the lack of activity around them emphasised that they were from a time past. While we enjoyed admiring the natural surrounds of these abodes their isolation reflected a different time, and it was nice to know that we would be hopping into a car and driving back to our home with its modern connectivity to the world. Still it was invigorating to feel the surrounding world of trees, creeks and animals for a few hours. I hope that you enjoy the pictures below.

Australasian Darter female calling from a branch(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC]) — Australasian Darter female calling from a branch
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])

Spring Birdlife on Lake Burley Griffin - Lake Burley Griffin, October 2021

BirdsinCanberra October 8, 2021

The weekend of 2-4 October 2021 was a long weekend in Canberra with a public holiday on the Monday for Labour Day. It was also the Sunday morning where Daylight Saving Time started so clocks were put forward one hour. The effect was that we all lost an hour of sleep and for the following month the sun will appear to be catching up to when it was rising before as it gets incrementally earlier each day. I was fortunate to be able to go paddling on both Saturday and Monday, with most of my sitings occurring on Saturday due to the then extra hour of daylight I had when I started my paddle before Daylight Saving Time commenced. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being out on Lake Burley Griffin both days but I will be waiting for the light to return to the same time when I start my paddle. Still, spring was upon the city, with so much birdlife active on the lake. Many of my favourites such as cormorants, darters and pelicans were out as were the seasonal Australian Reed Warblers. With COVID lockdown restrictions eased the lake was getting busier but there was still enough birdlife around to make the paddle a truly enjoyable experience, especially coming around an island to see an Australasian Darter beautifully posed on an isolated branch. Roll on spring and summer, I am looking forward to the birds and other life being active again. I hope that you like the photographs below.

Acacia Tree Hopper climbing up a wattle stalk(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/10 and 1/200 SEC]) — Acacia Tree Hopper climbing up a wattle stalk
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/10 and 1/200 SEC])

Animals beside a dirt road between destinations in March 2021

BirdsinCanberra April 20, 2021

I think we all know what it is like when a plan does not turn out as expected. That happened to me on a weekend in March 2021 but I had a whole new experience so I was not that upset. I found myself photographing beside Mount Franklin Road when I should have been following it to my planned destination. Canberra had experienced some heavy rain the weekend before so I checked the ACT service page to see if there was any news on the status of Mount Franklin Road, was it open or closed. Unfortunately, there was no information so I had to take my chances. That Sunday, 28 March, I drove towards my objective to the south-west of Canberra, ever hopeful that the dry weather over most of the week would mean that the roads were safe and open. The first, and clearest, indication that was not the case was when I turned onto Brindabella Road where a sign post gave the status of the surrounding dirt roads and Mount Franklin Road was closed. Being incredibly optimistic, and having already traveled half-way to the destination, I pushed on, only to find that the Mount Franklin Road was indeed closed, with a locked steel gate across it to emphasise that point. However, there was still bush around and the closed road meant that I could walk along its dirt surface without fear of being run-over by a car, so I grabbed my camera bag to go for a hike in order to see what subjects there were. I ended up having a fantastic morning, mainly with macro subjects. At times I found myself lying in dewy grass, my head buried in a shrub trying to get the right angle for a shot and thoroughly enjoying the experience. I also had a chance to use my drone to shoot some pictures of the Murrumbidgee River in flood. I hope that you like the pictures below.

Silvereye on a blackberry bush in the morning sun(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC]) — Silvereye on a blackberry bush in the morning sun
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])

Big spiders and small birds made the Cotter Reserve interesting in February 2021

BirdsinCanberra February 27, 2021

The Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) rather elongated shape is because when it was seperated from New South Wales (NSW) the new Federal Government decided that the soon to be created national capital, Canberra, needed to have its own guaranteed water supply. In this part of Australia the water generally flows from the Australian Alps, south of Canberra, so the ACT was given access to rivers that would supply it with fresh water. One of these rivers was the Cotter River, which was damned soon after the founding of Canberra to create the Cotter Dam. To help preserve the quality of water there is no urban development around lake, just the regenerated natural environment created by what is known unofficially as the Cotter Reserve.

Speckled Warbler in a tree(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC]) — Speckled Warbler in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])

Speckled Warbler, Orange-winged Sittella and, at last, frogs! - Photographing at Cuumbeun Nature Reserve on Sunday, 4 October 2020

BirdsinCanberra October 11, 2020

Heading east out of Canberra towards the coast most of Canberra’s residents will use the Kings Highway. We all know that highway well as it winds its way to the refreshing coastal waters during a Canberra summer. I also decided to go for a drive one Sunday morning in October but with the intent to stop much closer to Canberra. I probably expect that most people who drive that road think that the bit of natural bush land on the southern side of the highway just after it climbs out of Queanbeyan is an uncleared development waiting for Queanbeyan to expand. I also had not really given it much thought until I became curious as to what the land was and whether I could photograph on it. The land is part of the Cuumbeun Nature Reserve, which is open to the public. It is a 709 hectare reserve only created in 2001.

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.

Australian Pelican flying over Sunset Beach at Sunset, one of my last shots of the trip and I love it:-)(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 2000, 200mm, f/14 and 1/200 SEC]) — Australian Pelican flying over Sunset Beach at Sunset, one of my last shots of the trip and I love it:-)
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 2000, 200mm, f/14 and 1/200 SEC])

Australian Pelican, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Lace Monitor and other amazing wildlife - Photographing north of Newcastle, Australia in November 2019

BirdsinCanberra August 12, 2020

This blog post also starts with an apology as these photos are from November 2019 when I was doing some temporary work around Newcastle Airport. I have been busy with a number of other things since then so it took me a while to process all the photographs I had taken. In the past, while I was away for work, when I finished for the day I did not really do much but that November was the first time I was away for work since I took up photography, and I just wanted to go out to shoot photographs. I had taken my Canon EOS 6D Mark II, Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM and Canon EF100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM with me for this very purpose. From the first day I was determined to head out to photograph. I was very close to the Tilligerry State Conservation Area but there is no public access allowed so I had to contend with walking around the edge. I ended up finding this creek that ran along the western side and there were no signs saying I could not walk along this creek. That creek was fantastic because I could follow it beside the conservation area and move away from the roads. I also wandered off to other locations, trying different directions to see what I could find. I found a number of different areas like marshy ground or overgrown farm fields. I did not have a car with me so I was limited to moving on foot. Except on the last afternoon when I went with a friend down to Sunset Beach for dinner. I was so happy with all the wildlife I saw and I really missed not having my Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM to get better shots. That said, my lens combination really worked out well and that camera gear sat in a small back pack I could take as cabin luggage on the compact aircraft Fly Pelican used for the Canberra to Newcastle route. I had two weeks of solid photography, by myself, just walking around the area, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed myself and 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

BirdsinCanberra 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.

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.

The gorgeous Great Cormorants in the morning sun, juvenile above and adult below at Pine Island Reserve(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/10 and 1/800 SEC]) — The gorgeous Great Cormorants in the morning sun, juvenile above and adult below at Pine Island Reserve
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/10 and 1/800 SEC])

Stately adult and juvenile Great Cormorant and a Dusky Woodswallow family in the same tree - Photographing at Pine Island Reserve on Sunday, 10 March 2019

BirdsinCanberra March 13, 2019

It is always hard visiting a location the first time, as I am not sure where the best spots will be for finding animals. That was how I felt at Pine Island Reserve until I saw the Great Cormorants pictured above. Once I saw the first bird I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy the morning. I had been thinking of visiting this reserve for a while and Sunday presented a great opportunity. It was not far from the south of Canberra yet felt like a secluded place to enjoy the Murrumbidgee River. I lost track of time so I was late home, rushing past a great photograph opportunity of an orb weaver spider. I will definitely return to this location as it was such a lovely experience. I hope you enjoy the photos below as I really had a wonderful morning.

A Common Bronzewing we saw on our field trip to Mulligans Flat

'Understanding Birds' - An ANU Continuing Education course with Ian Fraser - including a great field trip to Mulligans Flat

BirdsinCanberra December 18, 2018

This is a bit of a different post as I wanted to write about a course I undertook through The Australian National University’s Centre for Continuing Education. The course had a simple title that summed it up well, it was called Understanding Birds. The lecturing occurred over six nights from late November and there were also two field trips on Saturday mornings. The first field trip went to Campbell, Molonglo Gorge and Jerrabomberra Wetlands while the second one was conducted at Mulligans Flat Woodland Reserve. The second field trip will be described in more detail later in the post, with accompanying bird photographs.

The Noisy Friarbird calling while trying to eat a beetle

Photographing at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve on Sunday, 25 November 2018 - A spectacular Dollarbird and an active Noisy Friarbird

BirdsinCanberra November 28, 2018

I hate to say it, but this was my first visit to Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve. I can understand why it has such a good reputation. Visually, the woodland is a lovely place to visit and the birdlife was wonderful. I am planning to head back very soon as I did not reach the big dam, which I really want to see. I get the feeling the reserve will be worth a number of repeat visits to see all it has to offer. Despite only spending an hour there I was so pleased with what I saw on this first visit. I saw my first Dollarbird. I also found this Noisy Friarbird, featured above, who put on a great performance. I saw a Masked Lapwing family, who, while alarmed, did not swoop me. I really enjoyed my walk that morning, but I know there is much more to see. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

The White-faced Heron primed to strike with a nice reflection in the water

Photographing at Casuarina Sands Reserve on Sunday, 23 September 2018 - awesome White-faced Heron

BirdsinCanberra September 27, 2018

It had been a while since I had been to Casuarina Sands Reserve so this Sunday seemed like a good time for a return visit. I was hoping I would see some Superb Fairy-wrens as I wanted to take a picture of a male in his blue breeding plumage. This was half achieved, as I did see a male in his blue but I did not get a chance to take a good shot. I will have to keep trying. I was not too upset as I had already had an awesome experience photographing a White-faced Heron who had no concerns about my presence. I sat on a rock across the river from the bird just enjoying the beautiful, placid morning with an amazing creature in front of me, birds around me, and occasional groups of cyclists on the road whizzing past oblivious to my presence. I also saw a Grey Currawong as well as watching Welcome Swallows gather mud for their nests. It was also yet another chance to sit besides a slow moving river in some lovely sunshine listening to birds around me. I could not have asked for a more lovely start to a Sunday. I hope you enjoy these photographs.

Looking over Grassy Creek to the mountains in the background

Walking Settlers Track on 2 June 2018

BirdsinCanberra July 16, 2018

Being completely honest, today was not the best day to head to the south of the ACT looking to photograph birds. While the temperature was recorded at 10 degrees, the gusts of wind from the south up to 50 kph gave an apparent temperature of 4 degrees, if not cooler. There was also a mist hanging around that added to the cold. The birds were smarter than I, they mainly seemed to be sheltered somewhere away from the prevailing conditions. This post is a bit light on for birds but hopefully it is still of interest. I was annoyed that I could not take all the photographs I wanted as I did see what may have been a hawk causing some magpies a bit of concern. Eventually the magpies chased it off but I was too far away to confirm what I was seeing let alone photograph it. Still, it was nice to be out in Namadji National Park taking pictures, which I hope are still worthwhile.