The Sunday dawned with the forecasted sub-zero temperature accompanied by a heavy frost. I had been thinking about the forecast the whole week, watching It firm as a morning below freezing while the weekend approached. I was wondering how I could use the conditions to my advantage to take some winter-like photographs. Eventually I decided that I would head to Callum Brae Nature Reserve again so that I could walk through the narrow connecting corridor to Jerrabomberra West Nature Reserve with its open, grassy fields. I was hoping that the grassland would provide some opportunities for frosty morning photography. During my trip I was happy that along the way I saw some beautiful little birds, including a Striated Pardalote that was in a nicely lit part of a tree. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreEven when scouting locations there are still things to photograph - May 2021
I really did not have much of a plan that slightly foggy Sunday morning in May, even when I woke up, I was not sure where I was heading. However, the weather forecast was for a sunny morning so I had the inspiration to travel along Tidbinbilla Road from Point Hut Road to Tharwa. The reason for this idea was because that road joined the two routes that I would usually take to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve or Namadgi National Park, but I had never driven along that way. I was not sure what I would find but I thought that I would scout the area out. By looking on Google Maps I did have an idea about some of the drone shots I could take because of the interesting patterns made by streams in the area. I was not sure what animal life I would find and I did not do too well in that regards because most of the area was private property preventing me from getting far from the road. Despite that, I hope that you like the photographs below.
Read MoreBeautiful Superb Parrots paid a visit to our garden - April 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.
Read MoreFull dams bring beautiful animals to Callum Brae Nature Reserve - April 2021
I was so used to seeing the small, ex-farm dams at Callum Brae Nature Reserve as half-filled or completely dried vestiges of a wetter time in Canberra that I was shocked when I finally saw them full. It was not only a very positive sight but I was seeing life back in them and around them. Back in February 2020 I phtoographed the dams when they were completely empty, with their cracked dirt floors exposed to the heat of the sun. A little bit of rain soon afterwards provided some liquid covering but I did not expect to ever see them actually full. When I did see them finally full on a recent trip I also saw some Eastern Snake-necked Turtles swimming in the brown water but I have no idea where they came from. Besides the filled ponds I was delighted to see a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets at a hollow. It is past the breeding season but I am always happy to see these truly gorgeously coloured birds that can never be quiet. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreAnimals beside a dirt road between destinations in March 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.
Read MoreNatural beauty of the Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park in March 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.
Read MoreLooking closer at the awesome wildlife of Namadgi National Park in February 2021
Namadgi National Park is located to the south of Canberra and extends all the way to the southern border of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where it merges with the Kosciuszko National Park on the New South Wales (NSW) side of the border. Unfortunately, Namadgi suffered extensive damage in the 2019-20 summer bushfires, with some parts of the park still undergoing regeneration work even now. However, the area that is open makes for a beautiful place for a visit. I visited the park twice in February, although I could not do the walk that I wanted on the second visit because that trail was still shut for bushfire recovery work. However, I was still able to photograph a family of Australasian Grebes swimming in the pond at the visitors center as well as some interesting insects, including a pair of mating damselflies. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreBig spiders and small birds made the Cotter Reserve interesting in February 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.
Read MoreOvercast photography around Kambah Pool in January 2021
I read about a trail that crossed McQuoid Creek near Kambah Pool that I thought looked interesting. I did not want to do the full trail but I wanted to concentrate on the area around the creek itself. The trail was easy enough to access, it was opposite the small carpark located outside of the Kambah Pool entrance. While I was prepared to get my feet wet crossing the creek, because I had already read about that possibility, I was not prepared for the waist-high grass that I encountered. The rain over spring and summer had caused a lot of growth in this area meaning that the trails were no longer too distinct. I started following a trail made by a vehicle and missed the connecting trail. I only realised I had missed the trail when I encountered the Pine Island to Kambah Pool trail, which was a well-made and maintained trail. The area that I was in was very small and I never went too far from where I could still hear the odd car driving to Kambah Pool so I was in no risk of getting truly lost but I knew that my original plan was not going to work. The weather was also challenging because it was very overcast which not much light reaching the subjects that I was looking at. Fortunately, on both days that I visited the weather cleared up a bit towards the end of my time there so I had some better lighting. I was happy to see a Nankeen Kestrel on my first visit as well as Dollarbirds; those sightings prompted me to return the next weekend in anticipation of what I might see. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below of what I did see.
Read MorePhotographing and paddling on Lake Burley Griffin over summer 2020-21
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake located in the middle of Canberra city. For some people in the city it is an unofficial division between the north and south of the city. While the lake was part of the original design of Canberra financial decisions taken at the creation of Canberra meant that the lake was only completed about five decades after the rest of the city. However, now, it is an integral part of the urban life-style of so many Canberrans, whether they play on it, around it or just enjoy a passing glimpse as they commute near it. The lake is a place I enjoy greatly, whether I am in my kayak paddling on it or on my bike cycling around it. It is also a location that attracts a lot of wildlife, especially birds.
This post sort of fell together when I realised that I had a number of photographs related to the lake and the waterways connected to it. I therefore decided to do a large post to include all those photos together. The post is an eclectic mix but I hope that you like the photographs below.
Read MorePracticing with the drone around the National Arboretum on Monday, 18 January 2021
I normally treat my DJI Mavic Air 2 as an addition to my photography, not the main means for me to capture my shots. Because of that, I find that I am probably not using it as much as I want to and consequently, I am not learning how to take photographs with it. With that realisation in mind I set off to the National Arboretum on Monday, 18 January 2021 with the idea to use my drone as the main means of photography. I still had a DSLR with me but I wanted to concentrate on using my drone so that I could try shots that I had not used before and also understand how to use the drone to capture compositions. Unfortunately, I arrived at the Arboretum later than I had hoped so I was facing harsher light than I would have preferred but I still wanted to practice. Consequently, this post is a little light on with birds and other wildlife shots but with that said I hope that you still enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreNature and natural beauty of Shoalhaven Gorge - January 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.
Read MoreWaterbirds, Lizards and Dragonflies - Cycling and Photographing the northern Centenary Trail on Friday, 15 January 2021
On Good Friday 2019 I went for a ride around the southern section of the Centenary Trail, taking my camera with me so that I could photograph interesting subjects that I found. Back then I the only lens that I had to use for such a trip was a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM that had been a kit lens with my first DSLR that I bought, about ten years earlier. I was using that lens because I wanted something would give me some range but I did not want to take my bulky Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM, mainly because I was worried about breaking it. Since that ride I had always intended to complete the Centenary Trail by riding the northern section and also take a camera along, however, now I would take a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM and a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM so that I was better prepared for what I may see.
Read MoreNankeen Kestrel, Rainbow Bee-eater and some wonderful insects - Photographing at Gigerline Nature Reserve in November 2020
Gigerline Nature Reserve sits astride the Murrumbidgee River just south of Tharwa. I had visited part of the reserve before when I went to Tharwa Sandwash but I had not really visited the rest of the reserve. After heading there once, I ended up visiting it twice because I wanted to see more. My first visit was with the plan to walk along the Gudgenby River as far as I could, thinking that the water level would not be too high. I was wrong, the water level was right up and I could barely get to the remaining banks of the river from the surrounding countryside. As part of that trip I walked up to the top of the ridge of the peninsula that separates the Gudgenby and Murrumbidgee Rivers before they join. I am glad that I did because I came across the path that followed the ridgeline down to the tip of the peninsula. I did not have time to explore that path on my first visit so I knew that I would be back. I ended up having two great visits and saw my first wild Rainbow Bee-eaters, truly a beautiful bird. The second visit was a bit of a macro paradise, with so many subjects to photograph. I hope you like the photographs below.
Read MoreJuvenile Striated Heron, Pacific Black Ducks and life in the mangrove forest - Paddling and photographing along Cyne Mallowes Creek on Thursday, 7 January 2021
I had felt that my paddle along the Clyde River in November had not been the best choice for photography and that the area must have had more to offer. The night that I returned from that trip I looked at Google Maps to see where else I could paddle in that area that may have better photographic opportunities. My searching led me to consider the small, tidal Cyne Mallowes Creek that was not far north of the put-in location that I used. A little bit of internet searching showed that this creek may be a good choice for taking some interesting shots. So with some free time in early January 2021 I decided to head down to Nelligen again to try my luck up that creek. I am very glad that I did because I had a wonderful experience. I saw my first Striated Heron and I even switched to a macro lens to capture some of the interesting subjects that I found where the creek got shallow near its end. I also enjoyed drifting along with the current photographing crabs among the mangroves. I hope that you like the photographs below.
Read MoreGrey Fantail on a nest, Superb Fairy-wrens and a lot of insects - Photographing at Denman Prospect on Saturday, 2 January 2021
I had recently ridden my mountain bike through the area of Denman Prospect, not realising that there was some bushland there. I was interested in returning with a camera because Denman Prospect is on the edge of Canberra, facing to the west and north-west, with rural land between it and the mountain ranges. While the bushland was very near a growing suburb I thought that it may be worth a visit to see what wildlife was around. I was so glad that I did visit because I had a wonderful morning and stayed far longer than I planned. I spent most of my morning exploring Stringybark Hill, which did not seem to be an official reserve and contained what looked to be a lot of new growth native forest. I probably heard more birds than I saw or was able to photograph because the bush was reasonably thick, with a dense canopy that hampered lighting but also kept the undergrowth under control. The open areas had tall grass and other plants, keeping me on the look out for my first opportunity to photograph a snake, which did not happen. I really enjoyed my walk and I was constantly distracted by things to photograph. I will certainly be returning to this site in the future. I hope you like the photographs below.
Read MoreAustralasian Pipits, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and interesting ruins - Photographing at the Glenburn Heritage Precinct on Sunday, 27 December 2020
I had been thinking about cycling and photographing at the Glenburn Heritage Precinct for a while without committing to the ride but then I decided to put the idea into practice after some friends were talking about a separate trip that they were planning. So on Sunday, 27 December 2020, I set off very early in the morning for the car trip to the start of the trail. The precinct is on the left-hand side of the Kings Highway just after the road crosses the Molonglo River on the east of Queanbeyan. The area consists of the ruins or remains of a rural community that tried to establish itself in the area in the 1800s. They did not succeed, eventually abandoning their former homesteads and other buildings. They tried hard to make the community thrive, even establishing a school for a period of time but it was not to be. This area has now been turned into a heritage precinct that consists of three trails. Because the ruins are situated in two clusters, the trails form an inverted triangle from the Kings Highway entrance. One trail takes visitors to the western ruins, while another trail heads to the eastern ruins and the remaining trail is a loop that covers both sets of ruins. The full loop is approximately 12 km that follows fire trails, grass tracks or occasionally disappears under overgrown vegetation. I took my mountain bike because I wanted to cover the distance at a reasonable pace but still be able to see things. The trail was not challenging although the Glen Burn Creek had some water in it, so my feet got a little wet crossing it but that was a nice way to cool them off. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning at the precinct, being a little upset when I realised that it was over. I liked seeing the early settler history of the area as well as the wildlife that I encountered along the way. I would go back because I am sure that I would see things that I missed. I hope that you enjoy the photos below.
Read MoreLittle Black Cormorant and a Dusky Woodswallow - Paddling and photographing on the Clyde River on Sunday, 15 November 2020
This post is also a bit different to my normal posts because there are not many bird or wildlife photos below, but not through a lack of trying. I had been thinking about going for a paddle on the Clyde River for a while but the opportunity never really came up until November. Then, when it did arise, it was almost a spur of the moment thing. As a family we had nothing to do one Sunday, when the weather was forecast to be fantastic and I realised I had a chance to let my family stay home while I undertook the trip. I did not really want to go on a Sunday because I knew that the river, as well as the roads, were likely to be busy. I was right. I had originally planned to paddle further up the river but I think there was a slight flow in the river and the number of powerboats on the river kept reminding me that I was not really far from the crowds. Do not get me wrong, the powerboat drivers were all considerate, giving me plenty of room and generally passed me at a reasonable speed but the noise and the resulting wake meant it was hard to focus on the nature. In the end I decided that I was not really getting the chance to see wildlife, possibly because there was too much activity on the river, so I might as well turn around. I am keen to try the river again, but not on a weekend and I may try to turn off the main channel to see what a smaller creek has to offer as far as wildlife photography opportunities. I hope you enjoy the somewhat limited pictures below.
Read MoreWater birds, overgrown paths and flowers - Commuting and photographing in Canberra in November 2020
Canberra is a very bike friendly city. I tend to commute on my mountain bike so that I can also ride some of the winding trails on my way to work because I find it is a great way to wake-up, clear my mind and be ready for the day ahead. My usual commute routes have changed character over the last month or so because of the heavy rains that have fallen on this recently very dry city. There is so much vibrant growth that some narrow trails are more traces of dirt through metre or higher thick vegetation. I thought that the overgrown paths may be interesting to photograph and I am not sure when the next La Nina event over Australia will be so now was a good time to photograph these totally transformed places. I normally leave home early enough so that I can have a fun ride and still get to work with plenty of time to spare. I was also fortunate because we had a work lunch one day that allowed me to leave early so I could take my time on the ride home. I really enjoyed combining photography and mountain biking, the synthesising of which gave me new appreciation for great routes I ride regularly because I was looking at them in a different way. This post is a little to my normal posts, a bit light-on in regards to animal life but I was able to photograph some water birds and I also have some macro shots from my house at the end. I hope that you like the photographs below.
Read MoreCormorants, Australasian Darter and an Australian Pelican - Photographing and paddling on Lake Burley Griffin in November 2020
OK, I admit that this post may seem strangely familiar to the previous one, with an Australasian Darter as the main photograph heading an entry about kayaking on Lake Burley Griffin but the difference is this time I was using my Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. I had a feeling of trepidation this first time I used it, thinking that I was not stable in my kayak but I got used to the weight, loving the extra reach I could achieve with the zoom. I have been out twice now with this lens so this entry has ended up recording two trips that I took on Lake Burley Griffin. I love photographing water birds, especially cormorants, darters and pelicans so you will see some repetition with those birds below. However, the weather on these two mornings were different, the first was overcast while the second was sunny. I hope you like the photographs below.
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