Cannot get much further from birds in Canberra to a Variegated Shore Crab in Sydney Harbour

Photographing at Parsley Bay Reserve, Sydney, on Boxing Day, 26 December 2018 - Eastern Water Dragon posed for me and some crabs gave me good shots

Jon Steinbeck February 13, 2019

I always think Parsley Bay Reserve is one of those under-appreciated places. It has a family friendly beach with a shallow sandy bottom that extends far out into the bay. It also has interesting animals running around it. When I used to scuba dive I always looked forward to diving in Parsley Bay as I would always see something interesting. As a child I loved walking thought the bush at the back of the reserve. I recall one night coming down to collect tadpoles in a pond, high up toward the back of the reserve, when a largish eel made an appearance, possibly attracted by my net disturbing the water like a struggling morsel of food. The place has always held a fondness for me, so I was really happy to wander around the park with my camera on Boxing Day 2018. Although I was happy to photograph a currawong at its nest and to see a cormorant, I was even more excited to photograph a water dragon and some crabs, two animals I had been hoping to photograph that day. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

One person’s multi-million dollar swimming pool, is another bird’s water bowl

Photographing around the Vaucluse foreshore in Sydney on Christmas Day 2018 - Watching ravens enjoy seafood and a cockatoo enjoy a drink from a multi-million dollar swimming pool

Jon Steinbeck February 10, 2019

Sydney has a wonderful harbour and a great way to see it is along the Vaucluse foreshore walk. This walk is a well maintained trail that goes from Nielsen Park to the Hermitage Foreshore Reserve in the shadows of the atmospheric Rose Bay Convent. Low tide is a great time to walk along the route, as the rocks are exposed meaning you can drop down from the path to follow right beside the water. As always Mum had out done herself with Christmas lunch so I really felt the need to go for a walk. I grabbed my camera, as I figured I would see what I could find while I walked. I am so glad I did as I enjoyed the subjects I came across. I expected the walk to be relatively quiet because it was Christmas Day, however, it appeared backpackers have extended their Christmas on the sea beaches to these harbour spots as well. There were three separate parties of young people enjoying the day with a wealth of accents audible as I walked past. They were in high spirits but keeping their parties ordered with very little litter. One group was very well prepared with a generator powering a DJ table as well as a refrigerator. Despite the noise there were still a number of birds around. It was all just part of the rich tapestry of a Christmas in Sydney. I hope you enjoy the pictures in this post.

A male Australian King-parrot feeding(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/400 SEC]) — A male Australian King-parrot feeding
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/400 SEC])

Photographing around Red Hill on Sunday, 3 February 2019 - Nestling Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and some gorgeous King-parrots

Jon Steinbeck February 5, 2019

I was unable to undertake my usual Saturday morning walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve so I headed out on Sunday for what ended up being a shorter walk than normal. Despite that restriction, the weather was superb with a beautiful blue sky, barely any wind and a mild temperature. The birds, while not too “exotic”, were plentiful, with enjoyable photographic subjects. Although Sulphur-crested Cockatoos do not have the same concerns attached to their breeding as do Gang-gangs, I was excited to see a Sulphur-crested nestling in a tree hollow I thought was being used for that purpose. I also found a group of Australian King-parrots feeding in trees just off the path who were very calm about me taking photographs. It was just a wonderful morning to be wandering around with a camera, so much so I was later getting home.

The Little Pied Cormorant dispelling water after a dive

Photographing around South Head, Sydney on Monday, 24 December 2018 - Surprised to see New-Holland Honeyeaters, lovely to see beautiful Superb Fairy-wrens and a Little Pied Cormorant

Jon Steinbeck January 31, 2019

Over Christmas 2018 I was up in Sydney visiting some of the locations I grew up in; many, many years ago. So, yes, this post is a little delayed. Indeed, even though I was only there for three days, I have three lots of photographs. Initially, I was planning on doing just one large post, to get this out of the way. However, as I was looking through the photos it brought back the good memories of both my youthful days as well as the lazy, family-oriented Christmas I had just enjoyed. None of these photographs are particularly earth shattering but this post, along with the next two (plus one more of the animals around my parents’ house) did let me see a side of Sydney I have not seen in any detail for a number of decades. The various places also allowed me to see how the wildlife I grew up with in Sydney has endured and, in some cases, has changed. This first post is about a lovely Christmas Eve morning I spent walking around the tip of South Head in Sydney, from Camp Cove out to the actual headland itself. I did not expect to see a New Holland Honeyeater out on this bit of headland that marks the entry to Sydney Harbour. I was also thrilled to get some pictures of a Little Pied Cormorant, a bird I see in Canberra but is also happy to fish in saltwater as well. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

Australian Wood Duck in the middle of the Murrumbidgee River(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 220mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC]) — Australian Wood Duck in the middle of the Murrumbidgee River
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 220mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])

Photographing at Casuarina Sands Reserve on Monday, 28 January 2019 - Almost trod on a water dragon and was again obsessed with insects

Jon Steinbeck January 29, 2019

The public holiday Monday, 28 January, did not dawn with good prospects for photography being a grey, overcast morning. I was checking the Bureau of Meteorology site hoping the weather forecast would be wrong, with a sunny day replacing the predicted clouds and rain. It was not to be, the clouds lay across the Canberra region cutting the morning light. I had planned to go to Casuarina Sands Reserve as I had not been for a while and I wanted to visit it on a sunny day for once. I was not going to get my wish but as I like the location, plus I was already primed to go, I headed there anyway. I was not expecting much, knowing the photography would be a challenge. There were not many birds around but there was so many other things to see. I went further east than I normally walk, wanting to get to the rapids behind the lower weir to see what was there. The river was browner than I had I had ever seen it, possibly because of the recent heavy rains washing mud into the water. I knew the day was going to be special when I almost trod on a Gippsland Water Dragon that must have been on the track but I did not see before it dashed out from under my foot. I am not sure who was more scared. So while this post is short on birds it still has some other interesting photos, including of some insects I saw along the walk. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

Laughing Kookaburra(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/800 SEC]) — Laughing Kookaburra
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/800 SEC])

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 26 January 2019 - Galahs, choughs and a beautiful female Common Owlfly

Jon Steinbeck January 27, 2019

It was a hot morning walking around Red Hill Nature Reserve. When I started my walk just before 7 AM the temperature was already 24º Celsius and by two hours later, when I finished, the mercury was sitting on 34º Celsius, with very little wind. Red Hill felt, and sounded, quiet. Even the kangaroos were content to stay among the trees rather than out on the grassy areas eating. They also did not bound away as far if I approached, possibly wanting to stay in the cool rather than move into the direct sun. Despite the heat there were birds out, as they still have to live. There were galahs feeding as well as kookaburras. I also became distracted by an insect I learnt was a Common Owlfly. Regardless of the conditions I always enjoy being up on Red Hill and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.

The male and female Gang-gang Cockatoo nestlings looking our of their hollow

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 19 January 2019 - More Gang-gang nestlings and juvenile Grey Fantails

Jon Steinbeck January 20, 2019

Canberra suffered a veritable heatwave this week with several days over 40º Celsius and some relief coming this Saturday in the morning, although the temperature was still in the mid-30s later in the day. Walking around Red Hill Nature Reserve Saturday morning seemed strangely quiet, with what felt like fewer birds than normal. The morning was very overcast so most photos below have a white, cloudy sky as a background. Still, it is always nice to get out for a walk on Red Hill, and I still saw some great sights, as well as enjoying the natural environment. I was really happy to be able to get some photographs to confirm two more Gang-gang nestlings on Red Hill and I also enjoyed my brief time watching a group of Grey Fantails. I hope you like the photographs below.

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 12 January 2018 - Gang-gang nestlings and a juvenile Dollarbird

Jon Steinbeck January 13, 2019

This morning the walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve was even more special than usual as JackyF had sighted Gang-gang Cockatoo nestlings during the week. This was great news because Gang-gangs are picky breeders who have had many of their nesting spots destroyed when the large eucalyptus trees were removed around Canberra. Red Hill is a location they have used in the past for nesting so this sighting of nestlings is confirmation of a successful breeding season. We now all have our eyes open for other nestling sitings around Red Hill. I was also fortunate to see a juvenile Dollarbird on Red Hill. I hope you enjoy the photos.

This female Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo is a stunning bird

Photographing at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Friday, 4 January 2019 - Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and a Rufous Whistler

Jon Steinbeck January 11, 2019

As this was the last weekday of my time off from work I wanted to go somewhere special to photograph, so I decided to make the trip to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. This wonderful gem of nature is an easy 30 minute drive from my house and always worth a visit. I decided to use Daslsetta car park as the centre of my exploring, with a walk eastwards then back westwards towards Tidbinbilla River. I really underestimated how much ground I was going to cover, quickly finding myself running out of time yet still nowhere near the river. There was a lot of birdlife around but the closed canopy made it more of a photographic challenge than a lot of places around Canberra. As always, I enjoyed my time and will be back. I was really happy I went because I saw some marvellous Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, an Australian Hobby flew past and I was also really fortunate to photograph two Yellow-faced Honeyeaters doing a horizontal face-off. A great morning spent in some truly beautiful country, I hope you enjoy the photographs.

The Rainbow Lorikeet pair looking at something that caught their interest

Photographing at Callum Brae Nature Reserve on Wednesday, 2 January 2019 - A Rainbow Lorikeet pair and butterflies

Jon Steinbeck January 9, 2019

This blog post is out of order with the one immediately preceding it as I wanted to record my sightings on Red Hill Nature Reserve as quickly as possible and then post them to Canberra Nature Map to help out with noting the wildlife on the hill.

You may notice the colour tones of this post are a little different to past posts. I use the very powerful Adobe Lightroom for my post-processing. I have learnt how to use it by watching YouTube videos. Some of the advice has been fantastic but other advice, I have learnt from experience, is not suitable for me. In the past, based on advice from a YouTube video, I always used Camera Landscape as my basic profile in Lightroom. I have now decided that is not the best profile, so I have switched Camera Faithful, which I think works better. I am sticking with the camera profiles as the consensus seems to be Canon cameras have a larger colour palette than Adobe so it is better to use that as the base profile rather that the adobe options.

Moving to the actual day, I always enjoy visiting Callum Brae Nature Reserve although on this day I felt the birdlife was already in hiding because of the heat. By 9 AM the mercury was already over 26º Celsius. The weather did not bother me as I had a wonderful time photographing a pair of beautiful Rainbow Lorikeets. I then got a little distracted by insects while I was following a dry creek towards some dams where I hope to find birds. I spent too long with the insects so I had to cut my plans short. That seems to happen a lot with me, but I have fun no matter what happens to my original plan. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

A male Superb Parrot, a truly gorgeous looking bird

Photographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 5 January 2019 - Superb Parrots are truly superb, always room for Choughs and some interesting insects

Jon Steinbeck January 8, 2019

It was a hot Saturday morning on the Red Hill Nature Reserve, with the temperature already reaching 32º Celsius at 9 AM. May be it was just me but I felt there were less birds around and many of those I did see were sitting quietly in trees, under the canopy where there was shade. Despite the heat it was great to be out. It looked like the Leaden Flycatcher nestlings have fledged as their nest was empty. I also saw an immature Brown Goshawk as well as the truly beautiful Superb Parrots, hence why one of them heads this post. I hope you enjoy the photos.

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.

The female Leaden Flycatcher feeding one of her young

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 29 December 2018 - More possible Gang-gang nesting behaviour and Leaden Flycatchers with their young in the nest

Jon Steinbeck January 1, 2019

I was able to get back out for a walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve, equipped with the knowledge JackyF had passed on about bird nesting sites. It was a lovely day for a walk on Red Hill with the birds being very cooperative, especially the wonderful Leaden Flycatchers. I also had a repeat sighting of Gang-gangs at a possible nesting hollow. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

A Red-browed Finch emerging from the nest it was building

Photographing around Red Hill on Thursday afternoon, 27 December 2018 - Looking and finding some nesting birds

Jon Steinbeck January 1, 2019

The never-tiring JackyF emailed to ask if I wanted to go for a walk one afternoon to look at a number of nests she knew of around Red Hill Nature Reserve so I could help keep an eye on them and take some photos as well. I jumped at the chance to see this important part of bird behaviour so we agreed to meet on the afternoon of Thursday, 27 December 2018. JackyF really knows Red Hill well and, as always, had some great things to show me. The Leaden Flycatcher was a standout. We also discovered the nest of a wonderfully coloured Red-browed Finch, who was building it very near a path. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

Prehistoric Canberra - Woolshed Creek Fossil Site and the fossil collection at Geoscience Australia

Jon Steinbeck December 31, 2018

This post is a bit different as it does not have any birds in it. This post is more about the prehistoric life of Canberra as seen at two sites, Woolshed Creek Fossil Site and the fossil collection at Geoscience Australia. I blogged about the birds I saw at the Woolshed Creek Fossil Site here.

A Red-browed Finch with nesting material

Photographing at Jerrabomberra Wetlands on Thursday, 27 December 2018 - A beautiful Red-browed Finch and a cheeky juvenile Grey Fantail

Jon Steinbeck December 31, 2018

After spending far longer at the Woolshed Creek Fossil Site than planned I did not have much time to spend at Jerrabomberra Wetlands as I originally conceived. I had to get home but I knew even if I only had 30 minutes Jerrabomberra Wetlands is a place where you will see something even in that time. I love the wetlands, Canberra is so lucky to have such a special place so accessible. I was not disappointed. I saw my very first Red-browed Finch, which I think was making a nest and also a cheeky Grey Fantail who wanted to do the loop-the-loops around my head. Yes, not really wetland birds but that is the joy of Jerrabomberra Wetlands, it is more than just the wetlands. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

My 100th species of bird I have photographed, this beautiful Black-shouldered Kite; looking coy or somewhat evil?

The 100th species of bird I have photographed, a Black-shouldered Kite

Jon Steinbeck December 31, 2018

I am no twitcher but I thought why not have a blog post to mark the 100th species of bird I have photographed. However, before I go any further let me make a confession, this may not actually be the 100th species of bird I have photographed since taking up this hobby eight months ago in April 2018. I am using an electronic bird note keeping program called Bird Journal. It is a fantastic program that is cross-platform as well as cross referencing my sightings by species and location. I currently have 99 species listed so when I enter this kite it will be 100. My confession is this sighting is not chronologically correct, as it is after my few days in Sydney over Christmas where I know I photographed some new species, most of which were introduced species. I felt I did not want my 100th bird to be a non-native, some weird orno-natoinalism perhaps??? Well, since this is my hobby, when I came across this bird unexpectedly during my visit to the Woolshed Creek Fossil Site on Thursday, 27 December 2018, blogpost to follow, I figured this was going to be my 100th species. So I can officially say this is the 100th species of bird I have listed as having photographed, or for short, the 100th species of bird I have photographed.

Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 22 December 2018 - Gang-gangs, Kookaburras and some amazing insects

Jon Steinbeck December 30, 2018

I went out for my usual walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 22 December 2018, although I slightly varied my route to see what I could see. I was lucky from the start seeing some insect life, including interactions between ants and treehoppers. I also saw a pair of beautiful Laughing Kookaburras. It was a wonderful walk with the weather being kind with good lighting but not too hot. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

Photography at STEP, National Arboretum on Wednesday, 19 December 2018 - Fascinating Ravens, cooperative Pardalote and a male Superb Fairy-wren

Jon Steinbeck December 27, 2018

The same person I met on the ‘Understanding Birds’ course, who volunteers at the Australian National Botanic Gardens also volunteers at the National Arboretum. Even though I ride through the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park (STEP) at the National Arboretum regularly on my bike I did not realise the plan behind it. The arboretum is attempting to replicate the various ecosystems found at different altitudes within the southern tablelands. While the trees are still young, once they reach maturity the park will be an evermore fascinating place to visit than it is at present. On the day of my visit it was very overcast with rain constantly threatening.

Two of the four Gang-gang Cockatoos I saw in a tree on my way to the meet up

Photographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Tuesday evening, 18 December 2018 - Gang-gangs and Tawny Frogmouths

Jon Steinbeck December 25, 2018

On the evening of 18 December 2018, the same day I had been out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, the indefatigable JackyF organised a group of interested local residents to locate potential nesting hollows on the Federal Golf Course that backs on to Red Hill Nature Reserve. As this activity happened in the evening the light was already fading, challenging my ability to photograph birds. I wish my skill level was better so I could capture birds in this fading light. At the end of the walk we were really fortunate to see a group of Tawny Frogmouths, of which I have one passable image in this post. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Photographing at Parsley Bay Reserve, Sydney, on Boxing Day, 26 December 2018 - Eastern Water Dragon posed for me and some crabs gave me good shots

Photographing around the Vaucluse foreshore in Sydney on Christmas Day 2018 - Watching ravens enjoy seafood and a cockatoo enjoy a drink from a multi-million dollar swimming pool

Photographing around Red Hill on Sunday, 3 February 2019 - Nestling Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and some gorgeous King-parrots

Photographing around South Head, Sydney on Monday, 24 December 2018 - Surprised to see New-Holland Honeyeaters, lovely to see beautiful Superb Fairy-wrens and a Little Pied Cormorant

Photographing at Casuarina Sands Reserve on Monday, 28 January 2019 - Almost trod on a water dragon and was again obsessed with insects

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 26 January 2019 - Galahs, choughs and a beautiful female Common Owlfly

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 19 January 2019 - More Gang-gang nestlings and juvenile Grey Fantails

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 12 January 2018 - Gang-gang nestlings and a juvenile Dollarbird

Photographing at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Friday, 4 January 2019 - Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and a Rufous Whistler

Photographing at Callum Brae Nature Reserve on Wednesday, 2 January 2019 - A Rainbow Lorikeet pair and butterflies

Photographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 5 January 2019 - Superb Parrots are truly superb, always room for Choughs and some interesting insects

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

Photographing around Red Hill on Saturday, 29 December 2018 - More possible Gang-gang nesting behaviour and Leaden Flycatchers with their young in the nest

Photographing around Red Hill on Thursday afternoon, 27 December 2018 - Looking and finding some nesting birds

Prehistoric Canberra - Woolshed Creek Fossil Site and the fossil collection at Geoscience Australia

Photographing at Jerrabomberra Wetlands on Thursday, 27 December 2018 - A beautiful Red-browed Finch and a cheeky juvenile Grey Fantail

The 100th species of bird I have photographed, a Black-shouldered Kite

Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 22 December 2018 - Gang-gangs, Kookaburras and some amazing insects

Photography at STEP, National Arboretum on Wednesday, 19 December 2018 - Fascinating Ravens, cooperative Pardalote and a male Superb Fairy-wren

Photographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Tuesday evening, 18 December 2018 - Gang-gangs and Tawny Frogmouths

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