Weekly Wanderings 10-17 Dec

Managed to shoot a very nice sunset over Dunlop Ponds earlier.  The wind was a bit fierce, but the sunset was spectacular, although short.

Dunlop ponds Sunset

Wherever we go, Molly is always on the lookout for a good petting - even if it from one of us.

Molly & Des

Willie Wagtail on nest

A morning visit to Yarramundi Reach.

Yarramundi Reach

Cyclist

Spent two mornings walking around Lake Ginninderra - not all the way around, but a 'down and back'  along the Lake's edge.  Plenty to see and photograph.  More to do later adjusting them in Lightroom.

Male Superb Blue Wren

Dusky Woodswallow

Australian White Ibis

Early morning along the shoreline

Kayaking around Lake G

Ginninderra Creek edges are still green, but the creek itself has shrunk.  WIll dry out quickly now we are getting 30 degree days and little rain forecast.

Green and Gold along the Creek

The Cascades are not.

Insect Art - a wood borer has been at work here.

Galah in flight

That's it for another week.

Weekly Wanderings

Dunlop Pond (Panorama taken with iPhone)

A few mornings this week, my walk has been around the Dunlop Pond instead of Umbagog Park along Ginninderra Creek.  Dunlop Pond is one of many water quality control ponds around the ACT to maintain water quality going into the Murrumbidgee River.  Most of these ponds have been made home by a variety of birds,

Pelicans on a rock

Pelican Blues

Juvenile Swallows

Local birds continue to make good use of the bird bath in the garden, and I have been trying my hand at videoing them.  Once I get a reasonable number of clips, they will be combined into a longer video (more learning - this time iMovie).

Red Wattlebird

I am often amazed at what can look good in a photo - these old car doors resting against the side of a house.

Or taps - when I had to replace the garden tap.

Summer has now arrived, and the grasses are seeding.  Mostly it is wild oats, phalaris and paspalum but there are patches of Kangaroo Grass  and others that catch the eye.

Kangaroo Grass seed head

Kangaroo Grass seed heads

A green/yellow split tone study.

This time without the seeds 

One early morning walk found the Frogmouth family back on location, but they had moved on the following 

day.

Family growing

Light rain on G Creek

Another of  the water quality control ponds.

Fassifern Pond

For the last couple of weeks Canberra has had  literally millions of Caper White butterflies passing through on a migration from west to east.  This one stopped over for a rest and feed before moving on.

Weekly Wanderings

Chest infection is slowly subsiding, assisted by antibiotics.  I manage to get out most mornings, but 'run out of puff' by the afternoon.

On Thursday (26 Nov), I did my normal morning walk along Ginninderra Creek.  A white bird on the power lines turned out to be a cockatiel - most likely an escapee, and very likely to become dinner for the local Sparrowhawk.

Cockatiel escapee

 Further along, on the return leg, this Eastern Rosella posed very nicely and there were a number of large pompom seed heads ready to disperse in the wind.

Eastern Rosella

Pompom Seedheads

That evening, a male Eastern Koel was persistently calling in our backyard, and I finally pixelized him when he went onto the powerlines.  

Eastern Koel

Saturday's walk was along the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin between the Carillon and Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.  As always, the Carillion makes a great photo and a flowering ti-tree brought back memories of many years ago fishing for trout at 'The Creel' before Jindabyne Dam.  The flowers were loaded with ti-tree beetles, and back then, hungry trout lined up under the ti-tree to take any that hit the water.

Canberra Carillon

Titree flowers and beetles

Ti-tree Flowering

We returned that evening for sunset and the final colours were spectacular.

Sunset over the Carillon

Carillon Sunset

Monday was promising to be hot, so I did an early walk down bike paths and alleys to check on the Frogmouths.  They were there Monday, but had left Tuesday.  On past experience, they will be gone for 10 - 14 days before they return.

Molly down the Alley

 

Frogmouth Dad & Fledglings

An interesting note, coming back along footpaths was a wee piece of untrimmed hedge - when I investigated, a small nest had been left.

Bird nest

Since summer has started, there have been a continual stream of Red Wattlebirds and Australian Magpies utilizing the birdbath.

Red Wattlebird at the bath

 

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I have been feeling somewhat second-hand for the week as a result of a chest and sinus infection.  It has been interfering with my hearing (which is not good at any time).

Anyway, I spend an hour at Black Mountain Peninsula while my partner was at an appointment - Found a lot of interest, from rowers training to insects in flowering grasses

Rowers on Lake Burley Griffin

Blackberry flowers and butterfly

Damselfly on grass seedhead

Late one evening we went up the Telstra Tower on Black mountain, but the wind was too strong to go on the upper level, so I had to contend with photographing through steel bars.

Canberra from Telstra Tower

We finished the evening with sunset behind the National Museum of Australia.

Evening Sail

In my local walking patch, Crimson Rosellas are working on seed heads and the Tawny Frogmouth family are in different roost trees each day.

Crimson Rosella with seed head

Frogmouth Family

Frogmouth Family 2015

The Tawny Frogmouths I have been watching this year have fledged.

There were originally three young, but one was found under the nest with a wound on its head/neck probably from a currawong.

They will remain in the area for another 10 days or so, learning to fly and hunt.  Anyway - here is a pictorial record of this year.

Nest building

Dad - testing it for size

Mum

Setting - 28 -32 days

First look at junior

More than one!!!

Three!!!

Three waiting to be fed

Back to two - Growing up

Starting to get flight feathers

Is that food coming?

All back at the nest after the eldest one fledged.

Youngest - thinking about flying

Eldest fledgling imitating a dead branch

Dad and youngest

Frogmouth Family