Canberra was in lockdown for about two months during 2021 but with the easing of restrictions it was time to head back to the coast to see some different scenery. I thought that it would be nice to return to Durras Lake for a kayak and to see what wildlife I could find to photograph. I like Durras Lake because it is shallow so I can enjoy looking at what is beneath me, and it has some flooded terrain where is it is nice to glide through in a kayak. I was hoping to see some nice things to photograph as well as to use my underwater camera housing. I was not disappointed in either case with a number of birds around and the water temperature making snorkelling pleasant. The trip was a wonderful way to mark the end of lockdown with some beautiful natural things to see. I hope that you like the photographs below.
More of this story is on my blog at https://bit.ly/307KgDG
Little Pied Cormorant looking for food from the top of a dead tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1000 SEC])
Australian White Ibis juvenile searchingly for food
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Slightly later in the morning when the pair were on the other side of the lake
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
A man walking across the sand where the lake used to empty
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Australian pelican preening itself on an exposed sandbank
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Two juvenile pelicans with their heads down and the curve of the neck poling out of the front
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Crested Terns in the shallow water on a windy day
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/500 SEC])
Juvenile tern bathing
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/500 SEC])
Two Little Black Cormorants in a dead tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
Little Pied Cormorant using a conveniently placed piece of wood
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
Casuarina trees with water marks and possibly dead barnacles
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Vacationer crossing a culvert, which tells the story of the lake’s fate
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Black Swan swimming in lake
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
White-bellied Sea-eagle in a tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
Pacific Blue-eye
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 500, 32mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] in an Aquatech Elite II sport housing and PD-140 Lens Port)
Jelly Blubber
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 500, 32mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] in an Aquatech Elite II sport housing and PD-140 Lens Port)
Waves on the rocks at South Durras
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Blue Periwinkles on a rock
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/160 SEC])
Striped-mouth Conniwink
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/100 SEC])
After that quick stop at the shore and a long moment spent gazing at the marine environment I was back in the car and heading home. It had been another great day at the coast wth the weather being better than it had on my previous trip to Durras Lake. While the was long I loved the chance to get back down to the special environment. The lake’s ecosystem was no doubt changing but it was interesting seeing how some animals, such as the dried barnacles, lost out, while others, like the Jelly Blubber, were thriving. Nature is complex and I could see how it could adapt but I suspected that there was a breaking point that I hoped that the lake would never reach.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding regions have on offer. All the best until the next post.
