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.
So that was how I found myself astride my mountain bike (MTB) on Friday, 15 January 2021 at 6AM heading off to join the Centenary Trail where it passed through the Canberra suburb of Forrest with the intent to follow the trail in a counter-clockwise direction. I was a little nervous because I knew that the route would be probably longer than I had ever ridden on my MTB and I was even more nervous because the front wheel valve had been playing up a few days before so I was worried that my tyre would become useless at a point far away from road access. Balancing those concerns was my excitement at seeing a different part of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as well as the nature that I would encounter. I knew that the countryside would be beautiful but I was also hoping that I would find some wildlife to photograph. I was not really carrying the right lens for birds, that would have been the 100-400mm lens, but the 70-200mm lens proved really useful for the Eastern Bearded Dragon and Shinglebacks that I encountered, as well as some dragonflies. Sorry, the post below is a bit light when it comes to birdlife, and there are also way too many quick snaps with my iPhone, but I hope that you like the photographs nonetheless.
A nice rural scene just before entering Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 200, 40mm, f/10 and 1/100 SEC])
Pond that I stopped beside at Mulligans Flat
Pacific Black Ducks on the pond
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 500, 181mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Australasian Grebe
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 320, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Black-faced Percher
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 500, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Blue Skimmer on the trail
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 100, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
Eastern Bearded Dragon that I almost ran over
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 160, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Closer view
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 160, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Eastern Bearded Dragon
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 160, 70mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
A more typically coloured Blue Skimmer
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 160, 200mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Two Shingleback skinks beside the trail
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 400, 70mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
The one closer to the trail, on the left in the first photograph
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 400, 110mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
The second one
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 400, 70mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
