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.
Grey Butcherbird in a tree beside the track to the dam
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Track intersection near the dam
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 100, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/640 SEC]
The dam
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 200, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/640 SEC]
Two Eastern Snake-necked Turtles in the dam
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Meadow Argus resting on the earthen embankment
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Pasture Day Moth sunning itself on the earthen embankment of the dam
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
White Lace Lerp with dew on it that I found beside my car
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets are always a nice sight
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Beautiful Rainbow Lorikeet in a tree on my circuitous route to the second dam
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Two-tailed Spider on a tree trunk that distracted me while photographing the Lorikeets
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo further along the track
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Interesting looking Scribbly Gum near where I cut across the bushland to the dam
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM [ISO 320, 33mm, f/11 and 1/125 SEC])
Dead trees in the pond with cloud reflections that looked almost like space
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 200, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/500 SEC]
Water Strider waiting in the shadows on the pond
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 312mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
I liked this poised Water Strider on the pond surface
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 312mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Unidentified tadpole in the pond
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Dead tree
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 200, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/1250 SEC]
