A flash of stunning blue to my right caught my attention against the mottled green of some small Casuarinas. I was pretty sure of what I had seen but I now had to hope that my presence hadn’t scared this beautiful bird away. The small channel that I was in was not wide and it was very shallow so it was easy enough to smoothly reverse my kayak back past an overhanging Casuarina tree branch in the water to let the wind carry me back along the channel. My heart was beating when I saw the speck of blue perched so still on a branch. With a bit of manoeuvring, I had my sea kayak pointed at the bird while the wind pushed me closer. I cursed the foliage that was blocking a clean shot but I was also excited beyond words to be finally getting some pictures of a gorgeous Azure Kingfisher. That experience took a fantastic day to an even higher level. I had already seen some lovely birds on Durras Lake while also taking in the natural beauty of the Murramarang National Park that rimmed the lake and now I was photographing an Azure Kingfisher. The two hour long early morning drive from Canberra to Durras Lake on the southern coast of New South Wales had been worth it. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
Little Pied Cormorants drying their wings
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Great Egret taking to flight
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Great Egret further into the lake
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Paddling into a straight cut inlet in the lake
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 400, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/500 SEC]
A group of Chestnut Teals
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1600, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
Taking flight
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1600, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
On the western side of the lake looking back towards the east where I started and finished
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 100, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/500 SEC]
Two synchronised Black Swans on the western side of the lake
(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])
Australian Pelican
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Juvenile White-faced Heron
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Juvenile Azure Kingfisher that made the trip much more than worthwhile
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Azure Kingfisher, if only the shot was sharper this would have been my photo of the day
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Some of the dead trees on the low-lying land
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/13 and 1/125 SEC])
Southern Mud Creeper, on the top of an abandoned bucket that I pulled out of the lake
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/10 SEC])
Getting creative by putting a light under the bucket to shine upwards
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/22 and 1/6 SEC])
Wasp Island with some waves and a moody sky
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 158mm, f/13 and 1/100 SEC])
Looking north to Point Upright and Grasshopper Island beyond it
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 227mm, f/11 and 1/125 SEC])
Waves looking like white-maned monsters rushing at the shore
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/13 and 1/160 SEC])
