South-eastern Australia

25th September - 17th October 2010

Lyneham Ridge, Northern Canberra

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - Lyneham Ridge, Canberra

Lyneham Ridge is a small park in the northern suburbs of Canberra and is not really a place you would be desparate to include in your itinerary of a visit to Canberra but, since it was only a 5 minute walk from my friend's house where I was staying, it made an ideal place to go for an early morning walk before breakfast.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - Lyneham Ridge, Canberra

There is a resident mob of about 50 very approachable Kangaroos on the ridge which provide numerous opportunities for photography.  As their scientific name suggests, these are large kangaroos with the males standing up to 1.3m (52inches) high and weighing 66kg (145lbs).

Adult female

Joey

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - Lyneham Ridge, Canberra

There is a dominance heirarchy among the males and disputes are settled by bouts of boxing The combatents often support themselves on their stout 1m long tail and kick out at their opponent with both feet simultaneously, so it is usually more like Thai boxing than Queensbury rules!

Adult male

Adult males boxing

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - Lyneham Ridge, Canberra

The birdlife I found along the ridge was not hugely varied, as is always the case in small, isolated parks in a suburban environment, but I usually found about 30 species each of the mornings I went up there.  The only really noteworthy species I encountered was a flyby Superb Parrot, a rare bird in northern Canberra.  Unfortunately, due to the brevity of the sighting, I didn't get a photo of it.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)

A couple of parrots that were far more cooperative were the abundant Galahs and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

Other parrot species seen on the ridge included Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Gang-Gang Cockatoo and King Parrot.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)

Although superficially similar to crows, the Australian Magpie and Pied Currawong are both members of the Bell-magpie family.  They are both extremely common species and their lyrical, ringing songs and calls can be heard practically everywhere in south-eastern Australia.

Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)

Australian Raven, on the other hand, is a true crow and, as with most members of its family, its call could never be described as lyrical!

Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides)

Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)

At over a foot long, the Red Wattlebird is one of the largest members of the Honeyeater family.  It is an abundant bird in southeastern Australia and is found in a large variety of habitats.  The photo above was taken in my friend's back garden.