I needed exercise, and I haven't been out much since I got the K-5iis. All these photos were taken at Tidbinbilla Bature Reserve in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia using the K-5iis and Pentax DA 55-300 lens. I went for a walk on the Lyrebird trail, and although I didn't see any Lyrebirds (I did hear one), there was plenty to see. The first photos on the trail went to this Golden Whistler. I recorded his beautiful call using the video mode on the camera before he moved to a spot where I could see him.



There were several creek crossings on the trail. The water was very clear, filtered through the coarse granite soil.



At 400ISO handheld, I really should have taken a tripod with me.



There was a trail book at the start of the walk, and someone had noted seeing a Red Bellied Black Snake. Sadly, I didn't see one - they may be potentially deadly, but they're also very pretty. The only reptiles I saw were a couple of Golden Water Skinks. Both had lost their tails in the past and were growing them back.



Although the forest is now green, and many trees have survived, many died in the 2003 firestorm.





At the end of the trail, I was greeted by butterflies. This one deigned to stay still long enough to be photographed.



I then drove to the wetlands area, where I found a numbr of Magpie Geese.



Across the road, another fenced-off area protected potoroos, koalas and Swamp Wallabies. I only saw Swamp Wallabies.



On the drive out, I stopped to photograph an emu, which unfortunately was not cooperative, but this Australian Raven wandered past and glared at me with blue eyes.



Tidbinbilla is known for its large population of Grey Kangaroos, and I saw plenty of them on the drive out.







A different Emu at the picnic area was more coperative, but seemed to be having a bad hair day.



Just outside the gates of the park, I stopped to allow a group of about twenty Wood Ducks to cross the road.



Did I mention - I love this camera?

[Cee Cee]

wonderful series RobG, detail is excellent tfs.
cheers

[creampuff]

Nice collection of images with the K-5IIs and the DA 55-300mm.

[daacon]

Well done that's a good variety of species there.

[baro-nite]

Thanks for taking us along! The K-5 IIs and DA55-300 is a superb combo in your hands; roo #2 is my favorite here. Maybe next time you'll see the Lyrebirds, I would love to see some shots of those. Your Wood Duck is an interesting looking bird; unrelated to the North American species of the same name. It is amazing how well the eucalypts grow back after fire; I saw the Grampians a year or so after the big fire there in early 2006 I think; what looked like completely charred trees were sprouting new growth.

[RobG]

wonderful series RobG, detail is excellent tfs.

Thanks Ceecee!

Nice collection of images with the K-5IIs and the DA 55-300mm.

Thanks! I'm amazed by how good the combination is.

Well done that's a good variety of species there.

Early morning or late afternoon are the best times for birds and animals in Oz. I'm not a morning person.

Thanks for taking us along! The K-5 IIs and DA55-300 is a superb combo in your hands; roo #2 is my favorite here. Maybe next time you'll see the Lyrebirds, I would love to see some shots of those. Your Wood Duck is an interesting looking bird; unrelated to the North American species of the same name. It is amazing how well the eucalypts grow back after fire; I saw the Grampians a year or so after the big fire there in early 2006 I think; what looked like completely charred trees were sprouting new growth.

Thank you! Lyrebirds are hard to see, especially males. They have excellent hearing, and usually move away long before you get close. Many years ago I spent ten or fifteen minutes in the middle of a feeding group of female lyrebirds, but I didn't have a camera at the time. A photo of a male singing with his tail in display would be awesome! I'm not sure why we end up with dissimilar birds having the same name. At least Australian Robins look a little like Old World Robins even though they're unrelated!

Eucalypts are well adapted to fire and most need fire to germinate their seeds. Unfortunately, crown fires like the Canberra firestorm will heat the branches to the point where they die. Many of the trees have sprouted from further down the trunk - eventually the old branches will fall off. I hope there's never such a terrible fire here again!

[JinDesu]

Woweee, some of those feathers look great!

[Ash]

Well done Rob. You've shown what this fine little telezoom can do. Thanks for sharing.

[RobG]

Woweee, some of those feathers look great!

Agreed! I'm happy to post a 1:1 crop for pixel peepers, but frankly it's the whole image that matters to me, and I am really happy with the results.

Well done Rob. You've shown what this fine little telezoom can do. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Ash! It's the best value lens I've ever bought.

[Sailor]

What a delightful series - looks as if you're putting your new camera to good use.

Jer

[twilhelm]

What a great set. Thanks for sharing with us, they are some beautiful images and I hope to visit someday.

[eaglem]

Well after looking at these shots you've certainly have shown me that I made the right decision in buying the Pentax K-5 II.s An excellent display of shots.

[RobG]

What a delightful series - looks as if you're putting your new camera to good use.

Thanks! I certainly will over the Christmas break!

What a great set. Thanks for sharing with us, they are some beautiful images and I hope to visit someday.

Thank you! Canberra is actually a great place to visit for a bunch of reasons if you're interested in history, science and nature. It's a short drive to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve where I took these photos, but also there's lots of places in Namadgi National Park where you can see Kangaroos and many birds in the wild. Near the Nature Reserve there's the Tidbinbilla Tracking Station, which is one of the earth stations tracking missions like the Mars Rovers, Galileo, Voyager and many others. In southern Namadgi are the sites of the tracking stations which were very important in the Apollo program, and where the first signals from Apollo 11 were received. If you're interested in military history, the Australian War Memorial is an excellent museum with high quality exhibits including some rare items like an Me 262, an Me 163, a Lancaster and the entire bridge of a naval destroyer. Elsewhere in Canberra is the National Zoo and the National Botanic Gardens - where you can see plant species from all over the country.

Well after looking at these shots you've certainly have shown me that I made the right decision in buying the Pentax K-5 II.s An excellent display of shots.

I'm sure you'll be happy with the extra clarity. Fingers cross that you don't get issues with compound eyes, but I doubt there will be much of a problem.

[Mike L]

Some great shots there Rob (I don't share your enthusiasm for red-bellied black snakes).

[RobG]

Some great shots there Rob (I don't share your enthusiasm for red-bellied black snakes).

Thanks! I once ran after a black snake to get a photo. I was amazed it could move so fast! They are beautiful creatures, but they also need to be treated with respect. Unfortunately I can't find any of the photos I've taken of them; only carpet snakes and brown snakes.