Took a trip out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, near Canberra on the weekend with some friends … always love going out there. This was a quick trip to get out of Canberra for a while and one of our favourite destinations is The Sanctuary – a large wetlands ecosystem surrounded by bushland and protected by a predator-proof fence providing sanctuary for a range of native animals in a natural setting.

 

A pair of Red Belly Black snakes basking on a log in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra. Aren't they beautiful!
A pair of Red Belly Black snakes basking on a log in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra. Aren’t they beautiful!

A pair of Red Belly Black Snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) basking.

On one of our first visits to the Sanctuary, a volunteer guide showed where a colony of Red Bellied Black Snakes – Pseudechis porphyriacus or ‘red bellies’ for short. On that day there were perhaps 6 snakes in two groups nestled amongst the tussock grass by the side of the pond. On Saturday there were maybe 9 snakes in 3 groups including this pair basking in the sun. I think they must have shed recently because their skins and colouration were beautiful. I took this with my 18-200mm and was about 5m away from them. Black snakes are generally placid if left undisturbed … I likely wouldn’t try a shot like this with a brown or tiger snake. Just quietly walk away … quietly walk away 🙂


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A large metal eagle sculpture suspended above one of the information spots in The Sanctuary.

 

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Reeds and reflections in one of the Sanctuary’s ponds. A wide range of water-birds live in and around the wetlands.

 

Further information about Tidbinbilla and the range of activities available is available at the following links: