Gannet, courting fantails.

Today was a public holiday but I needed to finish my entry for the Tauranga Art Awards so I went in to the studio. Town was deserted so I made the most of it and loitered around the public toilets again with my camera, (don't be silly, I was photographing the starlings in the flax again!) But actually I didn't get the perfect shot that I'm after.




















I was looking through some of my recent shots and found these I'd taken of a gannet at the Whakatane Rivermouth. I sat on the rocks for about twenty minutes and watched it diving for fish...they really are impressive doing this!



On Saturday I was trying to get some housework done when I kept getting distracted by a couple of fantails outside. I chased them with the camera for a while while I should have been vaccuuming because they were so amusing. They are dating you see, the male catches bugs which he feeds to the female to prove his worth and to impress her, and perhaps to build her strength up so she can lay the eggs. When he finally wins her over they go steady and nature takes its course. They have probably already started building a nest as I have observed them collecting spiderwebs for a few weeks now.