Artist by Nature: Photos and Art by Mandy Hague, Whakatane. NZ Birds

A Barrel of Bees

2011-11-30T02:06:00.000-08:00

Troy and I have just spent two awesome weeks in the South Island. I took a few hundred photos and so far I haven't even begun to sort through them. I'll share as soon as I can. Til then here's the drama that's unfolded in the last few days.

When we left there was a family of young starlings being raised in the oak whiskey barrel sitting on our front porch. I figured they would have fledged by the time we got home but I never expected that a hive of wild honey bees would take their place!

A steady trickle of bees were coming and going in the busy manner that bees have. Now I like bees and I'm well aware they are in a dangerous decline worldwide due to sprays and poisons among other things. Bee stings I'm not so keen on - actually I'm a big sook when it comes to that so I was wary about having a hive three feet from my front door. It was lucky one of Troys best mates Misho is a bee-keeper so between the two of them they worked out a plan to move the hive without the total destruction of our barrel. It was tipped upside-down and Misho cut a hole with a skillsaw (meanwhile we were safely inside cowering in the kitchen - I took this shot through the sliding door.)

However after Misho assured me the bees were not going to attack I was brave enough to get this shot looking down thru the hole in the barrel, the whole interior was covered in bees!!! Double click on the above photo to enlarge, its kinda freaky!

A bunch of bees were collected from the barrel interior and dropped into a bee box. Misho then somehow found the queen amongst all those hundreds of bees and put her in the box then put the lid on. He then collected as many bees as he could and deposited them outside the box. By nightfall they had all moved into their new quarters to be close to their queen!

Unfortunately the honeycomb couldn't be saved but Misho placed the broken pieces in front of the bee box as the bees eat up the honey so they can use it in the new hive! Pieces of the remains of the starling nest were gummed up in the sticky mess.

Some of the honeycomb is used to house the young bees in the grub stage, some is used to store honey and some stores pollen (if I remember correctly.) A few bees got drowned in the honey when the hive was tipped upside-down but all in all it was a successful relocation. I was amazed at how much honeycomb the hive had made in less than two weeks. All in all it was quite fascinating learning how they work. In a couple of days Misho will add another layer to the bee box then take them to his place. And in a few weeks Troy and I will get a share of the lovely golden honey! Mmmm-mmm. A shame we couldn't leave it in the barrel, we could have had whiskey flavoured honey. But then again it would probably have had overtones of starling poop....eeeeyew!

Caspian Tern struggles with Eel

2011-10-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

Caspian Terns are the largest species of tern found in New Zealand and are conspicuous by their bright red beak. They are common residents of the lower Whakatane river and can be spectacular to watch as they perform vertical dives for small fish.

The other day I was surprised to see one with an eel which was still very much alive and wriggling. The tern was having a hard time holding on to it and the eel kept getting loose and free falling.

The bird wasn't going to let its meal get away and employed some cunning acrobatics to reclaim its dinner.

I didn't get to see the tern finally swallow the eel but I would suspect it won out in the end.

I have often watched shags trying to eat young eels and just when you think the bird has swallowed the eel it will wriggle back out again! Sometimes the bird takes ages before it finally gets it all the way down. They must taste good to be worth all that effort!

Dotterel Relocation Project, Herepuru - Matata

2011-10-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

The day after my epic trek up the coast line in search of dotterel I found out the Dept of Conservation had decided it was too risky to leave the birds where they were due to the threat of pollution. A few miles up the coast the container ship Rena was stuck on Astrolabe Reef and still leaking oil into the sea and it was just a matter of time before it reached the dotterel habitat. These birds are extremely susceptible to oil but it was still not a decision the experts reached lightly.

DOC dotterel experts were flown in and were met by local resident John Groom who has monitored the population here for at least ten years. I was fortunate enough to catch up with them at Herepuru and watch John Dowding in action.

Here he guides the bird towards the capture net. You can just see the dotterel right of centre on the sand.

Within minutes the first dotterel was captured.

Its weight was recorded...

and an identification band attached to its leg.

John Dowding is an ornithologist who specialises in these birds. He has such a gentle laid-back manner that seems to cause very little stress to the birds he is handling. The last I heard the team had caught 25 but were aiming for 40 with the captured birds relocated to Tauranga. I was priveleged to be there to witness their work and of course to get some photos. I'm just hoping the oil won't make it this far!

National New Zealand Dotterel Census

2011-10-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I took part in a Nationwide census on New Zealand Dotterel. These birds are a threatened species and at the last count in 2004 numbered around 1700.

My section of coastline was the stretch of sand from Coastlands subdivision near Whakatane to the Whakatane Golflinks. Sue Greenwood from forest and bird along with Alan Houltain were to patrol from Coastlands down to the Whakatane rivermouth. We set off a little after 9am, Sue and Alan turning right from the carpark as I turned left. It was a rather stormy day and I was enjoying the brisk weather until a few minutes into the walk when I got a nose full of oil smell from the gounded Rena in Tauranga. It was horrible and my throat began to hurt when fortunately the wind changed and the smell disapeared. I arrived at the Golf links having seen a few Variable oystercatchers but no dotterels. I texted for more instructions. "Carry on to the Thornton rivermouth." I wondered how far that was....seemed quite a long way.

There were some great Physalia washed up also known as Man o War jellyfish. Excellent colours!

And my favourite shell of all times - the Violet snail.

No dotterels but still I walked....and walked....and walked....

Bloody Hell! Where's this rivermouth then? Seven kilometres up the coast I spied Sue and Allan walking to meet me. And there finally were some dotterels tho since the other two had spotted them first I had to reveal my tally as none! Waaaagh!

To learn more about dotterels click on the link below. This clip shows a population at Omaha Beach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot4roA7j41c&feature=player_embedded

Latest Paintings

2011-10-05T03:08:00.000-07:00

This is my first post since early June, nearly four months ago. Sorry to anyone who followed my blog but I just haven't been in the right frame of mind due to a whole lot of stuff that's been going on in my life. Lost my mojo for a while - have hardly even taken any photos. Still, its spring now so I'm done with the winter blues and I'm determined to get my inspiration back. Here are my latest four paintings.

Baby bunnies

2011-06-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

There has been a family of young rabbits living in the woodpile over our fence. Charming little creatures they are too. My neice Nicola wanted to see some photos of them so I spent the morning stalking bunnies. These are for you Nicola.

A Parrot in the Persimmon tree.

2011-06-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

Mums neighbour Bill was kind enough to email me the other day to tell me a Kaka had been regularly visiting their garden recently. I was given the all-clear to head over there with my camera if ever I heard him. I kept my ears open and sure enough, a few days later I heard the screeches and chortles of a native parrot. I found him in a tall tree in the front yard. Too far away for decent photos. He was feeding on grubs and beetles in a dead tree. Kaka enjoy a varied diet and this one was getting his protein by ripping the dead wood open with his strong beak to enjoy the insects within. I heard from other people in the neighbourhood that he had been in their macadamia tree cracking open the nuts. You'd have to have an extremely strong beak to get those things open!

Finally he flew to the persimmon tree in Bills back yard where I was able to get quite close to him and get some good shots. Kaka move like monkeys in the trees. This guy was grabbing the branches with his beak to climb up and down in his quest for ripe fruit. When he found a persimmon to his taste he would rip pieces out with his beak and hold the chunk of fruit in his foot like a kid holding an ice cream and the juice ran out around his toes. I could get quite close - about fifteen feet, plenty close enough to see the cheeky glint in his eye!

Sadly this is a species in decline. Kaka are quite threatened now due to habitat loss and scarce food supplies. What a shame - they have so much character!

Battered Bat

2011-06-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago one of Troys workmates was driving through the Waioeka Gorge when a tiny bat hit the windscreen of her car. It was night time and she initially thought it was a leaf. When she finally got to a place where she could pull the car over she retrieved the little lifeless body and later put it in the freezer. On Monday morning I got the chance to get some quick shots before it was given to the Department of Conservation guys who were going to turn it over to a taxidermist for preserving.

It was the first time I have seen one of our two New Zealand species up close. What a fascinating creature. Its wings were like crinkly black crepe paper, very thin with long arm bones along the leading edge. A tiny clawed thumb is situated at the top joint, the rest of the wing are actually supported by the fingers. Delicate little clawed feet ended on short legs.

This one was a long-tailed bat and there was indeed a substantial tail complete with the same kind of membrane as the wing. Unfortunately I couldn't pull it out to photograph it. What a treat to be able to study this bat up close, it was an amazing little animal! Just a shame he was dead.

Neighbourhood watch

2011-05-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning there was a racket in the skies above my studio. Four Tui were circling and shrieking their alarm call.

I wondered what all the fuss was about. Finally they disapeared and were silent. A moment later a falcon flew past. I figured out what they were doing - it was Tui Neighbourhood Watch!

The falcon must have been perched nearby looking for prey. The Tuis let all the birds in the neighbourhood know to lay low, there was danger about. Falcon gave up and flew off in a huff!

Tadpoles progress

2011-05-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

I photographed the tadpoles yesterday.

They are getting their lovely little froggy legs but have grown a lot slower than I expected. I had to put them in a bowl of clear water to take their pictures as the water plants get in the way otherwise.

This one I've just taught to do somersaults on command. Clever A?

Nah, just kidding. He learnt that all by himself!

Collage Class

2011-05-10T03:22:00.000-07:00

Today I tutoured a class of eleven women in the creative techniques of collage.

We had heaps of fun and all my students were enthusiastic and exceptionally imaginative.

No two finished works were alike...

some were whimsical...

some nostalgic....

All unique and absolutely fab! A great afternoons work.

Autumn Leaves

2011-05-08T04:04:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that either A.God or B.Evolution (depending on your beliefs) has equipped the human body with a set of muscles for the sole purpose of using a garden rake. There's only one time of the year that I actually use a garden rake and thats now when the sweetgum is losing its leaves. I know this is the only time of year these muscles get used because of the amount of pain I will be in tommorrow. They just don't get enough of a work out during the non-leaf-dropping portion of the year.

It is a tedious job raking leaves made bearable by little distractions, a moth alighting on the wheelbarrow rim,

a starling watching my progress,

a fantail feeding in a tree nearby.

The worst part of the job is glaringly obvious - realising that once all the leaves are raked up there are yet a million more waiting to drop down in their place. Bugger!

Bill Clarks Xtreme adventure tour.

2011-05-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

This morning Troy got a phonecall from neighbour and Whakatane District councillor Bill Clark asking if we would like to photograph a nearby waterfall. Very few people are aware this waterfall even exists despite it being in a council reserve so Bill plans to educate the public in the hope more people can enjoy it. In addition to the waterfall there is a dam and old powerstation originally built in 1928 but now no longer in use.

Troy and I had unsuccessfully tried to find the powerhouse and waterfall before so jumped at the chance to have a guided tour. Bill drove us to the Karaponga Reserve where we wasted no time heading off up the track alongside the stream (which after recent rain was resembling more of a river.) After a short tramp we left the track and scrambled down a bank toward the stream. Admittedly we had been warned there would be a stream crossing but I'd been anticipating something kneedeep. The stream was flowing pretty fast and I must admit I was a bit hesitant. Bill had gone before and held out his hand for me to grab. I stepped in to the icy water and made sure my footing was secure. Troy grabbed my other hand as I took my second step and the water bubbled up around my thighs. For a moment my arms were being pulled in two directions and then before I knew it I was on the other bank.

We found the old pump sporting a patina of rust and moss. After re-crossing the stream we found the track again and followed the old pipe that carried water down to the pumpstation. Suddenly Bill detoured off down a very steep bank back towards the river. Reluctant to follow with my camera I relinquished it in a nest of ferns then followed into the near vertical abyss. This was quickly beginning to resemble an "Intrepid Journey."

At the bottom we negotiated along the riverbank as the rapids became steeper and steeper and from the noise I could tell we were nearing the falls. Finally I looked up to see the waterfall which flowed from behind a ridge so that I couldn't see its source. "Oh thats not the falls" said Bill, "We have to cross again to see the falls." I laughed at his joke looking at the torrent of white water cascading past then realised with a sinking feeling that he WASN'T JOKING! I told him I wasn't crossing the river and he reckoned it was easier than the first time we'd done it so I was talked into in. This time the water swirled up to where my inadequately short legs met my body and I could feel the current tugging at my trackpants.

Check out the little blob of orange in this photo, its me on my little cowardly sanctuary. The photo was taken by Troy from the clifftop above.

There was an island of rocks halfway which I scrambled up onto, my pants so heavy with water that they almost stayed in the river without me! I watched Troy follow me with a few thousand dollars worth of camera gear in a pack on his back. At that point I refused to go any further and stayed put on my Island with a raging torrent surrounding wondering if this is going to turn into an episode of "I shouldn't be alive!"

Meanwhile Troy and Bill crossed the second part of the river and scaled a cliff of mossy wet rocks to the base of the waterfall. (Which incidently was out of my sight.) Troy got his shots, they rejoined me on my Island and the three of us safely crossed back and a few minutes later I was clawing my way back up the vertical cliff to the track.

Further on we came to the dam which was duly photographed by Troy who set his tripod up in the middle of the (now much shallower) stream bed.

The walk back was much more civilised as our tour guide took us to a wide flat track through the bush. We came out to a fenceline halfway down with a lovely view of the Rangitaiki Plains stretched out in front of us.

So as for the elusive Karaponga Waterfall, well I still can't say I've seen it but I can say I've seen the photos! And I have to admit almost all the pics are Troys except the one with him in it obviously. Oh, and this one is my photo of a leaf laying on the old metal waterpipe which came out kinda randomly cool. Actually its my favourite photo of the day.

Kingfisher snapshots

2011-04-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

This time of year there seem to be an abundance of Kotare (Kingfishers) about. With their brilliant colours they are a great photographic subject. Unfortunately they are quite wary birds so I never seem to get as close as I want.

The last two pics were taken early morning at the marina near the yacht club. The pointed metal cones have been fitted to the wharf poles in an effort to stop birds perching on them (and therefore reduce the bird poo they produce.) It seems to work too, at least for the gulls and shags but the kingfishers aren't in the least daunted. They make a great lookout for them to spot fish and crabs in the water below.

Jamie from Georgia

2011-04-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

I was asked to spend an afternoon with an artist from Savannah Georgia who was visiting New Zealand on a Rotary exchange. I was half expecting it to be...well actually I don't know what I was expecting. I sure didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Her name was Jamie and we had lots to talk about. I showed her my studio then we grabbed a bottle of wine and headed down to the Whakatane heads to do some sketching/painting.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and we had a lovely relaxing time making art. Jamie drew Whale Island in watersoluble crayons and I sketched a pohutukawa in graphite. As we were packing up a beautiful falcon made an unsuccesful attack on a gull in the airspace about five feet from us. It pulled up and circled us before heading off around the coastline. All in all it was a special day. Jamie loved taking some time out from a busy schedule to do what artists do and she said it was a highlight of her trip so far. I just appreciated being reminded of what a fabulous part of the world we live in.

Thanks Jamie!

Fruitless search.

2011-03-07T02:16:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to supply a photo of a tui feeding on totara fruit for an author writing a book about the totara tree. The tui is the main method of seed dispersion for the totara tree (I just learned that) and the fruit appear in March so today I set off to get the required shot. I know lots about birds but not really about trees which is why I wasted half the morning photographing tuis feeding on kahikatea fruit.

The fruit look similar but I got the tree wrong - I knew it shouldn't have been that easy. So then I went looking for totara trees. I found some near the Awatapu lagoon - no fruit. There were some at the rose gardens - no fruit. A totara in the neighbours section - no fruit. Mum suggested the cemetary so after lunch thats where we went.

Cemetaries are strange places, plastic flowers and little angels. A magpie wandered amongst the graves. Lots of people hate magpies. I don't really mind them, I especially like their black and white markings.

Mum wandered around looking at headstones seeing people she once knew, saying "oh here's so and so", and "oh look, there's poor old such and such." And I pretended I remembered who they were and just wandered around feeling gloomy. After watching the Christchurch earthquake on tv for the last week or so its hard not to feel glum at best.

I found some totara, one even had a fruit on it. ONE fruit between all those trees! Bizarre looking thing it was too. End on it looked like an alien so I added a mouth to it to cheer myself up.

Double click to enlarge, it looks kinda cute.

Oh I forgot, I got a new computer! My first ever brand new one. Its whizzy fast. I gotta make sure I keep the new keyboard free from crumbs.

Content may disturb.

2011-02-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

I spotted this black billed gull on Friday morning in a distressed state. I tried to catch it but it could still fly. I am pretty sure this bird has tried to eat some bait whilst the fisherman was still holding his fishing rod. Rather than risk a mild pecking the fisherman has taken the easy way out and simply cut his (or her) line. Because of this persons cowardly action the gull has been handed a long slow death sentence. I suspect it will have died by now. It was suffering a raging infection with the hook having pierced the side of its face and the barb protruding. Its really not pretty to look at but I have no hesitation about posting this image. Hopefully it will help prevent these all too common mishaps with fishing tackle. Nylon line on its own can do untold damage even without the hook.

After posting such a hideous pic I am adding the following photo of a welcome swallow cause I think its pretty cute. This is a favourite perch for this family of swallows and this time of year they are looking lovely with their orange faces.

And finally a pic to make you smile. Not exactly nature or art but I couldn't resist snapping it out the car window travelling through Rotorua a couple of weeks ago.

Frogs n tadpoles

2011-02-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

I have always been fascinated by frogs and tadpoles. As a kid I would spurn any dollies or any kind of girly stuff in favour of my trusty frog net and head out every spring to catch myself some little croakers. It used to drive my sister crazy because their croaking would keep her awake at night. Internationally frogs are in decline. Frog Species the world over are becoming extinct at an alarming rate.

Visiting family in Auckland last weekend I was delighted to spot some fat green frogs in a flax bush on the edge of a swamp. They have such lovely skin and were a beautiful shade of green. These are a species introduced from Australia, they are called Bell Frogs. All our native species lack external ears, those round discs seen on the side of these guys heads behind the eye.

Two days later I was back in Whakatane photographing the heron at the dyers pool. Its not often they will venture into this space as the human foot traffic is heavy past the spot. I watched this one having a good feed and it took me a while to see what it was eating...tadpoles!
And some big tadpoles at that. I decided if it was good enough for the heron it was good enough for me so the next day I dug out my frog net.

It didn't take me long before had five little taddies in my jar so I took them back to Mums where I found a round glass bowl. I was draining a little of the dirty water out of my jam jar when one decided to make a bid for freedom and before I could stop it he had zoomed over the lip of the jar and down the plughole. Oh No! Seems like I was contributing to the declining frog population.

Fortunately the other four are well and happy and getting bigger every day. Amazing to think something that breathes water and looks like this can turn into something that breathes air and looks like a frog....is a frog...you know what I mean. Just brilliant!

www.nzfrogs.org

www.savethefrogs.com

Valentines Day

2011-02-15T01:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Valentines Day and Troy gave me a georgous present. It was a Bush Giant Dragonfly that he had found dead on a friends driveway. When he gave it to me it was still freshly dead so I could straighten its bent legs to make it look alive and quite ready to lift up and fly off. I understand that to some people it may seem strange to give a dead bug to say "I love You" but......well....ok so maybe it is a little weird. The important thing was that I really like it and it will take pride of place in my dead bug collection. I have always loved dragonflies and they are especially fascinating to study close up.

Below is my latest painting. It is a reasonably small study of a shag and kina in a rather curious composition. It is called "Kina Moon."

On a sad note, my computer has died : ( I can't complain because it is about ten years old! Fortunately I did a back-up relatively recently but I have lost some stuff. Troy thinks he can revive it long enough to get the missing stuff off it. After that I'm going to have a funeral and bury it with full honours...actually thats not good for the ecology is it? Best wait for the next E-day rubbish collection.

R.I.P. computer. Just as well it wasn't my camera or I'd be inconsolable.

something fishy

2011-02-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted a small fish to include in a painting I am planning so yesterday I thought I'd go catch myself a herring or more correctly named a yellow eyed mullet. I raided Dads tackle box for some tiny hooks, rummaged around in Mums freezer for a pilchard bait and climbed the back fence to the river. After only a couple of minutes I brought in a shiny silver fish, the perfect painting subject. I thought "Hell that was easy!" so I decided to keep trying for more. My friend Rosemary runs a bird rescue and is always wanting fish to feed herons, shags, penguins and the numerous seabirds she nurses back to health. So I filled a bucket with river water and popped the herring into it. The fish promptly leapt out again and landed with a splash back into the river!I had a sinking feeling that the next one was going to be more difficult to catch and sure enough 30 mins later I was still waiting for a bite. Finally I caught my second so without wasting time I took it back to the house to photograph. On my way back I passed my Dad who had decided to have a go too and before I had finished taking pictures he came back with a big fat kahawai!

Hot Sunday

2011-02-08T00:31:00.001-08:00

On the hottest day for I can't remember how long my better half decided to go for a mountain bike ride. Why?....well I have no idea but somehow I was talked into going along and walking the track. (I sold my bike after getting a wickedly sore butt from riding it despite all the built in padding I carry.) The track was through the bush near Lake Rotoma and I decided I would leave the camera in the car and get some brisk excercise while Troy did the loop on his bike. I had hardly gone a hundred metres before I had to turn back and grab the Canon as there was a little male Tomtit checking me out but when I returned he had disappeared of course. Wandering on I found this Bush Giant Dragonfly. Apparently it can eat 20 houseflies in an hour and can eat insects as large as cicadas.*

Speaking of cicadas, I found this golden coloured specimen entangled in a spiders web. I have no idea which species - New Zealand has 40 species but there are 2500 species worldwide.

What was supposed to be a vigorous excercise session turned out to be a slow meandering journey of discovery as I wove my way through the forest enjoying its cool and quiet wonders. Then we went home where it was exceptionally hot so we stripped off our clothes and flopped into our little blow up swimming pool. Lucky we have no close neighbours.

*Insect info from the book "Which New Zealand Insect?" by Andrew Crowe.

frogs for breakfast?

2011-02-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Recently I was just thinking how long its been since I've seen the herons fishing on the mudflats. They were absent again this morning so I went for a walk and discovered one at the dyers pool.

I have been hearing a loud chorus from the resident frogs in this pond on many a morning visit so perhaps the heron had been hunting them. A big fat frog would make a nice breakfast for a heron.

And he had the perfect perch!

When a cicada landed on the herons perch it almost became a snack but luckily for the cicada the birds neck wasn't quite long enough.

Whale Island Seal Census

2011-02-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

On our second trip to Whale Island/Moutuhora for the seal count the weather was much more favourable. I was surprised to spot this female sunbathing on a dead tree - who knew seals climb trees?

The big male below had a face to die for.

This female was a mum with a pup about six weeks old, one of six we found on the island.

And just check out the baby......how cute is that!!!All in all it was a lovely afternoon with some good results. However I would have given anything to have been on the morning charter when Phil our diveworks Skipper had taken a group out to sea. They had come across a small group of dolphin and one of the females had just given birth. All those aboard had been delighted to watch the Mum hold her newborn baby up to the surface to breathe, at times carrying her tiny infant on her back! Imagine the photos I could have taken......... sigh!!!

Miles Art Award

2011-02-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

In December I won the Miles Art Award in Tauranga with my painting "Mackerel in Tomato Sauce." I felt very honoured to win the award especially after seeing the exhibition in the Tauranga Art Gallery. The exhibition finishes on the 27th February 2011.

Seal census White Island

2011-02-05T18:34:00.001-08:00

Recently I have been very lucky to have been asked out on a number of boat trips to count seals on our two offshore Islands of Whale Island/Moutuhora and White Island/Whakaari. The census is part of the work done by the Department of Conservation and is undertaken by Rosemary Tully of Whakatane Bird Rescue and Phil van Dusschoten who is our skipper and is from Diveworks Charters.

The first trip was to Whale Island and it was a dark drizzly day, not good conditions for photography. The next was to White Island, our local offshore active volcano and the day was a cracker! The sea was as flat as a mill pond and the closer we got to the island the more seabirds we saw. Because it was so smooth I was able to lean over the side of the boat and snap the birds as they flew alongside us. The Bullers Shearwaters were my favourites and I was amazed at how they soared so low over the water that their wingtips skimmed the surface!

This is a Sooty Shearwater or Muttonbird which is a dark chocolate brown.

The gannet with its distinctive yellow head breeds on White Island so there were plenty of these about.

Once at the Island we had lunch floating above a clear garden of kelp and fish while gannets circled to land at their rookery on the cliff above us. Finally we set off in search of seals. Phils boat was perfectly suited to the task as we could get very close to the rocky shore and navigate around rocky outcrops.

We found a lone male but he was to prove the only seal spotted all day so our tally was a grand total of one!

There was plenty of action in the crater with plumes of steam rising from the arid volcanic landscape. Its such a spectacular Island and I was constantly amazed at the clour and movement in the geology of the coastline. All too soon we were done and the Island was slowly shrinking into the distance as we motored home. There was more excitement to come however when Phil spotted a Mako shark jumping. Fortunately I still had my camera around my neck and switched on so I instinctively focused on the spot where the shark had jumped knowing they usually jumped two or three times. (Phil had told me that piece of intormation on the way out when I had seen another mako jump in the distance.) Sure enough it came up again and I quickly snapped this series of three shots which were later published in the New Zealand Herald.
All in all it was a fantastic day, the ocean couldn't have been better and there was never a shortage of things to see.....unless you count the seals of which there was only one!

For more info on a charter of your own visit www.whaleislandtours.com

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Huge apologies for being absent for the last three months, it was not something I had planned - it just worked out that way as I concentrated on other projects, plans and personal avenues in my life. I have recently been given a bit of stick about the lack of posts so I've been pleasantly surprised at how many people actually read them which is quite lovely! So here I go trying to catch up on the last three months... a deep breath as I cast my mind back to October. Gosh it HAS been ages.

I had joined the NZ Geographic group on Flickr, ( a photo sharing site http://www.flickr.com/ ) and was surfing the discussion board late one night when I found an opportunity too good to miss. Photographers were being offered a trip out on the Gemini Galaxsea at a reduced rate to see Blue Whales that were visiting the Tauranga coast. The voyage was departing early the next morning so I booked myself in and tried to get some sleep in beforehand. A few hours later I was at the marina meeting Butler who skippers the vessel. It was a georgous day, conditions were perfect and I was thus sceptical that we would be lucky enough to see whales and have lovely weather! A few miles out and I had gone below deck to grab a warmer jersey when the call went up, "whales!" My first glimpse was a gigantic head rearing up out of the ocean quite a distance away. This turned out to be one of a pair of Brydes Whales and before long we were reasonably close.

That's Mt Maunganui and the Tauranga coast in the background. According to the NZ Geographic website (who have a great interactive page on Whales found in NZ waters) the Brydes Whales are the only baleen whales that feed locally without migrating to the Arctic and they grow to 14.5 metres long. The shot below captures the moment the whale closes its mouth forcing vast amounts of water through its baleen or filtering system collecting krill and other tiny marine life on which it feeds. Unbelievable to think something so huge survives on creatures so tiny!I was so thrilled to see these whales and was amazed at how large they were. Just incredible, I could have gone home then and been happy but the day got even better! About half an hour later we found a Blue Whale, visible from his waterspout on the horizon. I then re-evaluated my concept of large as this leviathon eclipsed every other creature on earth in the size department. Not even the largest dinosaur that ever lived was as big as this baby!

I wished my photos gave a better indication of size but during the dayI realised how difficult it is to get great photos of whales. I was fortunate enough to meet NZ's most accomplished photographer of sea mammals Dr Kim Westerskov who happened to be onboard. Kim is a wildlife photographer and freelance journalist and he also happened to be one of the judges in the Biodiversity photo competition I won last year so it was lovely to meet him and see him in action.

This shot shows the Blue whale filling his baleen full of water his pectoral fin in the air as he feeds on his side and below are his nostrils as he takes a breath!

Later we found another Blue Whale and after onserving for a few minutes realised it was not one but two - a mother and calf which was fantastic. The mother was positioning herself between us and her baby so difficult to get a shot with them both in the frame. Due to D.O.C. regulations protecting marine mammals we were alloted a certain amount of time observing each and when we had used up that time there was still plenty to see and do. There were vast flocks of fluttering shearwaters which Butler cruised through while we photographers hung over the bow rail snapping furiously. These delightful birds are adept at walking on water to stay just in front of the boat and proved popular subjects.

And when we tired of them a quiet cruise around the Karewa Island revealed sunbathing seals and resting shags. Back on dry land I was just buzzing over what I had seen that day. I had taken hundreds of photos, seen the largest animal that has ever lived, met some great people and seen the ecosystem as it should be (apart from a couple of purse seiners filling their nets.) The oceans appeared to be teeming with life, birds everywhere, it was the perfect day! Thanks to NZ Geographic & Butler of Galaxsea Gemini for the opportunity - it was a day I'll never forget.

www.swimwithdolphins.co.nz www.nzgeographic.co.nz

Crazy Critters

2010-10-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

While out photographing nature I'm generally on the lookout for birds to snap. Often I am confronted with critters of a different kind altho I was totally unprepared for the beastie I discovered in Sullivans Lake a couple of weeks ago. I thought I was back in Florida when I spotted this red-eared turtle sunbathing on a dead tree branch. He was a bit wary and splashed back into the water when I got too close. I suspect he was someones pet until they got sick of him and released him into this modest man-made lake. Potentially an ecological disaster but in all honesty just one of many. In fact things might turn out ok if he eats all the Koi Carp that reside there. One introduced nasty making good on another introduced nasty! (sarcasm/irony) Speaking of nasties, I took a break yesterday and jumped the back fence to the Riverbank. There were no birds or anything very interesting but it was a lovely day and I figured if I sat and waited something would come along. I was right..... a big fat Rat swam by, he almost as surprised to see me as I was to see him. Disgusting or Cute? Not sure myself but I do know he's another ecological disaster!

To something completely different.... Whakaari or White Island lies out from the coast of my home town. Usually it sits quite unassuming on the horizon but yesterday it was having a bit of a rumble and puff. I wonder what the tourists were thinking that visited her yesterday. Those gas masks would have come in handy! Troy and I were lucky enough to go a few years ago. It was a fantastic day out and I can wholeheartedly reccomend it to locals and visitors alike. Fantastic place and a unique experience.

Last weekend I was stuck at home both days so I had to entertain myself with the usual suspects found in my backyard. The Starlings are building nests in the woodshed again! Messy buggers.

This Thrush already has babies hatched and is busy collecting worms for them. While I watched she dug up a big fat worm only to have a kingfisher zoom down and steal it from under her nose.

Yesterday morning was a beauty and for once the whitebaiters hadn't hogged all my good bird photographing possies. I got this shot of a heron taking off which I was quite pleased with.

I met an interesting young character the same morning. This is Stanley. He let me photograph him with his puppy "Eel" before he headed back to the skate bowl with his buddies. I really wanted him to leave Eel with me but no such luck!

Shagsville

2010-09-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I visited a spot on the river a little further down than my usual post. There was a couple of shags fishing and after I sat down to observe a few more arrived. Two were Little Shags (with white on them) and three were Little Black Shags. The Little Black Shags arrived singly but teamed up to hunt as a group which was interesting to watch. The Little Shags were more independent and one quickly made himself known as the boss and privvy to the best spot on the rock, pushing the other birds off.

All the shags had to take a break now and then to dry their feathers holding their wings out to speed up the process. Breakfast was made up of some large blenny type fish or what we used to call cockabullies when I was a kid.

Nga Manu Exhibition

2010-09-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

The "Nga Manu" exhibition opened at the Whakatane Museum Gallery Last Night. I had two large paintings in it plus a collection of eight small assemblage collages in my "Curved Wall Collection." Here are 3 from the series. Owl Widget

Wishbone

Bingo

It was a great night & the exhibition was well received. It was lovely to exhibit with some great artists whose work I really admire, Raymond Ching in particular. "Nga Manu" runs until October 31st.

Ups and Downs

2010-09-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned life has been a roller coaster lately. I travelled to Auckland on Monday to my Auntys funeral which was very sad. She was quite young and I'll always remember her as a real lady and a beautiful and caring person. I remember going to her husbands funeral about four years ago and on the way out of town we saw a large white heron at Thornton. Not a common bird anywhere in NZ really and certainly not often seen here. And in a strange coincidence I saw another at Matata on Monday as we travelled to my Auntys farewell. I'm not really a spiritual person but it was a bit weird all the same.

Biodiversity photo contest

2010-09-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been a real roller coaster ride. I got some great news on the 10th September - I won the International year of Biodiversity Photo competition run by the Dept of Conservation, Forest and Bird, NIWA & UNESCO. Judges were Kim Westerskov, Craig Potton and Norman Heke of Te Papa. And to top it off DOC flew me down to Wellington, put me up in a swanky hotel and took me to the awards night at Zealandia! All that and a cheque for $1,300. I had a sore arm from pinching myself to see if it was real. Here's my winning photo.

I had a great day in our capital city shopping & visiting the art galleries and was even given a tour of the DOC building, an eco friendly design that was full of friendly people. It was all wonderful til the flight home. The weather had been a bit dodgy but nothing major until I was 20kms southeast of the Whakatane airport when the weather turned very violent very suddenly. We spent 20 mins circling the airport being tossed like a salad waiting for an opportunity to land. Troy was waiting in the carpark with the car rocking in the wind gusts as he watched the rain blown in sideways along the runway. My parents listened to the plane fly low over their house more than once as I sat a couple of hundred feet above them gripping the armrests in a cold sweat. When we finally landed it was without incident but there was some very relieved passengers I can tell you. " Welcome to Whakatane, we hope you enjoyed your flight." YEAH RIGHT!!!

Shots of the Day

2010-09-07T02:16:00.000-07:00

A gloomy, mainly wet day today but it had its share of redeeming moments. Standing near the riverbank I captured a few frames of a passing Harrier. Not great on their own but a montage of three images made a pretty cool pic. The young hawks are dark chocolate coloured and get paler as they age so this one has a few years under its belt. The Kaka Beak is in flower at the moment and has been discovered by resident tui and bellbirds in the last week. I have been waiting for a fine day so I can photograph the irridescence in the plumage of the tui but the weather has not been co-operating.

Amazing colour in the Kaka Beak flowers!

The dude below could be easily mistaken for a sparrow, in fact it is often called a Hedge Sparrow. Technically it is a different family and more correctly termed a Dunnock.

In my last shot a female Blackbird hides among the Bluebells. I'm hanging out for the sun to come out again! Maybe tommorrow.

Starling scrap.

2010-09-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit slow on the blogs lately - because someone has used our total monthly allowance of 20 gigabytes so I'm down to less than dial up speed til the end of the week. Exasperating! But the weather has been pretty crap so I haven't taken many photos anyway. I snapped these two fighting over the rights to inhabit a starling box at my Mums. Shame about the concrete wall backdrop. On the brighter side I had a photo published in the New Zealand Geographic - Yahoo! Unfortunately it was only 8.5 cms wide. Whoever said size doesn't matter wasn't meaning anything less than 7 inches.
Anyway, more posts coming when I get my broadband back.

Albatross Release - the Final Chapter

2010-08-25T03:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Morning I met Rosemary and Sally on the hill again. Rosemary brought Sally out of her crate into the sunshine where she flapped her wings again...

Preened her feathers again....and then relaxed in the sun...on the ground. In fact she didn't look to me like she ever thought about taking to the air. I started to worry that she was a very old bird that wasn't ever going to fly again. So back in her crate she went for the trip home AGAIN! Oh well, it was a nice morning. Unfortunately today I had to finish an important proposal I have been working on so I missed meeting the girls on the hill. I had just got my project finished at around mid-day when the phone went. It was Rosemary. "Sorry!" she said. I knew straight away what had happened SALLY HAD FLOWN AWAY! I was extremely pleased but bummed I hadn't been there to photograph her.

Fortunately Rosemary had her camera and she took this shot just before Sally gained a bit of height, circled around and over her head then off out to sea where she belongs. Don't you just love happy endings?!!!

Albatross release part 5

2010-08-23T04:12:00.001-07:00

Now look here! Rosemary tries to talk Sally into flying off into the wild blue yonder.

Just practising.

She'd actually rather sit back and enjoy the view. So its back home again til tomorrow morning when we try yet again.

Cattle Egrets, Thornton

2010-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Now unless you are a twitcher (birdwatcher) these pics probably won't be of much interest to you. I snapped them on Westbank Road, Thornton looking across the Rangitaiki River to the opposite bank where a herd of cows were relaxing in the sun. Hanging out with them were three Cattle Egrets, the first I have seen in the area. They arrive from New South Wales Australia in late Autumn and head back in October to breed. They hang out with cattle so they can feed on the worms and grubs that are disturbed by the cattles hooves.

They were very wary of me even with a river in between us!

Pukeko at the Pond

2010-08-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Rosemary has gone on holiday so the D.O.C. guys are looking after Sally. Yesterday morning I took these pics at the Pond by the skate bowl. Rosemary calls the it the Dyers pond because apparently thats where the local Maori women used to go to dye their flax for weaving. Sadly it is now only used for lazy people to throw their rubbish, for young people to hang out and drink and for the occaisional homeless person to sleep. Oh, and for me to take photos.
It seems this pukeko and her mate are sussing it out as a suitable place to rear their family.

Albatross Release Part 3

2010-08-19T04:21:00.001-07:00

It's 9 am and Rosemary and Sally are off for their morning walk. There is a slight breeze and it feels good to stretch wing muscles.

Aaaah, the view is just divine. What a lovely way to spend the morning. Fly? Fly where? Lets get back in the car and go home for lunch. I think fish is the special of the day!

Perhaps tomorrow.

Albatross Release Part 2

2010-08-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we tried again to farewell Sally the Albatross from the Otarawairere hilltop. The light drizzle stopped moments before I got there and the conditions seemed quite good altho the wind was a bit light. A bit of a breeze always helps with lift-off. When liberated from her crate Sally waddled off towards the sea. She spread her wings and had a bit of a flap.

She did lots of preening to get her feathers in order. Then laid back and enjoyed the view. So after an hour back in the crate she went. Apparently Rosemary tried again today but I wasn't able to be there so I was sure she would fly. I was wrong so tomorrow at 9am we will try again.

Blue Kereru

2010-08-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I have just completed ready to send up to the "Next Door Gallery" in Birkenhead. It was painted from the photos I took of the roadkill Kereru. It was supposed to take a few days but I underestimated how time-consuming it would be getting all the colours blended correctly so it actually took weeks. I must mention the fact that it is actually illegal to keep parts of native birds or trade in any of their bodyparts under the CITES act, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. You can apply to D.O.C. for permission but any dead birds I photograph I bury afterwards or more often put out in the middle of the paddock for the local Harrier Hawks to find.

Albatross release

2010-08-16T02:35:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a bird release today by Rosemary our local bird rescuer accompanied by D.O.C. staff Gregg and James. They unloaded a crate big enough for your average labrador so I knew it was going to be something special. Meet Sally, a Salvins Albatross or Mollymawk. She was found in an exhausted state and Rosemary nursed her back to a healthy bodyweight by stuffing fish down her very sharp bill supplied by the last 'Take a Kid fishing" contest.

Altho to be totally honest we didn't really know if she was a she or he. But definitely an adult.
After being freed from her crate on a hilltop high over Ohope beach she lost no time in heading off....

on foot. And an albatross on foot is not in its element. These birds live almost entirely on the ocean except for when they breed.

So we suspected she was looking for the right head wind or runway. She made her way down the paddock slowly and awkwardly.

Woohoo! She must be about to take off..... but nearly an hour later we were still waiting.
So whether she got stage fright, was still feeling a bit tired or just wanted another day of free fish, who knows but back in her crate she went til tomorrow.

Which goes to show you can lead an Albatross to water but you can't make it fly.

Sodden Bird.

2010-08-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Its raining. Has been for two days. And its getting heavier. ENOUGH ALREADY! I get stir crazy when I'm cooped up inside for too long. Of course I could have gone with Troy. He is supposed to be photographing sport for the paper but of course all the games will be cancelled so he'll be out shooting slips and surface flooding and stuff like that wishing he was home on his computer with the fire going and the roast cooking. But I couldn't be bothered going with him. I wandered aimlessly into the bedroom to discover a sodden little bird on the outside windowsill. A Greenfinch. Aha at least I can take some photos.He has an Elvis hairdo all slicked up in the wet and he is puffed out against the cold. Even my photos are dreary looking just like the weather. Time to turn the roast. (Yup - its chicken.)

Roadkill Art

2010-08-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

On a roadtrip a few weeks ago I stopped and picked up a kereru that had been hit by a car. It was dead but the colours were still beautiful so I brought it home and took some photos of it. I think the red velvet really transforms the dead bird into something really ...umm.... well, make up your own mind. Thats what art is about.
I'm a great believer in recycling so after I photographed it I put the pigeon out in the next paddock to be eaten by a local Harrier.

Wahoo!

2010-08-10T01:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I started posting my shots on photo sharing site Flickr. I joined the NZ Geographic group open to photographers in New Zealand. As a member you can give out "Members Pic" awards to your favourite photos posted by other people in the group. Once a photo has three members pic awards you post that photo in a special group to be considered for the Editors pic of the week. A selection of these get published in the magazine printed every two months. I was stoked to have a couple of my shots chosen as Editors pics so I'm really hoping to have one published! Heres what the Editor said - AUGUST -WEEK 1 This week goes to the twitchers, birders and those who prefer feathers to fur.A handful of frames stood out from the pool, and none more so than these two from the same photographer, Mandy Hague which were duely (and rapidly) picked by members as well. Henri Cartier Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism is famous for saying that every event has a "decisive moment", and this is precisely when Mandy released the shutter to capture these frames. I just had to skite!

Come on spring!

2010-08-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

Despite it being a dull grey morning I couldn't help visiting the river before getting to my studio this morning. I sat in the car and sulked as it started to drizzle. The river was like something out of Willy Wonkas factory - chocolate with floodwater. I was about to leave when a white-faced heron turned up so I waited a bit more. Suddenly an egret landed on the mudflat, a white beacon in a dull landscape. It was too far away, even with my 350mm lens and the light was dreary. It did a breif flyby of the yacht club before chasing the white-faced heron off over the river. Two miserable shots were all I gleaned from the visit. I gave up and headed off and ten minutes later the sun came out in all its spring gloriousness. Sigh! This daffodil glows with the promise of better weather around the corner. A tui visits our early flowering kowhai about a week ago. Roll on Spring!

Six Portraits of a Heron - My latest painting.

2010-08-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

I picked my latest painting up from the framer today. Its about four foot high and I'm quite pleased with it. Its the first time I've painted my favourite photographic subject, the white-faced heron. I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to paint them how I see them in my minds eye.I originally envisioned it as you see it here but after it was finished I considered cutting it up into pairs. Glad I didn't in the end.

Taranaki

2010-08-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't visited the Taranaki region since...well actually I don't know if I ever have. So it was an adventure to visit this amazing region to visit relatives in Urenui. Mt Taranaki is a grand landmark on the skyline. Who can fail to be impressed by this georgous snowy cone in a classic volcano shape?
Troy and I were visiting John and Chris McLean who live in an amazing house John built himself. John is an artist who paints the most incredible oils and I am totally in awe of his work. As an artist you tend to spend many hours working alone and for me it is sometimes hard not to be overwhelmed by the difficulties I have to deal with. So it was fantastic for Troy and I to be able to sit down with John and his wife Chris and have a good old korero about the whole concept of creating stuff. I was reassured that I am on the right track and I was very inspired by Johns insights. Below is a photo of me with John at one of his exhibitions at the Tauranga Public Art Gallery last year, in front of one of his paintings which is a favourite of mine. He is soon to open an extensive exhibition in Puke Ariki, the public Art Gallery in New Plymouth.

During the day, when we weren't sightseeing we would take a short trek across the McLean farm to the beach. Beautiful white cliffs run along the coast towards New Plymouth. I found a gannet skull to add to my collection.

Patsy, Sprite and Jess enjoy the beach!

By the way, I thought it was kinda cool that John has collected a few skulls too -it must be an artists thing.

Wellington trip - Te Papa

2010-08-01T00:13:00.000-07:00

No trip to our capital would be complete without a visit to Te Papa, our national museum. Here are some of my favourite photos. Above is a skull of our extinct Giant Eagle.
Turtle skeleton.

Wallaby & Zebra. Here's an interesting fact - a pair of zebra were imported into New Zealand by Sir George Grey on Kawau Island in 1870 with the intention of breeding the pair for release on the mainland. If the plan had succeeded we could have had Kaimanawa zebras instead of Kaimanawa horses. Freaky thought.

A Weka, notorious for stealing shiny and interesting objects.

Bone fish pendant. A very old and incredibly lovely Polynesian object.

Stuffed Kotuku. Strangely small when seen up close!

That was my top six pics judged on interestingness. Some wonderful art too but I couldn't photograph any of that.

Wellington Trip continued

2010-07-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

Jules took us to see the building which had housed her art school until the start of this year when it was relocated to Lower Hutt. Now empty this once grand old building is in a state of disrepair. Sad to see as it has such a presence about it.

It was the setting of Peter Jacksons movie "The Frighteners" starring Michael J. Fox. Superbly suited to the role I must say! Spooky even in the middle of the day.

Carlucciland

2010-07-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

I guess before I post my latest photos I had better finish posting the rest of the shots of our Wellington trip. We had stayed with Jules and Carrie in Lower Hutt. Jules is a student at "The Learning Connection" Art school and she was in the middle of her holidays so she was our tour guide. Carrie is a tutor at the school but unfortunately she had to work. Next stop after the Weta Cave was the recycle centre shop. (thats what you get with an art student for a tour guide haha!) Actually it was great, Troy bought twenty hard-backed photography books for $15. We thought they were a set only to discover later they were all the same issue... bugger! But we have 19 presents sorted for next Christmas :) Next stop CARLUCCILAND! Imagine Walt Disneys welder son on acid opens a tourist park. No offence Mr Carlucci, it was wonderful. I guess it was because it was drizzling that we were the only ones there. The three of us and our tour guide Ms Blackchicken.Ms Blackchicken shows Jules what looks suspiciously like my last car, a toyota corolla but I don't remember it getting crushed by a rock....Troy checks out the minigolf course while I checked out the loo. Strangely enough the urge to pee was suddenly lessened by the thought of having to watch myself do it reflected in three surrounding walls. Eventually I went while studying the floor quite intently.

Intrepid Journey part 2- the Weta Cave

2010-07-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

When I was three years old I suddenly became too afraid to walk past the hall cupboard on my own. My mother discovered I was petrified of our Tellus Vacuum cleaner and she finally realised it was because I thought it was a Dalek from "Dr Who!" To this day I swear thay are at least distantly related! modern version above ^

I finally got to see what was inside the real thing when Troys sister Jules took us to the Weta Cave in Miramar, Wellington city. http://www.wetanz.com/cave/

Strangely enough the weird tentacled creature at the controls was nowhere near as frightening as the robotic exterior.

If you need to update your raygun Dr Grordbort has a very nice selection !

The infinity Beam Projector is a personal favourite.

Who could forget this face - the mighty Kong himself. I just couldn't help myself...

I had to purchase this limited edition model of his skull for my collection.

And of course the Weta Cave included an extensive array of artifacts and collectibles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This man-sized Orc resides above the counter as if about to attack the dude at the til.

A very life-like Gimli.

One of many collectibles. Troy also carries his "precioussss" around his neck heh heh

This guy is larger than life and guards the doorway. Almost as scary as our old vacuum cleaner!

Intrepid journey part 1

2010-07-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning we set off on our intrepid journey to the bottom half of the North Island. Five and a half hours later on a drizzly evening we arrived at Garys house in Featherston. Unfortunately the rain persisted all weekend so sightseeing was limited to a trip to the Early Settlers Museum at the end of the street. Housed in what was once a school building, now over 100 years old, we walked into a poorly lit dusty collection of memorabilia overseen by a woman who seemed as old as the collection herself. Featherston was the site of a Japanese P.O.W. camp with an intriguing history. After a while the attendant was replaced by an elderly gentleman who remembered to turn the rest of the lights on which helped immensely! All in all $2 well spent.

Sunday night we drove to Wellington & on Monday visited the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. 225 Hestares of land encircled with a predator proof fence, the park is a conservation island and includes many rare and threatened species. We were asked to search our bags before entering to make sure they didn't contain any mice, rats or stray cats that may have stowed away without our noticing! Strangely enough about the third species we came across was a mouse whose furry brown ass was sticking out of the hole he was digging in a clay bank.

Without the presence of predators (besides the odd mouse obviously) the birds are extremely laid back and easy to approach as this kingfisher demonstrated.Bellbirds were common around the feeding stations set up in the park.I was keen to see some robins and thought I had photographed one feeding in the tree above but I'm not actually sure wether its a robin or whitehead (since I've never actually seen either before.) I was delighted to see this beautiful saddleback feeding next to the track altho it was rather hard to photograph. Such georgous colours and a beautiful voice.

Other species of interest we saw were Kaka, stitchbirds and a pair of falcon. Also plenty of tui, fantail, shags, & scaup. We didn't see the elusive tuatara or weka but our visit was cut short when it began to rain. Bugger!

http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/

Whiskers & white eyebrows.

2010-06-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

It seems to have been a week for fantails. I tried some close-ups today on a particularly obliging little individual.

One more day and I'm on holiday for 3 weeks. Yahoo!!

Sun setting over Whakatane River.

2010-06-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

About 5 pm yesterday on the Whakatane River. A Shag dries his wings. They have to do this periodically as they have no waterproofing due to the fact they spend all their feeding time under the water chasing fish. A white-faced Heron is on alert.
It is watching an approaching Hawk.

I'm not sure a Hawk would attack a full-grown Heron but I do know that Herons really don't like hawks so this one was off!

Monday morning sometimes isn't so bad.

2010-06-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

It was high tide at about eight this morning and the sunlight was golden on the river. It was reflected up into the cabbage tree grove where a fantail was hunting insects. Lots of light meant I could use a fast shutter speed = better pics.

And this bird, unlike the one in my yard yesterday, was spreading his little fan tail for me.

It looks like I have used a flash but it was all natural light. I liked the effect and may see if he's there again tomorrow. Probably be pissing down.

Fantail Rainbow

2010-06-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

Troy and I got back from town this afternoon and as I got out of the car I saw a fantail catching bugs in the backyard.

They're pretty damn quick so very hard to photograph at times. I ended up with lots of pics of empty perches!

As I was taking photos it started raining. A rainbow appeared and I hoped I could get a shot of the fantail in front of the rainbow.

And guess what...I was in luck!

Spiderwebs

2010-06-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

When I got up this morning it was as if the world ended over the other side of our back yard fence. Everything else had dissolved into fog.

One cool effect of the fog was that all the spiderwebs were covered in dew drops.

I was surprised what a good job my new lens did at capturing the droplets.

The Gulf

2010-06-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

In the time I have been writing my blog I have only ever posted photos I have taken myself with the few exceptions that I've stolen from Troy. BUT these two images I flogged off the MSN site because they were in such contrast to the stuff I have been shooting lately. I'm not even going to comment, it is what it is!
What I will say is how much I love living in New Zealand. Its not perfect but most parts are paradise!

Ohiwa Harbour

2010-06-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

I had a meeting this afternoon at a home on the Opotiki side of the Ohiwa Harbour. I left a bit early so I could have a wander around the Harbour. The weather was patchy and mighty chilly at times but it was lovely pottering about on the waters edge.

It became a bit overcast so this tree made a kind of spooky silhouette. It made a great perch for six kingfishers watching out for crabs.

As I left the meeting I just had to stop and snap this last shot. I couldn't resist it despite being a bit pushed for time. A different angle to view Whale Island from, it looks like a gumdrop. What a great spot that Ohiwa Harbour is. I must visit more often.

"Wednesday Morning...for want of a better title."

2010-06-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning was a cracker! A brilliant sunrise and a clear sky so I detoured from the way to my studio and ended up on the riverbank by the Yacht Club. Shame there were stuff all birds around. I enjoyed the scenery for a bit & before long a heron turned up & started chasing fish.
The calm conditions were excellent for some great reflections.

This bird walks on water!

NZ PURE?!! I don't think so.

After the Rain

2010-06-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

We Whakatane residents can safely say the drought is over. Over 90mm of rain in an hour will do that I guess. Wednesday night I went into town with Troy as he photographed the flooding. This is the Whakatane bridge the morning before the deluge - the calm before the storm so to speak.

I got to test drive my new purple gumboots. I discovered they are inneffective in water knee deep or higher.

When is a traffic island a traffic island? The bottom of McAlister Street about 11:30pm Wednesday night.
The morning after. No rain! This morning the river was still muddy but not too muddy that these caspian terns couldn't find a fish or two beneath the surface.

Lets hope the long weekend will be fine.

cold fish breakfast

2010-05-31T02:50:00.000-07:00

This was the brilliant sunrise I snapped at 7:20am this morning. It looks pretty fiery but trust me - it was damn cold! I'm not a morning person at the best of times.

At the yacht club at 7:40 am the cloud cover hadn't broken so it was still a little dark and the wind was freezing. This heron had just caught himself a substantial breakfast but a cold fish didn't tempt my tastebuds.

By the time the clouds broke up and the sun began to shine reliably my fingers had frozen and I was in serious need of a coffee. I had achieved a couple of decent photos despite the low light conditions and I was wide awake and ready to start painting. I photograph the herons so often I have decided I should actually paint them for a change. Thats my challenge this week.

Matata & Thornton Beach

2010-05-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

After days of rain I was relieved to wake to a sunny morning. Determined to make the most of it I dragged Troy away from his computer and we went for a drive to Matata. The wetland restoration project is progressing well and there was a group of Canada Geese trying out the new section of lake. No doubt taking refuge from hunters.
Amongst them was this pair of Paradise Shelducks. The female has the white head.
It was a short drive to the Tarawera Rivermouth where I spotted a pair of NZ Dotterels on the beach. They were beginning to colour up as their winter plumage comes in - a lovely rusty orange coloured chest.

Unfortunately these birds are a threatened species which is due in no small part to the fact that they lay their eggs in shallow scrapes on sandy beaches. The eggs and chicks are easy pickings for predators or are lost during storms. Many nests are destroyed inadvertantly by people taking vehicles on the beach which makes this next photo all the more relevant.

After photographing Tuturiwhatu (dotterel) I talked Troy into taking me to a nearby conservation area called Awaiti wetland. It took some begging and bribery to persuade him but he folded when I promised not to hassle him for the rest of the weekend. We drove in along a muddy wet track...we have a 4 wheel drive vehicle so no problem A? Errrr not necessarily. In a particularly wet spot the back end of the stationwagon slewed off the track and into the swamp. BUGGER! I got out to push and the water came halfway up my shins. Again BUGGER! It didn't take long to work out we weren't going to drive out unaided. Troy set off to find a farmer with a tractor while I stood on the track and decided it would be prudent to leave my camera in the car for once! Guess who spent the afternoon washing the car?!!!

Mackerel in Tomato sauce

2010-05-26T03:26:00.000-07:00

I am just getting over a persistent head cold - amazing how much snot one person can produce over 24 hours! I find it hard to adjust to autumn/winter some years. During the month of May my body wants to go into hibernation so I find it hard to be motivated - hence my lack of postings over the last month. And hard to celebrate our natural world when 795,000 litres of oil spews into the gulf of Mexico every day. I lived in Florida for 3 years so I'm familiar with many species that are being affected. Enough of all that altho strangely it ties in with my latest painting in a way.
While creating this painting I was thinking of the oceans resources and competition for the worlds fisheries, the health of the oceans in general due to pollution etc etc. Lots of things to think about really .... I guess the meaning of the painting is only obvious to me. Everyone else can come up with their own interpretation. Or it could just be a painting of a kingfisher sitting on a tin of Pam's Mackerel in Tomato Sauce. BTW anyone actually eat the stuff????

A sunny morning

2010-05-26T03:06:00.000-07:00

After a few days of heavy rain I was relieved to have a sunny hour or two down the river Monday morning. There were lots of shags in the river. This group was taking time to dry out between fishing expeditions. A waxeye is on the lookout for insects for breakfast.

Funny little guy.

Despite the river being a muddy torrent full of logs and crap Moko the dolphin was still in residence. Apparently he had spent the night in the company of various boat owners who had come down to the river to check their boats were still secure on their moorings.

He had caught an eel and was playing with it like a dog with a stick.

A Bird in the Hand

2010-04-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

I heard a thump against the lounge window on Saturday morning and Troy informed me a kingfisher had just killed itself by flying into the glass. I ran outside and sure enough, a fat blue kingfisher lay motionless on the grass. After picking it up I noticed small movements as its body twitched so I took it inside to find a cardboard box where I could create a quiet dark space for him. I was thinking I would come back later and find it dead but suddenly it righted itself in my hand. Outside Troy photographed him on my hand as he made a slow but steady recovery.

Finally I put him on a post and we left him to his own devices. Half an hour later I went back to check on him and he flew up into the wattle tree where he glared at me!After some research I came to the conclusion that he was just a young bird, about six weeks old. A happy ending luckily and some beautiful photos..... the perfect subject for my next painting!

Heron scuffle

2010-04-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

One morning last week I visited my usual haunt on the riverbank. Most mornings there are a pair of herons perched on the yacht club or feeding nearby however today there was only one and it appeared very agitated. After about fifteen minutes another heron turned up and they had a brief scuffle in the airspace over the clubrooms. One gave up and was chased southward til I lost sight of them both.

On my next visit a couple of days later all was back to normal with "Mr & Mrs Heron" reinstated to their usual abode. Shame it was overcast or my pics may have been better.

One-Winged seagull

2010-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how adaptable birds can be. I've often seen seagulls that have a broken or twisted leg or even have a foot missing. They don't seem to feel sorry for themselves, they just get on with their daily lives and make do the best they can. But yesterday morning at the Whakatane rivermouth I saw a seagull unlike any bird I've ever seen before. I noticed its erratic flight and i was surprised to see as it got closer that it only had one wing! I only had time to take this one shot but it turned out pretty good. Weird how it could even manage to fly -an incredible survival story!

My Newest Painting - Fantail & Fob Watch

2010-03-29T23:48:00.000-07:00

I picked my latest painting up from Jos's framing yesterday. Today it went on the courier to an Auckland Gallery who have lined up a prospective buyer. Strangely enough, while it was in the framers a real fantail flew in and spent a considerable amount of time flitting around the premises. According to Jos it perched on a chain the light hung from as if mimicking my painting. Hmmmm spooky!

The Falcon face to face.

2010-03-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday I finally got up close and personal with the falcon. Mum and I had gone over the fence onto the river edge to look for it as the doves were circling and the tui was making its alarm call. Suddenly it shot along below the stopbank then turned and headed straight for me. It saw me so did a sudden u-turn and landed back on top of the stopbank. After a few moments it flew back along in front of us then up to perch on Mum and Dads back fence. I was able to get to about twenty feet away to take these photos as falcons are naturally quite bold around humans. This bird is in lovely condition and I am guessing from its size that it is a female as they are quite a bit larger than the males. Of course its difficult to tell without having another to compare it with but I'm guessing she's a she.
When the falcon relaxed she closed up her right eye which made me suspect there was something wrong with it. The low sun was coming in from her left so she wasn't just squinting in the sun. And in the front on shot it looks a little different to the other... Perhaps thats why she's after the easy to catch doves.

Apart from the eye she looks in great condition. Her feathers have a lovely bloom. Such impressive tallons! She flew off after a while no doubt still after some dinner while we had fish and chips on the stopbank. A perfect end to the day.

Bills Dove - R.I.P.

2010-03-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

After photographing the falcon eyeing up Bills doves yesterday I kept checking the norfollk pine today to see if he was back. Unfortunately he was a no -show however... Late this afternoon I peered over the back fence to see a white patch in the grass a little way along the stopbank. On closer inspection it turned out to be a scattering of white feathers! Dove feathers.
Oh Dear. This was bad on a number of levels. Firstly, that I had missed all the action. I'm not into blood and gore (despite what people may have thought after seeing my sculptures at the summer arts) but if you are a wildlife film-maker which would you prefer, filming a leopard relaxing in a tree or a leopard running down and catching a gazelle? Same principle. I want to capture the drama.
Secondly, I think Bill is getting a little low on doves and when he has none left there'll be nothing to attract the falcon. I'd better find out when his birthday is and buy him some more.

Raptor Raptures

2010-03-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

I was painting the deck at Mum and Dads yesterday when the local tui started nutting off. I looked up to see a falcon land in the top of the neighbours Norfolk Pine Tree! I just love falcons but they are even less common than the kiwi so unfortunately you don't get to see wild ones very often. This one has a bit of a rep in the neighbourhood due to its sporadic raids on a flock of doves kept by Bill who lives two doors down. Fortunately Bill appreciates what an awesome bird the falcon is, in fact he's a bit of a fan like me.

My photos aren't the best quality but they are good enough to show the distinctive "tear stains" the dark marks below the eyes that make the falcon easy to identify if you are close enough. Our other common raptor, the Australasian Harrier (most of us know them simply as "hawks") are quite a bit larger than the Falcon and are more often seen soaring over grassland or cruising the side of the roads looking for roadkill.

The falcon has quite a different style of flight and hunting and I reccomend anyone that is interested in our birds of prey to visit the "Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust" in Rotorua. Once you have seen these birds in action you will appreciate how different they truly are. www.wingspan.co.nz/ If you can't organise a visit just check out the next $20 note you pull out of your wallet cos thats the falcon on it.

And by a strange coincidence I took these shots (below) of a Harrier just this afternoon. I took Billy the WonderDog out for his run a little earlier than usual and as he was poking about under the woodpile sniffing out a bunny this harrier came over the shelterbelt, probably looking for the same rabbit.

I can't usually get decent pics of our local hawks as they have eyes like a... well... hawk and swerve away as soon as they see me. This one however circled twice above me before heading off over the paddocks.

The afternoon sun showed off his lovely rusty colour and just check out his yellow eyes in the last shot. In an older bird the plumage gets paler, some old birds look almost white. The young birds are dark by comparison.

Autumn morning.

2010-03-18T02:09:00.000-07:00

This morning felt very autumnal or in other words a bit bloody cold on the bare feet while sneaking out onto the Apanui saltmarsh mudflats to photograph a spoonbill. Another sure sign that autumn is here - the spoonbills have been down in the South Island breeding and this one is the first to return to its winter feeding grounds here in Whakatane. There are lots of factors that go into making the perfect photo. Subject is one, lighting, focus, backgound, timing, etc etc etc. These things only very rarely combine to make the perfect shot. Todays photo of a heron alighting on its morning perch came pretty close except for one major factor. Obviously I didn't get the whole bird in the shot!!! It took me by surprise so I didn't have the time to zoom out enough. Thats one disadvantage of such a large heavy lens but only a poor photographer blames his/her gear so I admit it - I stuffed up a great shot. And I'm spitting tacks over it.

This shot is quite cool. I just love the little fish jumping out of the water to the right of the pic. I didn't see him when I was taking the shot and only noticed it later. Of course it would have been even better if I had taken it about ten minutes later after the sun had come up over the point as it had done in my last shot.

Then the light was lovely and I was just waiting for some more fish to come along so I could get an action shot. I waited & waited & waited..... & waited.... til I couldn't feel my toes. Ok I gotta get real and accept that it truly is Autumn now and I really do need to start wearing shoes again ha ha.

New lens

2010-03-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

I bought a new 18-75mm image stabilised lens last week. I have been putting it through its paces today and have been suitably impressed. Above is a photo of the kowhai moth caterpillar that the cuckoos have been feeding on.

Didn't want to get too close to these little nasties.

A praying mantis checks me out. This one was on the glass at the back door. I can't understand how it can get a grip on the glass with those feet?

New Studio

2010-03-16T02:25:00.001-07:00

This is my new studio - a mix of science laboratory, artists studio, library and greenhouse for my carnivorous plant collection. I find that to surround myself with the things that interest me helps to stimulate my creativity. It's very small compared to my last studio, definitely a downsize but I can fit everything I need in this modest space. It may seem a little cluttered and in reality it can only get more cluttered as time goes on but more is better when it comes to my collections, skulls, insects, old cameras, shells, plants that eat things.....aaah heaven!

Pitcher plants are awesome!

This is Virgil, my venus flytrap. I feed him bugs now and then but yesterday he caught a fly all on his own!

Mt Putuaki

2010-03-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo I took a few months ago from the road in front of my house looking south. This is Mt Putuaki (or Mt Edgecumbe although it's closest to the township of Kawerau rather than the township of Edgecumbe.) Its a classic volcano shape, very jurassic looking! I can just imagine a few terradactyls flying thru this shot. I entered this photo in the Canon Amateur Photographer of the Year Awards and it made it to the website. Its not likely to win any prizes tho...perhaps I should have photoshopped some terradactyls in.....

Shining cuckoos

2010-03-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

Getting settled in to the new digs very slowly - lots of distractions. There is a large Kowhai tree in the back yard and while helping Mum out with some gardening we noticed it was being stripped by thousands of green black caterpillars. Mum was tempted to spray with insecticide until we noticed a charming little bird visiting one morning to feast on the insects. It was a shining cuckoo! I've photographed them a few times before but only dead ones that have flown into windows. I love the stripey pyjama pants and the bronzey green shiny coat reminiscent of a hummingbird. A migratory species, the cuckoo comes from the Solomon Islands.
They arrive here every spring, breed and lay one big fat egg into the nest of the tiny grey warbler which has already raised a brood of its own offspring by then. The warbler nest is like a hanging basket with a door too small for a cuckoo to fit through so its still a mystery how it gets its egg into the nest. Somehow it manages to then it just buggers off to leave the warbler to raise the monster child which grows to twice the size of its adopted parents. I wonder then how the cuckoo grows up knowing its a cuckoo and not a warbler, you'd suspect a bit of an identity crisis after all that. The Kowhai Moth caterpillar is one of the favourite foods of the cuckoo. Its interesting to watch them feed. The cuckoo grabs a caterpillar and whacks it on the nearest branch, it munches on it some then whacks it some more to tenderise it. When the caterpillars guts have turned to mush the cuckoo then sucks it dry and often discards the skin or swallows whats left. Within a week the population of caterpillars has been decimated and I've seen up to three cuckoos feeding at once in our one kowhai tree! Obviously the tree won't be sprayed in the future - we will be protecting this valuable food source for these guys who will be leaving to go back to the Solomons around the end of this month.
Fat and fit on a diet of juicy caterpillars, I hope they leave it a week or two before they go as I just see cyclone Thomas is doing its worst in that region of the pacific. Its a long way for a little bird to fly without having a cyclone to contend with.

100th post - a long time comin!

2010-03-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't written a blog for two weeks now. I have been busy sorting out my new studio PLUS I have been waiting for something special to write about as this is my 100th post! Unfortunately it has been jinxed and the best shot I could come up with over the last two weeks has been that of a bloody seagull! GO FIGURE! So I thought I'd get number 100 out of the way and see what happens. I don't write a lot of posts, only when I have something I really want to share so the first 100 posts have taken me nearly two and a half years!

I got these two shots last Friday morning. Im including the two herons because they have featured the most on my blog. They are a couple and often perch together on the yachtclub railing to preen every morning. They are my favourite models and have become quite used to me aiming my lens in their direction.

Looking back to September 2007 to my very first photo I remember how excited I was to discover this colourful nudibranch (a type of seaslug) in a rockpool down in Te Kaha.
Interestingly enough I also took this photo (below) on the same day but the nudibranch took precedence! Shame on me...in my defence, it is a blog about nature 'n stuff. Apologies to Willie. Both pretty easy on the eye, no disrespect intended.So thanks to all those who have read, followed and given feedback. I must admit I've been pleasantly surprised by the response as I really only started this to share my pics with my folks and my sister in Tauranga. Now I have followers in other countries! Who'da thought. : )

Chaffinch with a sore head.

2010-02-12T13:45:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I heard a noise that I instantly recognised as the sound of a bird hitting the window. It happens from time to time, sometimes the birds are just stunned, the sit a while, recover , then fly off. Other times they die instantly altho fortunately this hasn't happened very often. Upon investigation I found this chaffinch round the back of the house. I took some photos and played around with this shot in photoshop desaturating the background and manipulating a few different aspects. After a few minutes the bird flew up to alight on a fencepost where I got a few more photos before it flew off with hopefully no more than a splitting headache.

Bun Fight

2010-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

It seems like months since my last post but I've been SO busy. I've been helping my parents move house from Opotiki to Whakatane, who knew they had so much stuff!!! Especially my Dad who had a whole basement full of...well, everything imaginable to do with fishing and model aeroplane making paraphernalia. I spent yesterday taking things out of boxes, turning them over in my hands and thinking "What the hell IS that?This is one of my favourite photos (taken by Troy.) Its of my Dad with a model WWI biplane called a Sopwith Pup which he built himself from scratch. My favourite plane of his is a much larger Ansaldo, also a WWI biplane which he built as a one quarter scale. I should get a photo of that one to post. It has a chainsaw motor in it and it flies like a dream!

Anyway once we get Dads garage sorted its time for me to do up the sleepout next to it which I am going to rent for my NEW STUDIO! I'm so excited because I can decorate it however I want and altho its only about a third of the size of my last one it'll be just brilliant!

The Folks new place backs on to the Whakatane river, its just over the fence so when its really hot I can swim during my lunch hour. I can walk along the stopbank to the saltmarsh to photograph herons etc & the other day Moko the dolphin was just a little way down the river swimming with the local kids!

During our morning coffee breaks we sit out on the deck and watch the birds fight over bread we put out on the bird feeder. Here are a couple of shots I took during the week of them. I like the action shots of their tussles over the best feeding spots, the little buggers can be quite brutal actually. Talk about survival of the fittest!

Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Awards

2010-01-31T00:58:00.000-08:00

Well I finished my entry for the MMCAA at six thirty Sunday night with Monday being the final day for delivery. (Its tradition to cut it fine.) I had been working on this painting over a period of a few months altho I had been working on other stuff during this time also. There is a limit of two entries so as a second choice I was going to enter my Kiwi painting except I sold it two days before the entries closed. That left only "The Golden Fish" as my second entry. I have an exhibition on in the "Next Door Gallery" in Birkenhead at the moment but the fish painting was too large to transport up there.

Long Story Short - my goldfish painting was selected for the exhibition and my new painting titled "Eroding Paradise" was not selected! Whats with that?!!! But I am not complaining. There were nearly three hundred entries and only sixty chosen for the exhibition and the judge Henry Symonds only chose one painting per artist. And on the awards night he gave a fab lecture which I felt quite priveledged to attend....til next year.

Diving with Common Dolphins

2010-01-22T00:53:00.000-08:00

After swimming with Moko at Otarawairere Bay the Whale & Dolphin Watch boat Blue Sky turned towards White Island and headed out to blue water. We were off to locate a school of Common Dolphin to swim with. Before long we spotted the pod and then they were jumping at the Blue Skys' bow causing squeals and cheers from the excited passengers.

We cruised along for a while, sitting on the bow, our legs dangling in the spray watching the dolphins leaping beneath our feet. They were so much smaller than Moko and beautifully marked with soft smudgy grey against warm caramel colour.

Before long the dolphins veered off so Gregg the skipper accelerated the boat and skilfully positioned Blue Sky front of the pod. A group of us lined up along the duckboard at the rear of the boat, the white water of the wake beneath our flippers, masks and snorkels in place. Then we got the signal "go go go!" as the boat stopped. We slipped into the water to mix with the dolphin in their own environment.

For an instant all I could see was a myriad of white bubbles from the wash of the propellers then the first thing that struck me was the incredible blue colour of the water. It was an indescribably intense vibrant blue shot with dancing rays of light. Then suddenly a dolphin zooming effortlessly below me then another two dolphin deep down below the first gave me a real sense of space. The visibility was astounding, I could see forever! One of the dolphins turned on its side to watch me as it swam.
If only I had an underwater camera... or better, an underwater video camera! Its such an amazing experience and difficult to describe accurately. Its a true adrenalin rush. You are miles out from land and in an environment that is so totally NOT our own. But it is incredibly beautiful and the best thing about it is that you are in the dolphins world. Swimming with Moko was a buzz but at the beach he is visiting us in an environment we are comfortable in. Its a whole different experience to put yourself in the world of the dolphin. We were fortunate to strike a day with exceptionally clear water apparently so enjoyed another couple of "drops" into the ocean before it was time to go. Back at Moutohora Island we all enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate. I don't know who made the initial discovery but it appears there is a scientific formula supporting the fact that hot chocolate is THE perfect compliment to a days diving with dolphins! Certainly everyone on board was appreciative of its restorative qualities. I downed mine rather smartly however as I was determined to make the most of the last twenty minutes to check out the rocky coastline in front of the seal colony. Back in the water I scooted towards the shoreline and was captivated by a large school of silver mullet that wound its way beneath me. Golden forests of kelp swayed with the waves, rocks poking through with groups of fat kina atop them. Large purple striped fish hung out near the bottom in clearings between the seaweed. Troy joined me and I pointed out a large warty seaslug I spied below us. (Maybe next time I'll buy a disposable underwater camera.) It was the perfect end to a perfect day!

Moko at Ohope Beach

2010-01-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

I joined whale and dolphin watch again today and this time Troy came too. We set off over the bar at about 2pm and headed to the West End of Ohope Beach as we'd heard Moko was hanging out there. Sure enough, we found him offshore surrounded by a group of Kayakers and surfers paddling on their boards.He had stolen a board off someone and was enjoying the game of chase with those trying to get the kids board back. They were enjoying the game as much as Moko. The crew of Blue Sky decided there were too many people around him for us to get in the water too so we were content to watch his antics from the boat.
He swam around with the board on his head or supported on a flipper or jumped up next to it sending it shooting off as he landed back down on it.

He took it close to the kayakers and let it go then when they tried to get it he would snatch it again from under their noses much to everyones amusement!
Just as we were leaving the surfboard was recovered and returned to its rightful owner. Moko needed a new plaything and decided our boat was just right. He played on the bow wave and surfed along the wake to the delight of the passengers.

The Blue Sky stopped at Otarawairere Bay and tied up to a buoy. We photographed him from the front deck then I put some flippers, mask and snorkel on and joined him. Up at the buoy Elise told me to pull myself down the anchor rope which I did and Moko exhibited the same behaviour as he had shown at Moutohora on Friday. He seems fascinated by the way we pull ourselves down and his nose was inches from my hands. I was struck by his constant dialogue, a high whistle made up of a series of clicks. Unfortunately the water visibility wasn't the best so I didn't get the underwater view I wanted but to be in the water with him and to see him that close was amazing. One of the guys on board was testing out his flippers and trying to see how fast he could go. Moko zoomed up behind him and burned him off, showing us up for the landlubbers that we all are. Soon it was time for us to head off to find a pod of common dolphin to swim with so we said goodbye to Moko and motored out to blue water.

The rest of our day was so exhillarating that its got me worn out! I have to go to Auckland tomorrow to take some paintings up for an exhibition and I'm too tired to finish this tonight. In a couple of days I'll write about our afternoon and share some wicked shots I got of the common dolphins that swim in our ocean. Til then....zzzzzzzzzzzz

Moko's moved in.

2010-01-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Moko cruised up the Whakatane River this afternoon bringing with him his favourite toy of the moment, a large dead eel. Of the crowd of fans on the far side of the river he persuaded just a few of them to join in his game of "fetch" which meant they had to throw his toy for him. Obviously large dead eels are not the easiest of things to throw!

He then found other things to play with like...girls,
Bouys,
Big boats, (great for riding bow waves)

Small boats, and kayaks.

I've spent two days watching him in the water swimming with other people and I can't stand it any longer - tomorrow I'm getting in with him!!! I even bought a swimsuit today. (Unfortunately most of my body has a glowing "moon tan" as I'm not given to baring much in public - Moko has a lot to answer for.) Troy and I are both booked in to go out with Whale and Dolphin Watch again. I can't wait!!!!

Moko the Dolphin

2010-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Troy phoned from his job at the Whakatane Beacon yesterday afternoon and asked if I'd like an unpaid assignment photographing Moko the dolphin who had arrived in our waters from down the East Cape. Hell Yes!! In half an hour I was at the HQ of "Whale and Dolphin Watch" meeting the tour crew. I was offered a wetsuit but my camera is not an underwater one and I knew I'd get no photos if I had the choice of swimming with Moko or photographing him so I said no. We headed out on "Blue Sky" to Mokos destination near Moutohora Island with 17 people on board including Beacon reporter Sven Carlsson, 4 crew and an assorted group of tourists.

Moko had been amusing himself and the 2 man crew of this little yellow boat by playing up and down the anchor rope watched by Whale & Dolphin watch manager Nino who had been waiting for us in a tiny inflatable dinghy. She picked me up from "Blue Sky" and was my water taxi driver for the whole experience.
The visit was carefully organised, no more than four people in the water at a time and no touching him or approaching him closely. No-one told Moko the rules tho and he was content to swim up to the snorkelers and actively tried to get them to join his game of swimming down the yellow anchor rope of the little boat.
Here Steve from the UK gets to meet Moko. I was surprised at how big Moko was as I was used to seeing the Common Dolphin species usually seen in our waters. Moko is a bottlenosed dolphin with an estimated length of three metres.

This was Elise, one of the Blue Sky crew who fell in love with Moko. He thought she was great too because she would swim down the anchor rope right to the bottom his snout inches from her hands as she pulled herself down. At one stage he nodded his head at her, she nodded back, he wiggled his body, she wiggled back and then he zoomed right up to her faced, stopped and put the end of his nose on hers. She came to the surface and declared "He Kissed Me!!!
Before long all the tourists were back in the boat, Elise remained in the water to tell me where he was going to come up so I could get the last few shots.

All of a sudden he was right under our tiny boat about ten foot down and I saw the most perfect bubble ring rise up to the surface and pop next to me. What an enchanting creature! Back on board Blue Sky we motored away to have refreshments at a nearby Bay at the Island and Moko followed for a while riding our wake as we went. He gave me my best shot of the day.

At Moutuhora (Whale Island) some of the tourists got back in the water near a small group of seals on the rocks overhung by ancient pohutukawa trees. The sun was out by now and I was so regretting not grabbing a wetsuit (not for the first time that day!) While the seals preferred to remain unsociable the swimmers explored the beauty of the undersea life surrounding the sanctuary of Moutohora Island. I was happy to entertain myself photographing the seals. Finally we headed home, all of us buzzing over our experiences. This young man Tague, a fellow collector, was especially happy with his latest treasure.

After seeing Moko I can't help but fear for his future. He has such a faith in human nature and I have a gut feeling that will be his downfall. He is a wild creature and deserves to be able to exist as such. His strange fascination with people is perplexing. He is a bottlenosed dolphin not often seen in these parts but why does he not seek out his own kind? His ability to interact with us makes it so hard to resist wanting to interact back, to observe him in his own environment, to be delighted by his antics. He touched everyone that was there that day and I don't mean physically. But he has already had a taste of what mankind is capable of on a beach down in Gisborne when a crowd of youths reportedly hit him and there were reports of a woman at Omaio hitting him with an oar. He can be a bit "pushy" apparently and after playing with people he tries to stop them leaving especially if they are on kayaks or similar.
I hope he stays offshore where his contact with humans is limited. The crew of the Blue Sky had the utmost respect for him and made sure their patrons did the same but we can't be sure everyone else will have the same attitude. In a way the situation with Moko reflects a lot of what my art is about -mankinds treatment and interaction with nature. Lets hope this story has a happy ending. Kia Kaha Moko!

Many Thanks to Whale and Dolphin Watch Whakatane, the crew of Blue Sky and Whakatane Beacon for such a memorable experience.

http://www.whalesanddolphin.co.nz/

my latest painting stage three

2010-01-14T02:03:00.000-08:00

I finished the third element in my latest painting today. A pair of Huia. I am going to have to "get a wriggle on" as my Dad would say as I only have eleven days before I have to deliver it for judging in the Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Awards.

I am still struggling over a title. The painting arose from my thoughts on how the NZ landscape has been shaped and changed since mankind arrived, mainly from the point of view of large areas of land being cleared of native bush for whatever reason. So I'm thinking along the lines of "The Colonisation of Aotearoa" or some such thing except perhaps that is a bit long and ostentatious sounding? I dunno... Any suggestions?

Actually the Huia were given government protection when it became apparent they were in serious decline, a result of petitioning by Taranaki Maori. The stupid thing was that the bird was protected but not their habitat so they were pretty well stuffed by that stage. Figuratively and literally.

For dogs sake!

2010-01-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

Day before yesterday I took my camera down the mudflats to see what birds were there. On arrival it was obvious there was going to be no bird photography to be done that day. The mudflats were inundated with dogs.

Two local ladies were excercising their dogs, and their friends dogs, and their neighbours dogs, and their friends neighbours dogs.... They said "You should have been here yesterday, we had fifteen dogs!"

Some were chasing sticks

Some were chasing a ball

And yes, this ones name was Hairy McLairy!

(They were all very well behaved too I might add. Good on ya dog whisperers.)

just stuff

2010-01-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

Troy and I photographed a wedding on Saturday up at Kohi Point. He does all the important stuff and I just hang around with my zoom lens to get candid shots. It was a hot day and the view was awesome as I waited for the bride to arrive. There were about fifty guests assembled when a little rabbit jumped out onto the lawn from the grassy verge. Of course I couldn't resist getting a shot or two.

Then I got distracted by a tui doing aerobatics to catch flying insects above the treeline. I combined four frames of the one bird taken within about three seconds to get this shot.

But I swear when the bride arrived I focused on the ceremony not tuis or rabbits. Speaking of rabbits, I was walking Billy the Wonder Dog tonight when he got the scent of a rabbit in the woodpile. He raced over to investigate and spooked the rabbit from its hiding place. It ran away from Bill and straight towards me running right between my legs! Meanwhile Billy had his nose amongst the logs thinking "I'm sure there's a rabbit around here somewhere!" Duh!!!! Those bunnies are SO safe.

But it was a lovely walk. I got this shot of a random orange cloud, the only one in the sky to colour up in the sunset. And finally the same cloud reflected in a cow trough.

Assorted bird photos

2010-01-08T01:10:00.000-08:00

I was having a sort out of photos lately as "he who knows about computers" has informed me that I have over 46 gigabytes of photos and that apparently is lots. Anyhoo I came across some pics I have taken in the last month or two that I quite like so I thought I'd share them.This is obviously just a sparrow but I like that I caught him just as he's taking off. Above is a juvenile white-faced heron. You can tell he's a young one because the white mask on his face has yet to develop properly. I think the appeal of this shot was the lovely reflections in the frog pond by the local skate bowl.I like this shot of a white fronted tern taken at Ohiwa Harbour mainly because of the position of the tail and wings. These birds have such black heads and eyes that the two blend together so that you can't make out the eyes at all. And they also have strangely small feet which is kinda weird.

Lastly, my favourite - a tui on a flax flower after a rain shower. His feathers are ruffled by a sudden gust of wind but he didn't seem to mind so much.

Birds of Paradise

2010-01-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

I have another exhibition planned for the last week of January/first week of February at the NEXT DOOR GALLERY in Birkenhead, Auckland. This is a little diptych that will be included. Its made up of two ten inch by ten inch canvases featuring the male huia on the right and female on left. This was the only species in the world where the two sexes had different shaped beaks which is one of the reasons they were so sought after by collectors and hunted to extinction. I have called the paintings "Birds of Paradise" as they also include the bird of paradise flowers altho for me the huia was the true bird of paradise. I had to swipe the flowers I needed for reference from a local council garden....ssshhhh don't tell anyone!

A Birds Eye View

2010-01-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is supposed to be about art and wildlife but now and then something special happens that I just have to share. Over the New Year period we had whole lot of family and friends come to stay so that our large back yard was turned into a camping ground. My sister and her hubby and kids plus friends the Inglis family came from Tauranga so along with my Mum and Dad we took them out to show them the tourist attractions in the area. After they did the maze made out of Maize in Otakiri we visited Julians Berry Farm for famous berry ice-creams and because Troy wanted to surprise my Dad with a helicopter flight. Well it turned out you needed two passengers to get the whole ten mins so before I knew it I also had a ticket! Now I'm not normally chicken...well actually I am when it comes to fast things with motors so I waited rather anxiously (wishing I could have a nervous pee!) for the helicopter to come back to pick us up. Before long we were strapped in and what a freaky feeling as we lifted off! But from then on it was very smooth and sedate and WHAT A VIEW! So check this out. These are pics of my home town. The Whakatane River, mudflats on the right where I photograph herons and such.
My Dad enjoying the view of the road to Kohi point and Otarawairere Bay.

The West End of beautiful Ohope Beach, Otarawairere Bay & the Whakatane Heads.

Whakatane West, Awatapu Lagoon, Landing Rd Bridge & Whakatane Board Mills.

By the end of the flight I wanted the pilot to fly really low so I could get a feel of how fast we were going but unfortunately aerobatics were forbidden but at least I had conquered my nerves. I can so reccomend this experience, the time up in the air is quite generous and the scenery is awesome. Thanks to Mark & Leeanne from Harbour City Helicopters for a brilliant day.

Jellyfish and the meaning of life

2009-12-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

I was going thru some photos I took late in November and came across these jellyfish pics taken at Ohiwa Harbour. It was a still day and the water was like glass. All across the inlet you could see the backs of hundreds of jellyfish bobbing along on the surface like ethereal alien spacecraft.

I think they all ended up washed ashore and finally melted into shapeless pools of colourless slime. A bit like the human body drifting through the endless expanse of life till we wash ashore and return to the earth for the microbes to dissolve. Or at least would dissolve if we didn't pump our bodies full of chemicals to preserve us. When I go I want to go naturally and at least give a few worms some nutrition while I'm on my way out. But thats just me...

A Quail Tale

2009-12-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

We have a resident pair of californian quail in the area. I often see the male perched up on a fencepost or similar perch keeping a lookout while the female feeds in the grass below.

She is rather drab in the manner of birds whilst he is a little dandy, with a smart checkered waistcoat and a feather in his cap. Hopefully we will see some young'uns one day soon. I once found a quails nest on a riverbank. I only discovered it because I nearly stepped on the Mum and she took off from almost under my foot. The babies were like furry bumblebees and not much bigger. I ran off to get my camera but when I returned I couldnt find the nest as it was just a tiny space way down in the long grass. I didn't risk looking for too long in case I put my clumsy foot on the chicks.

I took this photo out my dining room door one morning as the cocky little bugger was strolling by not more than six feet from Billy the Wonder Dog snoring in his basket. Handsome wee devil isn't he?

weird shit.

2009-12-28T01:22:00.000-08:00

This is the subject in my latest bird cage sculpture. Its still under construction, I have added three little blue eggs to the nest in the head. This was a porcelain dolls head I bought at a garage sale. I painted it with crackle glaze.

It looks strangely selfportrait-ish, (so I made up a new word,you know what it means) and I don't mean because I'm an egg-head. Its those fat cheeks....

I have neglected to show you what my Mum did with the mummified rat I gave her. She painted it with several coats of shellac, put it on some little wheels and made a little carry-case for it. Here's a pic. OK so its not exactly an Armani handbag but she exhibited it in Opotiki and sold it! Actually I think its way better than an Armani handbag (is that how you spell Armani?) because

A. Its a one and only original.

B. Its unique and handmade.

C. No animals were intentionally harmed in its creation! Unless you count the insects whose wings were used in the making of the shellac varnish. Yes it is true- Shellac is made from insect wings, you mix it up with methylated spirits. I made some today, every time I make it I wonder who discovered that if you add meths to insect wings you get varnish??? And HOW did they discover that??? Go figure.

Oh and this is another of her creations. I really like it but its not something I can really go into because it just is what it is. Made from an old wooden frame, doll parts and possum bones. Cool!

Chicks fly the nest.

2009-12-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

More baby birds leaving the nest every day around here. This baby blackbird was one of two on our front lawn just before Christmas. Unable to fly, they sit and cheep til Mum comes and pokes a worm down their beaks. Because they can't fly some people think they need saving and pick them up at this age. Its best to leave them to their Mums....& Dads? ActuallyI'm not sure if Papa blackbird helps out when they are this old. Different species have different rules when it comes to child support.

This was the adult goldfinch feeding the babies outside our front door. At this stage I thought there were three babies. With this family both parents helped out. The juniors are kinda funny looking here I must admit and very demanding! They get better looking with age.

I took this two days before Xmas. I was heading off to Tauranga to spend Xmas at my sisters and saw the babies that morning preening themselves and flapping their wings. I was sure they were heading off that same day and what do ya know there were FIVE of the little buggers! It was getting very squashed in that nest. When we got home day after Xmas the nest was empty. No sign of the lovely bright yellow on them yet. I guess they need to be camouflaged til they become independent.

Onepu Sunset

2009-12-28T00:47:00.000-08:00

This was how the moon looked last night from the back paddock. I was taking Billy the Wonder Dog for his run and I happened to take a peek at it thru my zoom lens. I was surprised to see how clear it was. Lots of digital noise in the photo but you can still see the craters. It was just on dusk, not as dark as it looks. I can kinda see how a moon like that makes you wanna howl..... no close neighbours but I did resist the urge.

There was also a nice sunset, turned the clouds all kindsa purple. My favourite time of the day. I like sunrises too but they need to be a bit later on in the day so I can actually get to see them.

Bird Babies

2009-12-09T00:24:00.000-08:00

Many of the nests around our house have already produced babies that are now unruly teenagers spreading their wings in the big wide world. The thrush family reared two babies successfully although one I had to rescue after it fell into the cattle-stop and was unable to fly out. The parent birds are often in the bottom of the cattle-stop catching worms so perhaps it flew in there on purpose.

The Blackbird below reared just one chick (strangely enough I had to rescue this baby from the cattle-stop also!) When the nest was vacated and no longer in use it was plundered by a fantail who stole bits of straw for its own nest.

This goldfinch is nesting in the same tree about fifteen feet from our front door. I don't think the chicks have hatched yet so I'll keep an eye on this family with interest. When the birds have finished with the nest I'll be stealing it for sure!

The fantail family had a bit of a disaster with its first nest of the season. They had built a lovely nest in the Sheoak tree in the next door paddock and we came home one day to find the farmer had felled a lot of trees including the one the fantails were calling home. Rather than mope over their loss they got right down to building themselves a new one, collecting wood shavings from the recently chopped down trees. When life gives you lemons ...make lemonade!

Critters for Cages

2009-12-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

Been playing around with my Birdcage sculptures lately (although technically they are "assemblages" more than sculptures.) My paintings I take seriously and put a lot of forethought into whereas the birdcages I am just totally having fun with.

At the moment I am working on the "captives" to go inside them, I feel a little like Victor Frankenstein creating creepy little monstors that take on a life of their own. I start with a concept and they just morph as I go, wings are added, limbs are modified or just lopped off and replaced with something else and slowly a deliciously macabre little creature evolves.
They are to be exhibited as part of the Whakatane Summer Arts Festival on during Anniversary Weekend in January. There goes my reputation as small children run screaming from the hall.......

This one is my favourite so far...yet to install the engine...obviously!

Udate on my latest painting

2009-12-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

I have added the next element in my current painting. I've not put a lot of thought into the title yet, that will come later and I suspect its going to be a difficult one to choose a name for. Anyway I have painted a stem of Iris flowers up the centre if my cross shape. The Iris flower symbolises hope and is named after a greek goddess who carried the souls of women to the underworld. (Don't ask me what that has to do with my painting, just a useless piece of information to enlighten you.) The flower that I used for reference was one I stole out of my Mums garden. Such stunning colours and a fun challenge to paint.

Rabbit Shooting

2009-12-01T01:33:00.000-08:00

I've been shooting lots of rabbits lately.....with my camera of course! Billy the Wonder Dog and I take a stroll in the evenings as its cooling down and visit the local rabbit warrens where Bill and the Bunnies play their silly bugger games.

He barks a warning to let them know he's coming (very sporting of him) and they all sit up and watch him running flat out towards them. Its the rabbit version of playing "chicken" - they wait to see how close they can let him get before they go bottoms up and shoot down the burrow.

Once or twice he has encountered a bunny with a bit more bravado, a rabbit that takes off in the opposite direction of the burrow then the two of them play Bullrush as the rabbit tries to get back to its HQ. Despite Billy employing his jet propulsion system, the rabbit inevitably wins.

Bill pokes his head down the rabbit hole and they hold a short dialogue, probably trading insults. Then its "Seeya tomorrow," and we wander back down the cow race in the fading light towards home and a cool drink from the trough (Bill that is, I prefer a wine.)