Pied Shags

                Takeoff and Landing, a pied shag in breeding colours.

Gull versus Heron

  In this sequence of photos I captured a gull getting territorial over a rock near the Whakatane Rivermouth. A white-faced Heron had landed on the rock and the gull took exception to it and started a swooping attack on the Heron. There was only so much the heron was going to take though and after what was essentially only a few seconds the heron started to fight back. In the final image I'm not sure if the heron was chasing the gull or just leaving the premises.

Mangrove Seeds

I helped Troy out on a photo shoot on the Ohiwa Harbour yesterday. It was low tide and I collected a handful of mangrove seeds. There are lots of mangroves in the harbour, so many they have started silting parts of the estuary up.

Now and then they are cut back to keep them in check. They spread when their seeds float away on the tide and are washed up on the mudflats, little green explorers in search of new lands.

Happy New Year!

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

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!

Waxeyes, kingfishers and those damned seagulls.

We have a large cotoneaster tree in our front yard that is full of little red berries...well at least it was full a week or so ago. The waxeyes and blackbirds have been feasting on the berries with great gusto so the tree has been nearly stripped within a matter of days. The waxeyes in particular have descended in great flocks and gobbled them whole - quite a feat for such a tiny bird.

Troy had worked one weekend (he's a photojournalist) and had bought his D200 work camera home with him. On Sunday afternoon I took it out to the tree and got these shots with a Nikon 100-400VR lens and was really pleased with the results. Its just so bloody heavy though! Hurt my shoulder after a while. I'm such a wuss!

I love my Canon camera because its nice and light and fits my small hands but I must admit I have been drooling over the 100-400 image stabilised Canon lens in Laser. Just think what I could do with that... Shame its $3,500!!!

The other day I was at my favourite spot on the river photographing kingfishers. I like to try and snap them as dive for crabs and the odd fish. One kingfisher spotted a big worm on the bank, swooped down and caught it then flew back to his perch on the railing. A seagull spied him there with his big fat worm lunch and decided to steal it for himself... as they do. I caught the action! They disapeared from sight so I don't know who ended up with the prize. Those damn seagulls try to steal food from almost all the birds, I got this shot of a heron getting mugged for a mullet. I don't normally take photos of seagulls, not willingly anyway. You'd be surprised at how many of my photos are ruined by a bloody seagull flying into the middle of my shot! However I did get quite a groovy shot of a seagull drinking out of the fountain outside the Auckland City Art Gallery a few months ago. (Yeah I know - out with my camera in the big smoke and all I can find to photograph is a BIRD and a SEAGULL at that! Obsessive!)

swallows, herons, huia.

Early on in the week I went back to one of my favourite birdwatching spots on the river, the rocky outcrop behind the Whakatane Yacht Club. At first there didn't appear to be much around but then I could hear the distinctive croaking of white-faced heron. There was two of them on the roof and it became apparent they were a pair, their breeding plumage all puffed up. (The longer narrow feathers on the back.)

They flew down to the waters edge so I found a dry spot on the rock and sat down with my camera. They began feeding until a second male landed and was soon chased away by the first male. I was lucky that they were pre-occupied and took no notice of me. Later they wandered quite close and I was able to get some nice photos.

One of the best ways to photograph birds is to sit quietly in an area where they are feeding and just wait. If you are patient enough the birds will wander close and you will be rewarded with some opportunities for great shots.

The family of swallows nesting in our carport has been a source of interest over the last week or so. The babies grew so fast. Soon they could barely fit in the nest and I could see three fat chicks with yellow baby-beaks waiting keenly for their parents to return with beaks full of flying insects to eat. But one shrill screech of warning from a parent bird and they would press themselves into the bottom of the nest in an effort to hide. One day I realised they had taken off and were having flying lessons from Mum and Dad. Just short excursions at first then back to the nest. Then they went a little further afield and would land on the clothesline, watching their parents swooping and diving over their heads. Within a day or two they had almost mastered the speed and aerobatics needed to do what swallows do although they returned to the nest at nights. I'm amazed at how quickly they learnt to fly. The whole family of five were hunting for insects in the paddock, alighting on the fence and the only way I could tell them apart was that the babies had slightly shorter tails.

The Opotiki Art Society has an exhibition on at the moment. I only have one painting in it as I have lots of commissions to finish before Christmas. It is another painting of a pair of Huias.

Fernbirds at Ohiwa

WEDNESDAY 19th SEPT

I saw the falcon in the park again today, he was perched in a tall tree where a pair of tuis were swooping around him making a fuss. He was scanning the park for something to turn into breakfast. A fantail flitted around his head coming within inches but he ignored it. I read somewhere that fantails have a flight pattern that fails to stimulate the prey drive in a falcon.( Check out the photo, you can see the fantail to the right of the falcon.)

Finally he spotted a duckling and took off to the stream but he was unsuccessful in his attack. I didn't get there in time to see what happened but I saw him fly off.

FRIDAY 21st SEPT

I worked on my pukeko collage this morning. Its coming on well but I feel I need more of a three dimensional aspect to it....I'm thinking I need to add some real feathers. I took off at lunchtime to stay with Mum and Dad in Opotiki. I stopped at the Nukuhou Saltmarsh viewing point and went down the boardwalk to see if I could call up a fernbird. I stood at the end looking out over the beautiful expanse of "oi oi" (native rushes) in its lovely soft colours of rust and orange and burnt sienna. I practised my best fernbird call hoping no-one was witnessing my technique. I can't even begin to explain how I mimic the hi pitched "chitt chitt" noise they make suffice to say I look pretty stupid doing it! BUT blow me down if a bird didn't answer me from the undergrowth! I "chitt chitted" again and a fernbird popped up in a nearby bush and sang a song at me (that incidentally sounded nothing like the noise I was making!) I had enough time for one photo before he realised he'd been sucked in and took off in disgust. No matter how much I "chitt chitted" all I succeeded in doing was give myself a headache.

Further on I saw a pukeko dead on the road but it was well squashed. Perhaps if there had been no traffic I would have stopped but I do have some self-respect! Mum and I delivered lots of our exhibition invites around Opotiki then back at the house Mum gave me a present she'd been saving for me - a rats skull, way cool! (Only a special kind of Mum saves you rat skulls.)

SATURDAY 22nd SEPT

Mum and I went for a walk along the Ohiwa spit to see what interesting shorebirds we could see. The first part of the walk was past a whole lot of oi oi so Mum asked me to call up a fernbird for her. We sat down in the rushes and I started my imitation noises. One called back. I called and it called back again then we heard one from a different direction. The three of us had a conversation only I had no idea what it was I was saying. Just call me the fernbird whisperer. We saw a couple of fleeting glimpses as they flitted briefly up from the vegetation. They are so shy its no wonder lots of people don't even know they exist. Then I gave myself a headache again!

I saw some really beautiful shorebirds out on the sand that I'd never seen before. Not sure what they were, perhaps pacific golden plover or sharp-tailed sandpipers? I took this photo but I couldn't get close so its a poor quality image. Can someone please tell me what they are? Such georgous markings.

Didn't see any godwits, I think they were all on tern island.

Saw some NZ dotterels, they are just starting to colour up and get their orange breasts. There were two lovely little banded dotterels too but I couldn't get very close to them.

I found lots of treasures on the harbour edge, a kingfisher skull, some cool crabs and a dead blackbird. I put them all in a plastic bag and hid them in the back of the car than went to pick Troy up from work. I had to spray some perfume around the inside of the car to hide the dead bird smell. When I got home I buried the bird so it can finish decomposing. I'd like to learn how they clean skulls for museums and stuff. But I think they use acid and I don't know where to get that from....oh and interestingly enough, I'm related to the famous acid-bath murderer who lived in England and murdered an old couple then dissolved their bodies in acid. He was immortalised in Madam Tussauds Wax Museum in London. They found him cause the old ladies false teeth didn't dissolve. Oooh maybe I should be worrying in case I've inherited that gene. Some people may think my fascination of skeletons etc is morbid but really I'm just fascinated at how things are put together. I marvel at the construction of bones, how tiny the frame is inside a bird and how that amazing combination of bones flesh and feathers can create such awonderful creature. If I am to paint something then surely the better I understand how it works the easier it is to capture its essence on paper or canvas. Thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Falcon update.

I got a phone call from the local radio station yesterday wanting a comment on the NZ Falcon that had been seen in the Whakatane Rose Gardens the day before. The DJ said the bird had been recently released from Whakatane bird rescue so I was a little confused as it had been three weeks ago that I'd photographed him. I had looked for him lots since then without any luck so I was interested to hear he had been seen again....and of course I had to go back to see for myself. After a walk around the park all I saw was lots of sparrows and flocks of yellowhammers feeding on the newly spread grass seed, the usual suspects but no sign of the falcon. Then after walking along the stopbank towards the kids playground I saw a man standing near a pohutukawa of about ten foot in height aiming his cellphone camera at the top where I saw the shape of a bird. When I approached I saw the falcon and the man made some comment about what kind of bird it was, "Don't think its a morepork" he muttered. To be honest they are very similar in colouring in parts and they are both raptors so I filled him in as I took photos myself.

It was nearly time to pick Troy up from work so I took as many photos as I could then drove to the Beacon to pick him up. We both went back and as we approached the tree I saw he'd gone then a movement caught my eye. He was on the ground with a sparrow he'd caught and was eating it tearing off bits and now and then wiping feathers from his beak with a foot. I was a little worried about how close we could get. He paid us little attention as he ate and I was thinking of the black cat I'd seen in the bushes about forty feet away! We both took photos, Troys are destined for the Newspaper. I was surprised to see a band on his leg which he didn't have the first time.

I phoned Rosemary Tully from Whakatane Bird Rescue and she told me about this bird. Apparently he was captured at the Whakatane Council (I'm not sure if he'd hit a window or not) but he was very underweight. That was about a week after I'd photographed him. So he was taken in by Rosemary on the 28th August and after putting on weight was later banded H33442 and released from her Taneatua property. Rosemary then went to Wellington and on her return she learned he'd had a spell at the Whakatane S.P.C.A. Apparently a group of workmates were outside Pizza Hut when they saw a flock of sparrows take flight, one sparrow flew into Pizza Hut closely followed by our falcon who ended up with concussion after hitting a window.

Lets hope he gets a little more sense as he matures. I learned from Rosemary that the greenish tinge at the base of his beak and legs indicates he is a juvenile. The males are the smaller of the two sexes but he is a particularly small individual. Great to see he is hunting well and getting enough to eat without having to visit Pizza Hut!

I finished a pukeko painting yesterday. Just a small one on a ten by ten inch canvas but I liked the softness of the colours of the water contrasting with the bold colours of the pukeko. Amazing how many tubes of blue paint you have to open to do a pook justice - Prussian, cobalt, ultramarine and pthalo blue! Still working on my pukeko collage.

a thrush, a waxeye and a greenfinch

I've been leaving seed and fruit out for the birds over the last two weeks and today was the first day I've really had the opportunity to photograph some of the visitors to my feed stations. I probably need to set up a hide to photograph some of the more shy diners but I got some nice pics of the waxeyes. They love the fruit, kiwis in particular. I sat out in the back yard with a book and my camera and alternated between Harry Potter and snapping the waxeyes who became quite used to my presence. I would really like to get photos of the finches that are coming to eat the wildbird seed; greenfinches, chaffinches and yellowhammers. I'll need to set up a hide for them though.

I got this photo of a thrush in the park. Sometimes the worms get away but not often! A worm this size must make a good meal for a bird like this.

I saw my friend Barbara in town on Friday, it was her place where I photographed the white tui. She said it was a regular visitor for about two weeks but has gone now. Shame, I planned to go back and get some more photos but have just been too busy. Planning is going well for our "Birds Aplenty" exhibition in October. We have decided to donate a percentage of our sales to Rosemary Tully of Whakatane Bird Rescue. She does such a good job.

My falcon sighting I reported to "Wingspan" in Rotorua (the raptor centre) and they sent me a complimentery copy of their magazine. It was a wonderful read, I was really stoked! I must join, only $30 per year and that gives you free entry. All in all its been a quiet week though. I haven't been to my favourite spot on the river since whitebait season started...too crowded now!

Finally, a picture I took during lunch in the rosegardens on Friday. A greenfinch, a charming little bird that stopped in for a quick bath. The male has more colour than this hen but they are both lovely.