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!

Sun setting over Whakatane River.

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!

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

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.

Autumn morning.

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.

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!)

Electric Pheasants & bunnies wearing birds.

On Friday when I left the studio for lunch I noticed a white faced heron atop the street light across the road. I think perhaps there may be a pair nesting at the waterfall about 50 metres away as I've seen them fly in. I must go and get a better look on Monday. Maybe this was a young one. It seemed very relaxed about me photographing him. When I got home last night we got a rainshower! Quite heavy but only lasted five minutes. I thought it may be enough to green up the lawn but to no avail.

This morning I spotted a ring-necked pheasant in the paddock beyond the orchard. (I can call the side paddock "the orchard" because it has an orange tree in it.) I grabbed my camera and snuck out for a look making sure Billy the kid didn't follow in an effort to suss out the local bunny family. I crawled over to the fence and waited til the pheasant came into view from behind a tree. When he did he saw me and stood with his neck stretched up trying to check me out. I froze. He didn't move. The sun got hot and I started getting cramp. Took a couple of photos. Finally he relaxed and started to move, pecking at stuff in the dry grass. I stretched up a little then WHAM! I felt like I'd been shot out of a cannon .........F#*N ELECTRIC FENCE!!!!!! I rolled around in the dust muttering unspeakable things while the pheasant did a great Roadrunner impression and Bill barked hysterically from in the yard. When my eyes adjusted and I started seeing one of everything again I decided I had better check my camera to make sure it hadn't been fried. I took this photo of a rabbit wearing a mynah bird for a hat???...er... maybe I hadn't really recovered from the shock as well as I thought I had.