Albatross Release Part 2

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

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

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.

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

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.