spring has sprung!

I've been painting feathers for the last week and am suffering sore shoulders and eyes....the down side of painting on a space two inches wide! And the inclement weather has meant I've had little opportunity to take a break with my camera.

Spring is well and truly here with ducklings emerging and birds building nests evrywhere you look. I took the shot of the black swan at McLarens Falls Park a couple of weeks ago. HUGE nest! I was surprised at how close I was able to get despite the aggressive reputation these birds have.

The coot and ducklings are residents of Sullivans Lake in Whakatane.

RoseGardens Falcon R.I.P.

Had a rough day today. Felt like cutting an ear off....(its an artists thing) Put my paintbrush in my coffee more often than the water. And then worst of all I got home and heard from Rosemary Tully via email that our falcon had been found dead. That really hurt! He was so awesome, if only he had flown to Whale Island or something maybe he would have been ok......anyway...what can I say.