Royal spoonbill
I’ve been in Dunedin a few days, an ‘accompanying person’ while my wife attended a conference there. A good chance to try to capture some of the wildlife that abounds on the Otago Peninsula. Like this spoonbill, for example:
New Zealand birdlife
Good images of birdlife in the New Zealand bush are difficult. They require a lot of patience and skill, neither of which I have in abundance. So when I get the chance, I jump at it. Here are some results, from my ‘road trip’ back in November. First the elusive Kokako, which we occasionally used to hear in the distance when we went tramping around Pureora, west of Lake Taupo, but seldom saw:
More albatross images
Off to Kaikoura last weekend with the Nelson Camera Club. Five of us went out with “Albatross Encounter” for a couple of hours. Here are a few examples, and I have posted some higher quality images on my wildlife gallery. (The first 10 images are from that trip.) We stopped not a huge distance offshore and the skipper put out a bait bag. The Cape Petrels arrive first, chattering away and making quite a din.
Pelorus Bridge
On Wednesday I had to drive over from Nelson to Pelorus Bridge, to pick up some Swedish visitors at noon. I decided that there was a chance of some good images, so travelled over early, arriving at dawn! Conditions were not what I was expecting: a thick mist shrouded everything so there was no early light to work with. I did get some rather atmospheric shots, though. The Pelorus River is an “incised river”, having carved its way down through the rocks (and a favourite amongst trout fishermen).
Albatross encounter
I had to travel down to Burwood Hospital for my regular treatment last week. I decided to combine the trip with some serious photography, starting with bird watching.
I booked a tour with “Albatross Encounters“, who operate out of Kaikoura. It’s the same company that run “Dolphin Encounters”, but more on that at the end of this post.
I got some great images. This first one is a closeup of a female Wandering Albatross, with mating plumage accentuated by a diet of shrimps and krill:
A bird magnet!
Our Pohutukawa tree is showing a few more flowers today, which are proving a real attraction for birds. Here’s one: I’m sure there will be more to come.
Kaikoura, seabird paradise
I spent last Sunday on the water off Kaikoura. It was a fishing trip with some old friends (the Serious Fishing Club) and some new ones.