Waikanae Estuary

Judging the tides, the weather and the time available to me is not always easy. Yesterday we had the time and the tide, and after so many beautiful days I was hoping for blue skies too but when we arrived at Waikanae it was overcast and cloudy.  Strangely as we left, the clouds broke up and the blue sky was there after all - just a little bit late for me.

The Waikanae Estuary is a great place for bird photography, there are so many different species of bird that you can easily get close to if you are patient and quiet. I took a camp chair and sat and waited for the birds to come to me, and that is exactly what they did. I was hidden in the reeds so not seen as a threat. I will do this again as it worked so well. Comfortable too!

I was especially happy to see the Royal Spoonbills fly in. They are such majestic birds to photograph and it is not always easy to get too close to them. Again, the birds came to me so weren't worried about my being there - it was great! I just wish the clouds weren't about because the water looked so flat and grey.

I noticed that one of the Spoonbills had blood on the top of her head. She had obviously been in the wars somewhere and was quite annoyed with anyone who came too close to her. (I am assuming her gender, I could be wrong). She lashed out at the other two a few times while I was watching them.