The Starling

The starlings fly in a flock. They arrive in a flock and they make enough noise to scare off anything other than the sparrows. Their chicks are very aggressive and bully their parents constantly. That being said, it is the starlings who are most timid in the water bath. I find this rather amusing because when we head to the beach you can often see the starlings scavenging for food at the low tide mark, so they are not afraid of water.  Today's post is devoted to the starlings and their antics in the water bath. They splash so much water about I almost need to refill it after each one!

Last day of the holidays

Today has been a pretty relaxing day. We are back at work tomorrow and our visitors are returning to Auckland.  Life returns to normal, whatever normal is. We broke out the marco lenses today and some more dandelion seeds. I was determined to master the art of getting the reflection in the water drop no matter how tiny it was and I believe I did!

Macro has never really been my thing so I have had no real idea of how to achieve what I wanted to do other than reading about it on the internet. Unfortunately I am not one that learns that well from reading - I have to do it to learn. I am happy to make mistakes along the way but unless I physically give it a try it will never happen.

I am really happy with today's results. I know a bit more about my macro lens and how it works and that is always a good thing. I am confident that I can recreate the image if I want to and no doubt probably will to try and improve some more. After I got past the frustration of my flash not working well it became fun!

Petone Estuary

After such a successful morning at Pauatahanui yesterday we thought to continue the day with a trip to the Petone estuary as well. As usual the campsite was set up - camp chairs, light stands and umbrellas for shade. This time there were four of us so the campsite looked even more impressive. So much so that one of the local boatshed owners popped over to say hello and bring us some nice cold drinks! Ah the life!

Unfortunately the birds were not as obliging so not a lot of photographs were taken. I got a few more of the heron but with all the weed and rubbish about most were not worth displaying here. It's a shame that such a great place can get so full of litter and rubbish so fast.

Pauatahanui - White faced herons

We drove round the inlet this morning to see what was about. The Canada geese were floating about with all their goslings. It was surprising how different the goslings were after just one week of growing their feathers. Their adult colours are not far away now.

We watched and photographed them for a bit and then we had a nice surprise. Two white faced herons flew in to the water right in front of us and proceeded to have breakfast!

Shrimp and crab was on the menu this morning. I managed to shoot a huge amount of great images but have chosen only some of the more interesting ones for this blog post. I don't wish to bore you with lots and lots of the same bird, so this selection is of the two birds fishing for breakfast.

Wellington Zoo

Yesterday was a three hour walk around Zealandia and today we spent the entire morning at Wellington Zoo. My feet are so sore now that just walking to the kitchen for a cuppa tea is a mission! I have certainly pushed myself beyond what my poor arthritic joints would like, but hey, we suffer for our art don't we :)

There were sooooo many people at the zoo today! I don't think I have ever seen so many pushchairs and buggies at the same time before. It really is good to see the zoo doing so well but from a photographers point of view I would love to be able to go there one day when there are no children. To be able to get a clear view at the exhibits with no reflections of crowds in the glass would be heaven. I understand that it's just a dream but I can dream can't I?

Tomorrow is an at home day, we might have a play with macro photography. Watch this space for the results!

Zealandia

Yesterday saw us wandering around the lower regions of Zealandia. The weather had calmed, it was fine albeit a little cloudy in the morning, but perfect for a walk in the bush. There were lots of birds out this time and a huge number of chicks flying about. Identifying them all became a little difficult but they made for great photographs.

I love my big Sigma lens but there are times when I still wish I could get closer. Seeing the Welcome Swallow chicks was one of those times. The reality however is that if I did get closer they probably would just fly off so I am happy with the images I managed to capture. I didn't realise I had caught them with the parent bird until I started processing - they were that quick!

The tuatara were out in force too, I don't think I have ever seen so many of them fully out of their burrows. Both large adults and babies (2-3 year olds) were out wandering in their enclosure. I was also surprised by how fast they can move when they want to. For the most part they just sit and soak up the sun, but when I pointed the camera at one of them it was off in a flash! (and I wasn't using flash!)

We spent just over three hours wandering the lower regions of the park and that was more than enough for me. I wish there was a way to get to the top end without having to walk there. It would be great to be able to start up there and finish back at the visitor centre.

Visiting Photogs

We have two visiting photographers from Auckland, (they also happen to be my mother and her husband), and the plan of the trip was to get out and take nature photographs. Typical Wellington has put on its best weather for the event and while we drove around most of my usual haunts, the wind chased us back home.

So I introduced them to my backyard birds. The birds all came out to play regardless of the wind and we managed to get some good images. It is good to have a plan B and especially when it means not having to leave the house. We stay tucked up warm inside and the birds perform just out the door.

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be calmer and warmer and we will get out to places like Zealandia and the Zoo. Matiu Somes Island is also on the list of places to go if the weather plays nice. If not, well there is always the scrabble board!