Medieval Mahem at Harcourt Park

I had some time spare this afternoon so went to have a look at the goings on at Harcourt Park. The medieval folk are there this weekend for the National Jousting tournament. I didn't see any horses or jousting while I was there (which wasn't that long) but there were some battles going on.

These images are from a 'capture the flag' battle between the blue team and the red team. The blue's won easily. I am told from one observer that the reds were using the wrong weapon to be able to win. It certainly looked that way but the end result.

There was lots to photograph there, people in costumes, tents and such like. Unfortunately it was way too hot for me to be walking around so I headed back home to the shade. I wouldn't want to be wearing some of those heavy costumes in this weather, they must really be cooking inside them.

Tomorrow I am heading to Zealandia, so it will be back to the birds again :)

Spoonbills and swans

We ventured down to the Petone Estuary a few hours before high tide yesterday. The tide was coming in fast which meant that I needed to be careful about where I was standing a few times but it also meant that if the birds wanted to remain standing they have to move closer to shore too. I was hoping to see some kingfishers but there was pretty much everything but.

Not long after arriving and spotting a group of spoonbills, I noticed that one of them was dancing about quite a bit. After looking through the lens it became obvious that this one was smaller than the rest and without the usual yellow brow. It was also being really annoying to one of the adult birds seeking food. I have never seen a juvenile spoonbill before so was rapt at the photographic opportunity unfolding before me.

I followed the young bird with my lens while it tried every trick under the sun to get fed by the adult but alas it was not fed and I didn't get a shot of spoonbills feeding their young. Another time perhaps, I am more than happy with the shots I did get.

As the tide came in the birds got a bit restless and gave signs of flying off. A couple did a circuit or two before returning to the rest, but they didn't leave. Perhaps they did it specially for me so I could practice my panning! Sounds good anyway.  I waited for them to fly off but in the end they had more patience than me and I headed home.

 

There were swans all over the place the entire time I was there and I pretty much ignored them after spying the young spoonbill. I did however give them some attention when it looked like there was going to be a fight between a few of them. Feathers were ruffled and they did puff their chests out a bit, but the fight was avoided.

Water Babies

I have been a bit slack lately, I started writing this post about three or four days ago. Just goes to show I do actually work through the week! We feed the birds on a regular basis in our back yard, and one of the things birds like to do after dinner is clean up. The birdbath becomes a busy place and for the most part they are a bit shy about going there when I am watching. Understandable as I wouldn't be happy with a bunch of birds watching me take a bath either!

So I set up the camera and the remote so that they could have their privacy and I could still get the shots. The only trouble was I could see the birdbath from the computer so I had to go by sound alone. If I heard a splash I pushed the remote button. It worked surprisingly well!

What surprised me the most was not only the amount of birds you can fit into a tiny bird bath, but the different types of birds and their interactions with each other. The sparrows would sit around the edges while the starlings splashed about, this gave them a light cooling off shower without having to get totally into the water. It seemed to work for many of them - not all though, as there were some sparrows looking like downed mice from time to time.

The Shag Tree

We headed up to Waikanae yesterday because there wasn't a lot happening at Pauatahanui and there is ALWAYS something to photograph at Waikanae. Yesterday was no exception!  The spoonbill (only one) was off in the distance and unreachable even with my big lens. There were pied stilts and pukekos, shags and ducks. It was just a case of finding what would capture my interest and make a good shot.

I started trying to photograph the shags flying in from the estuary but they were either too fast or changed directions too often and I never really managed to get the shot I wanted. I did manage to get one carrying some sticks back - he was obviously still nest building.  I looked around to see what else there was and found the cutest New Zealand Scaup (male) playing about in the water. He was there one minute and gone the next as he dived under the water out of sight.

Then we drove round the road and went looking at one of the shag trees. There are several that they roost in and one in particular had a couple of easily photographed nests. There were at least three different species of shags in the tree which I found absolutely amazing.  There were pied shags, little shags, and little black shags all nesting in the same neighbourhood.

I like to think I timed it right but then they are probably feeding the chicks constantly however I was very happy with the feeding shots I got. It is a shame that the nests are so messy among the branches but if you can get past that the birds are really interesting to observe. I certainly would not want to me a shag mamma, the kids would always be trying to get down your throat!

 

Bubbles is leaving us today...

I have had a wonderful few days off work, with a friend (Bubbles) visiting from Hamilton. We have shopped and been swimming and shopped some more and late yesterday we went taking photos.  There weren't a lot of birds about to photograph so I spent most of the time chasing dragonflies (which I failed to capture in an image) and damselflies. One of the best shots of the day was of a waxeye - which is kind of funny because I have so many opportunities to photograph them at home.

 

 

Plimmerton Beach

Plimmerton beach is a spot I often forget to visit with my camera. Yesterday on the way somewhere else with a bit of time to spare we popped in for a quick look around. There on the rocks with the tide half out was a flock of terns sheltering from the wind.  They weren't easy to photograph as pretty much all of them were bunkered down with heads tucked under their wings waiting out the wind. If I had the time I might have managed a few more in flight shots but photography wasn't really the focus of the day so perhaps another time.

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.