Terns at Makara

We arrived out at Makara to wind and low cloud and not much else, but within minutes of parking the car we noticed a flock of terns taking flight as some people walked past them. After sitting out in the wind for a few minutes we decided it would be just as easy to do it from the car and much warmer! So I moved the car to another car park within lens reach of the birds.

The terns like to huddle close together and all face in the direction of the wind, which for me was a minor annoyance. I couldn't get shots from the front of them so had to make do with side shots, or from the rear of the flock. For the most part it was just a matter of waiting for a bird to turn in the right direction.

The terns were moving about so fast that to capture the full flock in flight I had to be very quick, and totally ready when it happened. There was an old lady on walking on the beach with her cell phone camera trying to take snaps of the terns too and she didn't think twice about going right up close to them to make them fly - something I was not comfortable with at all.

Pauatahanui Inlet

The Pauatahanui Inlet is an amazing place for birds, there are so many different birds here at low tide! In the space of about half an hour last night I sighted fifteen different species of birds feeding at low tide.

Unfortunately it is not always possible to get up close to the birds, but I have certainly tried. I love watching the Caspian Terns with their impressive wingspan and bright orange beaks, the Pied Oyster Catchers as they fly in together. The Canada Geese as they fly about in formation, the Black Swans and their graceful necks. It is Nature at its best and I love it.

Bunnies for Easter!

 I don't always end up with the images I set out to get. Last night was one of those nights. The kingfishers were being shy and after getting one or two shots I gave up and headed off. Just as we came up to the intersection with the main road we came across some rabbits feeding on the little bit of green grass that was left in the area.

There were several young bunnies and one adult that I saw, all jumping about and playing in the long grass. I stopped the car and reached for the camera. My husband had to move his head out of the way as I aimed the camera across him and out the passenger window. I was not about to miss an opportunity like this one.

After taking several shots I choose to move the car to see if we could get a better view of them. That is when I saw the second group. They were back lit by the sun setting and jumping about so fast it was tricky to get a good shot at them, but I did and I am happy with the results.

Honey Bees in Flight

As I drove down the driveway this afternoon I was surprised by what I thought were wasps flying back and forth across the drive to the bird feeder. I put the car in the garage and skirted around them to the front of the house to get inside. I wasn't about to get any closer to them, I don't like stings!

 

I got the camera out and shot a close up to identify what they were, and while there was one or two wasps, the majority of them were honey bees. Hundreds of bees! The feeder was literally blanketed in bees, like some of those photos you see where people cover themselves with them.  It was suggested that I remove the sugar water if I wanted the bees to go, but there were too many for me to feel comfortable getting that close. I just let them feed away.

After a couple of hours the feeder was empty and the bees for the most part have gone. There are still a few stragglers but that is all. I did however make the most of the opportunity put before me and captured these shots. Bees are not something I would seek out but I am pleased with the resulting images from today. Most of these were shot through a glass window because I was a fraidy cat!

Yesterdays delayed post

I had these images ready to go when I received the phone call that changed my blog post completely. So here they are today, a day after they were shot but worth the wait!  As you can tell, I was back at the kingfishers again. I arrived a little early so there was a bit of a wait for the water to recede far enough for the log to be enticing as a perch.

This kingfisher arrived on the log with dinner already in its beak. It looks more like a grasshopper or a katydid than anything else. On the original large file you can clearly see the insect's eyes watching you.

The crabs were fascinating to watch. If no one or no 'thing' was a bout then they scuttled about all over the place. The minute there was a shadow of a bird or the vibration of a foot print they just sunk into the mud unseen. It is easy to see why there is such an abundance of bird life there though, the chances of going hungry are very slim.

Once again I moved my chair that little bit closer but I think this time I reached the limit to the birds patience. I did see a couple but they didn't come back as often. I think next time I will take a step back again to keep within their comfort zone.

The white-faced herons also put in an appearance. One even trying the rain dance that the spoonbills performed last week. All it seems to have been able to bring us is fog over Wellington, it's still sunny in the Hutt Valley.

Exciting News!

At the beginning of this year I joined the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand (NPSNZ). They are based in Christchurch so I probably won't be attending many of their events, but I felt that it would be advantageous to my nature photography learning to join. They have an honours system much like the PSNZ  (Photographic Society of New Zealand) do so I plucked up the courage and entered a set of 12 images.  I received a phone call this evening to tell me that I had been awarded an Associateship with the Nature Photography Society.  The images below are the set I entered.

 

 

Back in action...

It didn't take long for the tides to get back in line with my work hours and allow me more opportunities to continue my obsession with the kingfishers. Late afternoon seems to be when they are most active.  I am sorry if you all get bored with them but until I have the shots I want, or the best I am capable of, then I am going to continue to keep trying to improve. My poor camera struggles to keep up but so far it is getting me close to what I want to achieve.

I managed to get a bit closer again this time and the kingfisher wasn't overly worried. In the time I was there he only came over to the branch twice, but each time he would fish for about five or six crabs before heading off to another area. It is my belief that after that many hits the crabs get smart and hide for a bit until the kingfisher is gone. Regardless those few minutes are frantic for me and I am happy to wait for them!

I had a closer look at the crabs this time because I figured there must be a good population of them to support the kingfishers the way they do. I was really surprised at just how many there were in one very small area. There is enough crabs there for a whole army of kingfishers! It is no wonder the birds find it such a great place at low tide.