Wherever they like!
That might be on a the nearest vacant spot on the beach…
A New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) sleeping on a kelp covered beach. Kaikoura, New Zealand. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF70-200mm f/4L USM, 1/100 s exposure at f/9, ISO 640.
..or on the side of a road…
A New Zealand fur seal sleeping on the side of a road. It wasn’t injured, and it wasn’t at all fazed by passing traffic (even a beautifully painted scooter). Kaikoura, New Zealand. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF70-200mm f/4L USM, 1/80 s exposure at f/7.1, ISO 400.
..or in a car park…
A flax plant makes a nice looking pillow for a New Zealand fur seal sleeping in a planted traffic island in a car park. Kaikoura, New Zealand. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF70-200mm f/4L USM, 1/250 s exposure at f/7.1, ISO 640.
..or in the middle of a boardwalk built to help prevent people from disturbing sleeping seals…
Fur seals may spend several weeks at sea before coming ashore. People are warned to not disturbed them as they rest between foraging trips, and a boardwalk helps keep visitors separate from seals that may be sleeping under vegetation along this popular stretch of coast near Kaikoura. It seems though, that no one told the seals! Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 1/8 s exposure at f/6.3, ISO 250.
A handsome adult shore plover wading into a small rockpool. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF600mm f/4L IS USM, 1/500 s exposure at f8, ISO 400.
Shore plovers (Thinornis novaeseelandiae) are amongst the most rare of shorebirds. They would once have been found around the coast of much of New Zealand, but they were decimated by the predatory mammals that arrived with humans, particularly cats and Norway rats, and pushed to the brink of extinction. They persisted only on a couple of small islands in the remote Chatham group, where their numbers dwindled to around 130 individuals. Recent conservation work has focussed on establishing new populations on other predator free islands. One of these is Mana Island, north west of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Since their release on Mana in 2007, shore plovers have regularly been seen along the adjacent mainland coast, usually in ones and twos, but in June 2011 a flock more than 30 were found on a little rocky beach at Plimmerton. Having more than 15% of the total word population of this endangered species on a highly accessible beach just a short drive north of the capital was a great opportunity for birders and bird photographers who visited from around the country, but risky for the endearing little plovers.
Being incredibly rare, and part of an intensively monitored population, virtually every one of the shore plovers at Plimmerton sported up to 5 leg bands, including some wonderfully vivid coloured bands. Great for ornithologists to identify individuals, but they don’t always look so good in photographs. I had to be a little creative. The photo here is one I was quite pleased with. It’s a beautiful adult, and you can’t see its bands. Of course, just being able to see these special birds was reward enough for the long drive, but a couple of good photos on top is even better!
You can see more shore plover photos in my web gallery.
A royal spoonbill using its distinctive large bill to delicately glean invertebrates from the leaves of a small mangrove seedling. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF600mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x tele converter, 1/400 s exposure at f10, ISO 400.
This photo of a royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) is one of several I was pleased to make one evening at Miranda, Firth of Thames (you can see more spoonbill photos here). I hadn’t given spoonbills much thought when I went to this internationally significant wetland that day. I was hoping for one of a couple of rarities that had been sighted recently in the area. But, one of the things I love about Miranda, and why I have been there so many times, is that it always seems to present new subjects and opportunities.
Although royal spoonbills can be viewed at close quarters in some parts of New Zealand, I’ve always found them to be rather timid in most parts of the upper North Island where I most often meet them. On this occasion a small flock that had been feeding well out of range on an incoming tide flew cooperatively toward me as the evening light began to mature. Using a low bank and tall grass for cover, I was able to quickly move so the actively feeding birds were within range of my lens. As the sun neared the horizon I focussed my attention on one spoonbill as it worked intently around a small mangrove seeding, feeling with its sensitive bill for crabs and other prey that might shelter there. A small crab was sieved from the murky water and unceremoniously swallowed. The spoonbill then used its odd looking bill to delicately comb each leaf of the plant, presumably gleaning small invertebrates. I was surprised by the dexterity it displayed, and pleased to come away with what I think is a nice composition. Notice the bird is off-centre. Putting the subject smack in the middle of the frame is a mistake many beginners make. Doing so can create a static image that fails to capture attention, or an awkward tension that just doesn’t sit well. Putting space in front of the subject suggests room for to move to and crates a more dynamic composition. Of course, like all ‘rules’ in photography there are times to break this one, but if you don’t know why, it’s generally not a good idea.
Recent uploads include some macro images of harvestmen, harmless spider-like creatures whose bodies are often bizarely proportioned. Also, new photos of albatrosses and other pelagic seabirds. But wait, there’s more! All these are now 44% bigger, at no extra cost! Screen sizes are bigger, and most people have faster internet connections than a few years ago, so I’ve started making new gallery photos larger, and as time allows I’ll reprocess some older ones.
Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) looking a bit out of place on the black sand and driftwood of a New Zealand beach.
I was working in the South Island when I heard via the BirdingNZ birdwatching forum that an immature emperor penguin had been found on a North Island beach not far from Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. It was apparently in good health, and it was anyone’s guess how long it would stay. Being only the second record of an emperor penguin on mainland New Zealand (the first was in Southland in 1967) I was eager to see it. I followed the regular updates on BirdingNZ, managed to finish work ahead of schedule, and brought my return ferry sailing forward a day. The media, of course, felt the need to give the bird a name, and “Happy Feet” became an international media star.
I got to Peka Peka beach half an hour before sunrise in Friday the 24th of June, four days after it was first discovered there, and there was already a crowd starting to build in the half light. At first I thought the emperor may have expired during the night, as it lay motionless on the black sand with a crowd of solemn onlookers, but eventually it took a breath and its body moved ever so slightly. This was a penguin that was clearly suffering from the temperate climate it now found itself in, and its condition had deteriorated significantly overnight. Emperor penguins are superbly adapted to the extreme cold of Antarctica, to such a degree that at times they may need to eat snow to cool themselves. Unfortunately for the Peka Peka penguin, that instinct nearly proved fatal. It was not pleasant to watch the ailing bird swallowing sand and driftwood in a vain attempt to find relief from the heat. Still, this is nature, and no emperor penguin has ever been found alive this far north before, so I took some photos, trying to make the most of the few times it raised its head. A couple of times it even stood.
This emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) ventured further north than any other is known to have. Peka Peka Beach, Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. 40.8 degrees south.
Not long after I left Peka Peka Beach Department of Conservation officials received veterinary advice and the penguin was taken to Wellington Zoo. Over the following days vets and a gastroenterologist from Wellington Hospital carried out several operations to remove the large amounts of sand and sticks that the bird had swallowed. Housed in an ice filled room, its condition has improved over the past week. It’s expected to take several months for the penguin to fully recover and gain enough weight for it to be released to continue its journey in the ocean south of New Zealand.
I have mixed emotions about photographing a sick bird like this. Images of it eating sand are not very pleasant, and seeing it lying motionless on a driftwood strewn sandy beach while dogs and their owners stroll by is a rather bizarre scene. But, this is without doubt a remarkable bird, and one I’m pleased to have been lucky enough to see. You can see more photos of this emperor penguin in my gallery.
