Little zooming legs
Even walking in a group, I usually end up on my own. At the back. Or way behind, distracted by patterns, plants, light, and of course, birds. I like taking…
Adding OOFFE to your images
Lets talk about OOFFE. By which I mean "Out-of-focus foreground elements". It's a terrible acronym, but the alternative is a mouthful! Typically in wildlife photography, you want a clear shot…
Dinner
This tiny titipounamu with his dinner is one of my favourite images from a weekend up in Arthur's Pass a few years ago. The light was gorgeous but gone inside…
Dawn around the Pinnacles
The 5am start is a struggle, in the chill starry blackness before dawn. We traipse down an empty road in the dark to hop aboard the comforting familiarity of Trevor's…
Shorebirds
What can I say? I've missed the ocean. I'm taking every chance to be on or as near the sea as possible now. With limited opportunities to get out on…
Tāwharanui birds
Mornings are not my strong suit. I need a compelling reason to leave my warm cocoon of covers, but I'm getting better at giving myself reasons. A few weekends ago…
Eyes in the dark
I'm halfway up a tree and there's a Duvaucell's gecko giving me a very disconcerting grin. I'm perched so I can see across the expanse of burrowed ground that forms…
The Ōi of Mauao
The sky has faded from dusk blue to navy, a punch of cobalt where the sun has set. Smoky clouds are strewn across the sky, and we walk a gravel…
January fieldwork
After seven days in the subantarctic, I'm back on the Poor Knights islands. It's Northland warm, still and sunny, Shag bay turquoise and calm. The storms of December ripped through…
Muriwai, Muriwai, Muriwai
I've lived in Auckland for eight years or so now. Because I'm unashamedly a bird person, and seabirds are my passion, Muriwai gannet colony is one of my most-visited places.…
Light at night
I have a complicated relationship with the lighthouse on Burgess island. I love it for the predictable swing of the beams that slice out into the night, rays reaching out…
Catching the light
I've just noticed how many of my recent post titles have the word 'light' in them. Which isn't surprising, I suppose, as light is what makes this whole 'seeing' and…
Autumn light
The thing I've missed most during lockdown has been living outside. In April I'd normally be living in a tent on the Poor Knights islands, spending most of the day…
Rangatira – South East Island
I wrote a blog a while ago about the Chatham islands, and how I was looking forward to visiting Rangatira for a seabird translocation project. It's taken me a while…
Island light
Occasionally, I find myself stuck on islands. I never mind - it's just part of the work I do. We can't control the weather or the sea. More time away…