Skycall
A male Antipodean albatross calls to the open sky I love simplicity in wildlife images. I spend time chasing minimal scenes, removing distractions, and refining images down to their most…
Show-off
Wings wide, head back and screaming to the sky. The ecstatic displays of courting Antipodean albatrosses are full noise and dramatic. Even on a windy day, you can hear their…
Growing up
Light-mantled albatrosses nest on cliffs, tucked on tiny ledges, exposed to the elements. There is a nest just across the cove from us on the island, and we've been watching…
Re-greetings
Albatrosses are famously 'monogamous', choosing one partner to nest with for most, if not all, of their life. Real life is messy, and this does come with caveats - there's…
Homeland
If you were an albatross, where would you nest? On the long plains behind a sheltering lump of fern, halfway up a steep tussocky slope, or on a ridgeline, with…
Northern Giant Petrels
Northern Giant Petrels don't get a lot of love. Their various nicknames include 'stinkpot', which is, if occasionally accurate, a little rude. Having been the recipient of the self-defence projectile…
Stormlight
We can never make the same image twice. The endless permutations of weather and light, of where birds fly, how the clouds darken and draw light across the landscape, all…
Yawn
Erect-crested penguin It turns out that sympathetic yawning is a cross-species phenomenon. I've noticed it with dogs, and now also penguins and albatrosses. They yawn, I yawn. It doesn't seem…
First Light, Last Light
The first week on Antipodes Island, in mid-December. The wind is light, the sky is calm and clear. In the evenings, late, the sun swells to a rich golden glow…
Antipodean Summer Take Two
This summer season sees me back on Antipodes Island, back with the glorious albatrosses who call this place home. It's a thrill and an absolute privilege to spend a few…