I was sitting in the office last week, itching to get outdoors. It was a glorious spring day and I had something that I desperately wanted to do.
So grabbing my camera and the pooch, I closed the office door and headed off to the beach, Maori Bay actually, which is home to our West Coast gannet colony.
These amazing birds join us every year from August to March .. making Muriwai’s rugged and windswept coastline their hangout for annual get togethers and serious procreation activity.
So ambling up the short path to the look out platform and yes I loathe looking over, I lugged my camera and bits telling the pooch I’d be back soon – no dogs allowed.
For the next 10 minutes my vocabulary reduced to a singular word ‘wow’. I was in awe watching these magnificent birds as they glide past going about their day to day bird business.
On the way home, I stopped at Woodhill forest to let Dan have a run about and sniff heaven only knows what.
I couldn’t resist taking this pic. Did you know that lambs smile?
And just because I can a few more shots of the beach …
… and my first ever moon pic, no tripod but thank heavens for the windowsill!
Enjoy
Because we can, with camera in hand, it’s so much fun, wonderful days in the sun.. You go girl and keep capturing the beauty and smiling lambs..
Ha ha .. I’m with you Roberta. Loving nature .. and my camera and spring and lambs! 😀
Wonderful photos! You are above the birds, that must have been a hike! They look like lovely animals. Very nice shot of the moon and the beach looks incredible! Could almost imagine catching those waves. Take care. Bob PS Nice to see less than three weeks between posts. ha ha 🙂
Hey Mr E. Yes I was well above the birds. But not a hike at all. They are such majestic birds. Oh you like the shot of the moon? Hmm, I’m not sure. Not up to your standards. Ha ha .. you’re funny. More regular posting … I’m with you!
The picture of the moon is great. When it comes to photography (or anything really) it’s all about feeling.
Thank you 😃
In a full set of wonderful photographs I like so much the illuminated birds against the shadows, as a kind of inverse silhouettes. And the moon is a great achievement without tripod! Thank you!
Oh and thank you for your lovely comments. I like the birds against the cliff too .. one of those pics that made me grin when I took it. So pleased you like the moon shot .. 🙂
I like the moon shot! But really all of your photos are outstanding!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Thank you treasure
Beautiful set of photos. Wonderful bird shots, darling lamb, and nice beach photos. You even got some fence posts in. Nice first moon shot. You don’t need a tripod to photograph a full moon, as a proper expose for a full moon is around EV 15 (ƒ/8 at 1/500, for example), but as you are discovering, getting detail in the moon without totally black surroundings is a bit of a challenge.
Hey Tim … ha ha I did get in some fence shots. You know me! Glad you like the moon shot, I’m not sure if it is up to it. What’s EV 15 Tim? Bit stuck on that one. No idea I didn’t need a tripod. Just goes to show I don’t do it often. Probably ‘cos to date the pics I have taken are awful! LOL
Thanks so much for your comment
Hi Julie. If you haven’t used film or hand held light meters before, all the exposure talk can be a little difficult to understand. Here is a good wiki on EV with formulas and tables that make it pretty clear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value
Stunning photos Julie. I love gannets too.
Hello Rom … thank you! I love ’em too .. such characters 🙂
Fabulous photos! Wow!,
Roz .. thank you. Glad you enjoyed …
Beautiful ! Richard
Sent from my iPhone
Hey Mr Pearson! Thank you so much .. pleased that you spotted them on your phone 😀
Beautiful Julie – makes my heart sing to see your beautiful photos! Always so very enjoyable! xx
Oh Jenny what a lovely thing to say. When I read that I got teary. I’m so pleased you enjoy – love sharing them with you 😀 Hugs
I love lambs!!Beautiful photos!
Me too! When I saw that lamb, it looked for the world like it was smiling. Gorgeous. So pleased you enjoyed the pics
Amazing shots – have you experimented with auto night settings for the moon?
Hey Nexi thank you! Really appreciate your comment. Ah, I have never experimented with auto night settings .. guess what I’m going to be doing? Thanks for that 🙂
… that’s how I get detail (hand held) on moon shots – usually braced against the window frame – using nikon bridge…
How wonderful to grab the dog and head for the beach! You have some lovely shots here but I especially admire the moon photo – the surrounding clouds, especially the crimson tinted one, add such great atmosphere.
I know, so lucky. And to think it is only 10 minutes down the road and I get to drive past smiling lambs on the way 😀 Oh I’m pleased you like the moon pic. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I viewed it through the finder. Got very excited LOL. Thanks for stopping by
Wow is absolutely the most perfect word! What a lookout! What a view! I think I would have been there for hours and then someone would have come by to find me and remind me to go home and make supper. 😀 We have gannets in Canada, but only on the Atlantic coast, so completely on the other side of the country from me. Now I want to find a great big map of somewhere on the East coast and paint one!
Hello V. How are you? Love it when you drop in. I know ‘wow’ is right. What a place … and the birds are so entertaining. If the pooch hadn’t been with me I would have been there for ages. LOL Ah so you get gannets there too – shame they are so far away though. Now what about you paint me one V? I would so love that … what do you think Miss? Hugs
I think I could manage that 😀
Thank you 😃😃
What a treat to see your photos of the gannets. And the lamb is so sweet.
Thank you! It was one of those very special days .. and that lamb, just topped it off! 😀
“And just because you can…” What a tease. 🙂
Great shots and day out.
Ha ha … me tease? Never! LOL Thank you – it was a brilliant hour out of the office! Woohoo
Beautiful photos you are clever
Hello gorgeous .. I’m so pleased that you think so. Gosh I don’t think I have ever been called clever before. Lovely! Hugs to you
Tremendous pics of the gannets. They have quite a coloured head unlike the UK based ones.
Hello .. yes they do have a coloured head. I must check out the UK ones .. So pleased you enjoyed the pics. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Beautiful pictures! Love the gannets, occasionally we can see them from the cottage, diving in the sea…
Hello 🙂 I love the gannets too. They are so lovely gliding about and then landing amongst their noisy neighbours. I seldom see them feeding – I just had to ask hubby if he did. And yes he sure has. Glad you enjoyed the pics 😀
Amazing pictures…some of them are like paintings. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh thank you … it was one of those special days. 😀
Looks absolutely beautiful .thanks for the blogs. say hello to andrew ,we shared some great times in the maldives. went again this year .at the world titles run into some Kiwi’s (old friends) that knew you.
continue the great work ! A. D.
Hey Allan .. nice to hear from you. AB says gidday. One day I will get to the Maldives … 😀 Glad you enjoy the blog and thanks … Julie
Beautiful photos as always Julie. Thank you for sharing your lovely part of the world
Thank you very happy to share .. glad you enjoyed the pics 🙂
Hi to you both. I first saw the gannet colony when You andAndrew took Joyce and I to Muiaruia. About fifteen years ago you didn’t live there then. And I nearly always go to see them or take someone every year I return. I mostly see them from the road above. Photos as usual very good and varied from Birds Beach and Country keep up the good work. Well we are coming into winter now can’t wait to get back into your summer!
LOL Bill xxx.
Hello Mr Bonner. It was ages ago wasn’t it? Such a great place to visit each year. Glad you enjoyed the pics Bill … hope you are feeling better. Quick hurry up and get here 😀
Hi Julie…your bird pictures are sensational! The mood…the colours…so special and beautiful. Well done!!
Josephine … so pleased that you like them. It was one of those days … you would have loved it! Cheers Miss
These I think are among some of my favorite images of yours Julie-the gannets are amazing and who could resist a smiling lamb? That made my day!
Really? Oh I’m glad I made your day. Nothing like a smiling lamb 🙂 Have a super weekend
Yes, that lamb is smiling!
I know … beautiful sunny warm day – everything to smile about 🙂
Enjoy!
Beach envy? Ha! Your beach is magnificent. Even though ours is all pebbly and usually cold, I can’t keep away so with all that on my doorstep, I’d probably end up divorced. What a wonderful set of carefree photos. Thanks for sharing.
LOL … nothing like beach envy! Yes it is a great beach, windswept and rugged with black sand that sparkles. Thanks for dropping by 😀
I am speechless, if one can be that when typing. What a day you have captured here an shared with us. You have taken me soaring with those garnets, to unimaginable heights and wild places then brought me back down to earth with some rust wire and a smiling lamb. Thankyou Miss.
Hello gorgeous girl .. ha ha you’re funny. It was a special Day F … nothing like some soaring jewels in the sky. And how I loved the rusty wire, wood posts and my smiling lamb. You are so welcome.
OK , not garnets, but gannets, still- jewels of the sky
Not a bad day at the office, Julie! WOW! I couldn’t begin to try to pick a favourite from amount these photos (love the little lambs, though). Aside from the extraordinary photos, it must have been quite an experience infiltrating the gannet colony.
Ha ha .. not a bad day at the office alright. Much better outdoors though. The gannet colony is amazing … organised mayhem! LOL Take care and thanks for stopping by
Beautiful birds and love that dramatic seashore!
Thank you .. 😊
That second photograph, the one of the gannet caught in mid-air with the tip of its bill almost touching the line of the ocean, is excellent. I wish I’d gotten one that good when I was at Muriwai in February.
Hey Steve … thank you. So pleased that you liked the shot. Ah you were here in Feb! Bet you got some other top shots though 😀
Yes, I had a great time in New Zealand. I ended up doing some 70 posts about your country:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/tag/new-zealand/
wonderful potos Julie. All of them are amazing. I can imagine all the ooos and ahs you made in the process! brilliant post! <3
Hey Gill … whoops I missed this comment. Sorry! There were loads of ooos and ahhs …Thank you so much!
Awesome!
Thank you very much 😃
Awesome! I loved this post & just became a blog follower.
Oh thank you …glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
What a fun and beautiful post, Julie! How lucky you are to live by a vast body of water and mountains! Wow! You are living MY life. You must be another me. LOL The one pic of the bird and cliffs had my stomach rolling …. oh man o’live! My mouth went dry as well. Those birds are absolutely breathtaking so I can see why you would want to photograph them. I was wowing right along with you!! As for the rest of your images, LOVED every single one of them. Your Light and beauty come so clearly across in your images. Your Heart is displayed for all who come here to see. And it is truly Divinely Sparkly Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your part of the world!!! Love, Amy <3
Hello lovely Amy … thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the post. We are so very lucky … I’m blessed. Funny I’m scared of heights but I can take pics of these birds without feeling shaky. Mind you, I’m not standing next to the edge! LOL. What a lovely comment Amy. Very special to me indeed. Come again soon. Hugs
Such lovely photos. Not bad for your first moon shot, eh? Love the stunning birds, but that lamb is my fave….
Hi Cynthia … Oh I’m pleased you like the moon pic. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it in the view finder. Those birds are just stunning … I had to put in the smiling lamb. I’m off to take pics of more today. Lucky me
Happy picture, taking, Julie. What magical photos you share with us.
Hellooo 😃
I would’ve been saying wow too Jules. Such an elegant bird with beautiful markings!
Love that gorgeous little smiling lamb. Awww!
Love the fences too and the beach shots. What a glorious place.
Really enjoying your shots and the wonderful variety!
Hey Robyn … 😀 How gorge is that smiling lamb? I wanted to jump the fence and pat it, but it would have raced off. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the pics. It was one of those days. Hugs
perfect 🙂
Thank you 😃
I, too, am reduced to ‘wow’. All of your photos are beautiful as ever, but that second photo with the gannet in flight silhouetted by the boulder is spectacularly stunning.
Hello! 😀 Nice to know you have been here again. I was going ‘wow’ a lot, I saw a few smirks from others about 🙂 That is one of my favs too .. Thank heavens for cameras
I should mention– your blog is absolute tops on my list. It lifts my spirit every time. Beauty and goodness fill your land. I see it in the eyes of your chooks.
That’s great to know . Because your life through your gorgeous blog is one of my favourites .. 😃 hugs