01 April 2011

Spur-winged plover


Spur-winged plovers (often known elsewhere as masked lapwings) are one of the most common birds in the rural New Zealand landscape, but getting close to them is usually exceedingly difficult. However, I'd seen several hanging out in one of the unsealed car parks at Massey University and had noticed how they seemed remarkably tolerant of cars driving past. Yesterday evening I set the camera up and cruised past slowly with the window down. Even when I stopped the car the three birds seemed unconcerned.


[31 March 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 200, 1/3200 at f5.6] 

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

2 comments:

Zhoen said...

The yellow face formation looks artificial. Funny about the lack of car-fear.

pohanginapete said...

Zhoen, they're certainly strange-looking birds. Sometimes they remind me of something Mervyn Peake might have drawn.