Apple in winter

As we approach late winter the deciduous trees look like 3D fMRI scans of lungs. But here and there, a few bright leaves still hang on.

[30 July 2010; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 400, 1/800 at f8] 

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Piwakawaka

The common English name for piwakawaka (Rhipidura fuliginosa) is "fantail". Easy to see why.

[25 July 2010; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 400, 1/200 at f5.6] 

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Tui, singing

Yesterday I wandered around in the evening sun, enjoying the relative warmth, the golden light, the little, tail-less piwakawaka that seemed constantly on the verge of settling on me. The tui who frequents the camellia and assorted other shrubs next door sang furiously in the apple in the old orchard. Not a bad evening for the middle of winter.

[24 July 2010; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 400, 1/1000 at f4]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Hawke Bay, rain cloud, Te Mata Peak

Flounder Bay in February. We walked partway towards Driftwood Cove in the evening; watched the light change and rain showers drift across Hawke Bay. The distinctive shape of Te Mata Peak, the low cliffs leading to Cape Kidnappers, the expanse of sea — this could have been a thousand years ago, before humans arrived here, while moa roamed, whio swam in the lowland rivers and huia sang in the forests. Only the faint reflections from Napier's buildings and the tiny form of a ship said otherwise. But takapu still flew over the ocean.

[11 February 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 105 mm, ISO 200, 1/125 at f13]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Pencarrow lighthouses

On the eastern side of Wellington harbour, the two lighthouses at Pencarrow Head indicate not just safe passage, but the desirability of forethought when erecting lighthouses. Apparently, the original on the hill was so often obscured by low cloud that a second had to be built on the shore.

[21 January 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 24 mm, ISO 200, 1/320 at f8]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Fungi, No. 1 Line track

Partway up the No. 1 Line track, these tiny fungi caught my eye.


[2 July 2010; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 400, 1/100 at f5.6]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Korimako

Korimako, the New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura), move quickly, seldom pausing for more than a moment. They're often foraging among foliage where they're partly (and sometimes completely) obscured. I still don't have a photo I'm happy with, but this, from the garden next to my place, is one of the better attempts. Unfortunately, it doesn't show the stronger colours (mostly yellows and greens) on the back and wings.

[15 July 2010; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 400, 1/1250 at f4]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

No. 1 Line track

I climbed to the top of the No. 1 Line track last week, taking it easy because I hadn't been in the hills for a while (some sections are as steep as a hen's face and can knock the legs around a bit, particularly when descending). I rested a little while at the top; scanned the headwaters of Matanganui Stream with the binoculars in the hope of seeing a deer (I didn't); wandered around a little, photographing — again, for the first time in a while. As I was about to start the descent, sunlight rolled over the top of the track, while the main range in the background stayed in the shadow of the cloud.

[2 July 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 32 mm, ISO 200, 1/100 at f16]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

New friend

We got together with friends at Eastbourne over the weekend. George had arrived in April and seemed to have taken over rather well.
 
[10 July 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 24 mm, ISO 400, 1/8 at f5.6]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Dunnock (hedge sparrow)

The bird people get wild when others call these "hedge sparrows" (they're not closely related to the true sparrows but belong to the Accentors), but I grew up with that name and "dunnock" still sounds strange and unappealing (perhaps it reminds me too much of "dunny"?). The Latin binomial, Prunella modularis, hardly seems better — to me it sounds prim and disapproving, whereas I find them delightful little birds. This one was a resident at the house we rented in Christchurch during a brief visit in 2005.

[1 January 2005; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L, ISO 800, 1/320 at f4]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Skyline from the Palmerston North library

As evening settled down over Palmerston North, I looked up from my writing on the top floor of the library. The interior had begun to move outside, adding to the complexity of time and space.
[7 July 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 28 mm, ISO 400, 1/6 at f11]
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Foxgloves

November 2008; days still lengthening; warmth; bee-loud glades. The stream rushing to the river and a light breeze rustling the poplar leaves. The dead trunk was a lacebark (Hoheria sp.), endemic to Aotearoa. This is the history of much of New Zealand.
[I’ve been having difficulty posting lately — although I’m still within my data cap my ISP seems to have jumped the gun and throttled my Internet access to slow dial-up speeds. I trust things will be back to normal in a few days.]
[16 November 2008; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 24 mm, ISO 200, 1/80 at f11]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Putangitangi (paradise shelduck) female

During most of the year putangitangi (Tadorna variegata) can be seen in pairs (they mate for life) or in groups, which are sometimes large, but after the duck-shooting season, lone birds aren't uncommon. However, this particular bird, photographed in October 2008, was part of a family — her mate (the males have very different colouration) and chicks were swimming nearby at the Pohangina Wetlands.

[12 October 2008; Canon 20D, 300 mm f4 L + 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 200, 1/640 at f8. Heavily cropped.]
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor