At the book launch

A bit over a week ago I attended the launch of Home: New Writing, a collection of essays by New Zealand writers and edited by Thom Conroy. As usual at the City Library, where the launch took place in the evening, the lighting was difficult, but I managed a handful of acceptable photographs.



All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Korimako in tree lucerne

This male korimako (NZ bellbird) brightened a grey, winter's afternoon. The yellow on his bill and face is pollen from the tree lucerne flowers he'd been foraging among.



All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Winter morning, Pohangina Valley (2)

Another view of the valley across the paddock from my verandah.

All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Winter morning, Pohangina Valley

A few days short of the shortest day, this was the view from my verandah.

(I still can't work out why blogger insists on enlarging my photographs and destroying the sharpness, even though I've specified 'Original size'. The original of this is beautifully crisp. Sigh.) 

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Cat on a [warmish] tin roof

The day was hardly warm, but one of the cats next door knew where to get the last of the afternoon sun.

I love the way a cat can bring a scene to life.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

The piwakawaka visit my verandah

Recently, a gang of about four to six piwakawaka (New Zealand fantail) have been doing laps around the house, taking advantage of various perching places at both ends of the verandah to scout for insects. I can't say how much of a delight that is to me.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace (Wild carrot; Daucus carota) is a common weed around here. The intricacy and form of the flower heads fascinates me.

The dark object on the left of the flower head is the bum of a striped dung fly (Oxysarcodexia varia).

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Coot chick

At the Vet pond at Massey this morning, a pair of coots were being pestered by their two chicks. (And yes, I know, and I'm waiting for the wisecracks.)

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Early morning starling

In the early morning before full light, while a little colour remained in the sky, a starling perched in the old plum tree.

All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Miromiro (tomtit), No. 1 Line track

Miromiro (not to be confused with riroriro) are currently easy to see on the No. 1 Line track. Photographing them's another matter, but this bedraggled little female posed nicely for me yesterday — but only for a few seconds. I managed several photographs as she flitted about and paused to pose, but she quickly lost interest. The whole encounter was over in less than a minute.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Riroriro (grey warbler), No. 1 Line track

I find riroriro one of the most difficult birds to photograph. They seldom pause for more than a second, and they're usually flitting around among a tangle of twigs and branches and foliage. Often they're high enough in the canopy so I have to deal with bright patches of sky in the background, while the bird's in shadow. This time I got lucky.

All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Survivors

It's just a record photograph, but I like what it records: some of the rabbits have survived. These two were feeding in the front paddock early this morning. Although the telephoto lens has compressed the perspective so the rabbits look similar in size, the closer of the two (on the right) is much larger than the one behind. I'm guessing we have two generations here.

[1/30 sec at f4, ISO 640]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

October in the Pohangina Valley

In mid October the valley couldn't make up its mind about which season it was supposed to be in. It should have been spring, but could just as easily have been autumn. On mornings like this, I didn't mind.

This was the view from near my gate.

[1/320 sec at f5.6, ISO 200]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Farm deer, Utuwai

They're confined to a large, rough paddock on a farm at Utuwai, but if they didn't have ear tags you'd mistake them for wild deer.

[1/800 at f4, ISO 250]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Macrocarpas and rain

We've had plenty of rain in the valley lately, but it has its compensations—like the way it shows up these gnarly old macrocarpas.

[1/80 sec at f8, ISO 200]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

The Village Pheasant

Here's a photograph of the pheasant rooster looking less agitated.

[1/800 sec at f4.5, ISO 200]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Pheasant flap, Pohangina

Just outside Pohangina Village yesterday, we saw a pheasant rooster strolling along the road. We followed him and I managed a series of photographs, most of which failed. Luck was with me for this one, though.

[1/640 sec at f4.5, ISO 200]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Spring, Pohangina Valley

After days of intermittent rain, the weather began to clear.

The view from the edge of the terrace, overlooking the river flats.

[1/250 sec at f8, ISO 200]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Triple trouble — another gang of puppies

For a few days more, I have three of these (and their mum) living in the kennels near my back door.

[1/100 sec at f5.6, ISO 320]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Tui at Pauatahanui

At the Plimmerton end of Pauatahanui Inlet we stopped briefly but walkers with babies in pushchairs and dogs meant birds were scarce. I did photograph this tui but held out little hope the result would be OK because the bird refused to come low enough so I could avoid the bright grey sky as a background. However, some judicious processing helped by a relatively low ISO meant I was able to salvage this photograph.

The yellow around the base of the upper bill is pollen from the kowhai flowers from which the tui had been sipping nectar.

[1/400 sec at f5.0, ISO 250]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor