Falcon Flight

Another shot of the NZ falcon – soaring… Really, really fast – this was snapped at 1/8000th of a second. Trying to track and shoot something moving that fast was a bit of a challenge, but very satisfying.

Atereta – NZ Falcon

 

Well on her way to a full recovery and a return to life in the wild. What an amazing creature!

Flight of the Falcon

Most of my flight images were pretty much rubbish. These birds fly at speeds up to 250 kilometres per hour, so catching them, focussing on them, is near impossible even with the new 70-200mm lens along with its 2x extender. And, full disclosure, I took this one into photoshop because the sky was nearly blown out and the bird was a wee bit darker. So I had a play with the contrast and came up with this, which makes me rather happy.

New Zealand Falcon

Ozzie – one of the inhabitants of the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre just outside Rotorua. This was the highlight of our weekend away, exploring the lesser known attractions of Rotorua, best known for its geothermal activity, bubbling mud and various ‘cultural’ attractions geared more to emptying your wallet than cultural exposition or real entertainment. I’d been off the place for years, but glad I was lured back  – for these incredible birds – but also a determination to find the ‘real’ Rotorua – those things that don’t cost a lot of money and don’t come with flashing signs and gobs of hype…

It’s a shame I hadn’t gone with this approach before because there is just so much to do and explore and discover without spending anything and the money spent was very well spent. Wingspan charges $25 per person, it is such great value. The bird ‘show’ is less a show than observing trainers give the birds a ‘workout’ to return them to a healthy condition to go back into the wild, but it supports the centre’s work in preserving this endangered species.

I really went nuts photographing all weekend – so I guess it will be about birds and Rotorua’s ‘hidden’ gems for the next wee while… and that’s a good thing…