Posts Tagged ‘seagull’
Seagull in Seaweed
Working on some new techniques to get my images as sharp as they can be… and I was going for the full detail in the seaweed and the gull… Pretty good, though there’s still room for improvement.
And… it’s a pretty nice gull. In some pretty cool seaweed…
Seagull in the seaweed
Not sure what she found so wonderfully attractive about this stuff… it was worm-like and smelly. Maybe she thought it made her look really hot…
At Goat Island Marine Reserve – about an hour north of Auckland.
The terror of the Australian White Ibis
When wildlife goes very very wrong… Pigeons, seagulls, sparrows, robins and other urbanised birds don’t strike me as out of place – but the urbanised ibis – it just seems wrong. They are native to northern Australia but were introduced to the southern part of the country in the 60s and 70s. This fellow is probably descended from the free range birds ‘kept’ in the Sydney Zoo that were allowed to go feral. As they are native, they are a protected species, but they have become rare in the wild now. They are pretty much an urban pest and health hazard. And they smell ‘odd.’
While those long beaks were once considered perfect for digging into the ground and reaching up for insects, they are now just perfect for digging into rubbish bins. Or snatching little kids’ sandwiches or ice cream cones. They have virtually no fear of humans – and why should they – standing up to 75 cm tall (2.5 feet), plus the beak! This is a medium sized ibis next to a rather large seagull. They travel in flocks which can be very intimidating and people are strongly discouraged from feeding them.
The lady in question here was rather foolish. Within seconds after I took this shot, she was literally up against the wall, surrounded by ibis and gulls, too many to feed. She was a wee bit shaken, but they didn’t attack. But maybe next time… a real-life version of The Birds.
At the end of the day
During the day
you’ve got your mates around –
the gang
the flock…
but at the end of the day,
it’s just you.
No one there to tell you
that you’re right or
that you’re wrong
and you face
the dark of night
with your best friend
or your worst enemy
Take off…
Nature’s creatures just don’t fear me. At least, not if they’ve settled in for a rest. I hardly had to crop this image… this giant brown seagull had nearly a metre wing span (39″) I’d say – just huge, almost the size of an albatross, with none of the albatross’s charm or mystique. I rather like seagulls, just for being birds. And if, as a species, they are not charismatic, from time to time one will do something of interest to us.
This one was determined NOT to be that seagull. I was so close I could smell his breath and he wouldn’t move. I was just close enough to tap him in his lazy bum, when he decided to take off. Got him at a starting run here. Got a few more as he hit the air and began to fly. Completely missed the shot of him doubling back and circling over my head – and with the precision of a military smart-weapon, dumping a slimy lime green turd on my head!
