Black Stilts – Kakī
One of our main goals while we were staying in Tekapo was to find and photograph Black Stilts - Kaki. They were once one of the most endangered bird species…
Antarctic Shags – Blue-eyed beauties
The next in a series of "It's not just penguins" blogs! (Remember the Skuas? They'll get another blog post no doubt, they're so gorgeous). Antarctic Shags go by a number…
Friendly Fantails
Fantails are one of our ubiquitous native birds that are known for following people around. Friendly fantails don't really like us personally, but they do enjoy feeding on the insects…
Booth Island – Minimalism in wildlife photography
After a stunning cruise through towering icebergs, we landed on Booth Island. A wide sweep of pristine snow curved up to the Gentoo colony on the hill. By this stage…
Incoming Gull!
Colonies of birds are a lot of fun to photograph - but it's sometimes difficult to know where to look! We passed this roost of White-fronted terns briefly while boating…
Preening Duck
I wrote a bit about composition a while back. In that post I lamented accidentally amputating parts of birds by not zooming out enough. In trying to diverge from just taking…
Skuas, Skuas Everywhere
Skuas get a bad rap. People just don't like things that eat cute fluffy penguin chicks. But they do have fluffy chicks of their own to feed, and there's not…
Australasian Crested Grebes
We don't see Australasian Crested Grebes in the North Island. They're impressive waterbirds that look ridiculous on land because their legs are set very far back on their bodies! It…
Hannah Point – First Landing
Mud, rain and guano. That was our first landing in Antarctica, at Hannah Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. The landing was wet on tumbled stone, and…
Seabirds and Scopoderm – Crossing the Drake Passage
I get quite badly seasick. I was dreading crossing the notorious Drake Passage more than anything, so Dad and I had applied Scopoderm patches and taken supplementary medication before bed…
Cruising the Beagle Channel
What a day. We hadn't even begun our true adventure yet, and both Dad and I agreed it had been one of the best days of our lives. After bussing…
Birding in Buenos Aires – Costanera Sur
Next week we leave the tropics behind for colder climates! Dad and I wouldn't choose cities as a holiday destination. Our time in Buenos Aires was just a necessary step…
Grappling Chinstraps – Antarctica Teaser #1
I know you're all waiting on Antarctica photos, and have probably been a bit disappointed by my last few posts! They are scheduled usually around a month in advance, and…
Welcome Swallows
Welcome Swallows are usually quite difficult birds to photograph, in my experience. They're small and very swift, so flight shots are a serious achievement! Even when perched they don't stick…
Making Better Photographs
In wildlife photography, we often only get a small window of opportunity in which to take photographs (bird flies past, dolphin jumps out of the water, etc). Sometimes though, we…