Lately, Long Reef has provided the best opportunities for bird photography of the type I like doing (shooting raptors in flight), so I made another trip there with my camera.
Again, I had some good birds there – four Osprey, a Sea Eagle and a Black-shouldered Kite.
When I arrived, I met another bird photographer that I know – Simon. I walked down to the bottom of the lookout and spotted an Osprey perched in a tureen the northern side. I started walking that way, but had not gone far, when the bird flew towards me –
It landed out on the island. The tide was too high to venture out.
Then a second Osprey arrived –
It too flew out and landed on the island.
And then it soon moved closer to the first one –
Then Simon came down, he had spotted a third Osprey, perched on vegetation on the south side –
And then a fourth Osprey flew towards us and perched near the third one.
Here is the third one –
And further away, the fourth one –
I moved a bit further away and waited for the third one to fly.
I was ready when it took off –
It flew out to the island and joined the first two –
And number four was still in the same place –
Little Pied Cormorant
Then a bit of a lull, until one Osprey flew past –
It had an interaction with one of the others –
This one was after a fish –
It was unsuccessful.
Another dive –
Again, mo fish, and the Osprey took a long time to get back into the air.
An Osprey flew past with a small fish –
And another flew past –
This one started a dive –
But it pulled out.
White-faced Heron
This Osprey is having a bath –
Far out on the island ,we saw this bird. Perhaps a juvenile Kelp Gull?
And then this Osprey flew past trailing some debris.
Two passing planes –
Another raptor arrived. This time a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle –
It flew out to sea.
Some distant whale boats –
It had been a good day so far. But it was not time to head home. As I walked back up the hill to the lookout, a Black-shouldered Kite arrived but did not stay long –
Lastly, two Pelicans –
