Posts Tagged 'bird'
3
Erin came over to spend the day with the boys, and after swimming, we all went to the Bird Gardens at Montecasino.
It was an awesome afternoon out, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. A highlight for me, apart from the show, was the lorikeets that actually drank the nectar from the bowls the kids were holding out. It’s the first time the birds have played along, in my experience 
See the full set of 2010 photo-a-day photos on my Project 365 Flickr Set.
Recommended Reading
21
Bradley and Lance went to the movies, so I decided that Connor needed a special one on one treat too. We decided to go to the Bird Park at Montecasino. The last time I took him there was when he was very very little, and in a pram and in nappies… and he doesn’t remember the place. It was time! I knew he’d enjoy the Flight of Fantasy show now, and he’s old enough to sit through it. And I was right… we had a ball together. In fact, I think we need to do this more often… he never gets to do something special on his own.
We went into the lorikeet aviary first with a dish of nectar, hoping to feed them. Here I have a problem… very exciting for Connor… yet idiotic to sell me a tub of syrupy stuff in the afternoon when the birds have clearly had their fill! Anyhoo, he enjoyed trying anyway.
And then it was 3pm and time for the show in the amphitheatre.
I just loved the Eagle Owl 
And I LOVE the photos I managed to get this time… what a difference a proper lens makes… and 3 years more photo experience 
. I used the 70-200mm f2.8 for the whole show.
This cape vulture is a rescued bird, and was a victim of poisoning.
And see this massive burmese python? Well, the handler let Connor and I touch it. Connor touched it so very quickly that I didn’t even manage to get a photo
and what’s an outing without ice cream?
See the full set of 2010 photo-a-day photos on my Project 365 Flickr Set.
Recommended Reading
21
We’ve just come back from our seaside holiday in Shelly Beach, which is a town on the south coast of Kwazulu Natal. This is a catch-up post with photos that I took while we were away… and yes, I’m still on top of my Project 365, I haven’t missed a day yet
Every evening we went for walks along the beach, and the kids caught sand crabs (there’s a tiny sand crab on Bradley’s hand in the first photo) and wrote their names in the sand and waded in the shallows
Bradley and I went for a walk on the beach on the second afternoon while Connor had a nap. We noticed a cormorant perched on the edge of the tidal pool, so naturally, I had to get as close as I could for my photo for the day!! Thankfully I went to the beach with my 70-200mm f2.8 lens! What an amazing experience, the bird let us get quite close to it, before he dived into the pool for a swim. It was amazing to watch him dive over and over again looking for fish for his supper. He caught 3 fish while we were there, but it happened so very quickly, that I only managed to get the moment on camera once!
The mornings were spent on the swimming beach at St Michael’s on Sea… doing what you’re supposed to do on holiday… swim and play in the sand!
Then I had another fortunate encounter, this time with a few seagulls that let me get quite close!
The weather on our last day was awful, so we went to the Riverbend Crocodile Farm in Southbroom to have a wander around. I wasn’t as impressed with that farm, as I had been with a similar farm close to Ballito that we’d been to a few years ago… in fact it was quite disappointing… but the kids enjoyed it.
See the full set of 2010 photo-a-day photos on my Project 365 Flickr Set.
Recommended Reading
10
This was my obsession this holiday. We stayed on the top floor (5th) of an apartment block while in Ballito in the most magnificent apartment with the most stunning huge balcony… and it was just perfect to get photos of this bird.
We noticed the pair of kites a few days into the holiday. In fact, I thought it was a hawk until Angel told me on Twitter that there were kites in the area and it was more likely to be that. Sure enough, after searching the net for some photos, it’s a yellow-billed kite.
I discovered in the process, that I’m not a really good bird photographer, and I need a longer lens. None of these are good enough for camera club (I don’t think), but I enjoyed trying to get that perfect shot anyway. I took hundreds of photos of the birds. I used my Sigma 70-300mm lens for all of them, and it was very difficult to get a sharp photo with the perfect light and getting a glint in the eye.
The birds came flying overhead every morning and afternoon. They would stay for ages looking for food. They’ve got quite tame too, people have started throwing food up at them. They swoop down and catch the food in midair – most amazing to watch. I met another photographer (with a much bigger and better lens) while we were there and he was saying that they’ve got quite fussy – they only eat chicken and wors.
This photo shows you how big the bird is. He was swooping over Ralph and his family while they were fishing on the rocks. Ralph tried to throw sardines for the bird to eat, but even though he swooped to get them, he clearly wasn’t interested in it and flew away. I took these from the beach while the kids were swimming.
I took all of the rest from the balcony
This last one would be my winning shot… it’s such a huge pity that I clipped his tail.
Recommended Reading
26
A whole load of random images from our Ballito holiday are just perfect for Lotus’ Weekly Winners challenge today
First up, are some images from the afternoons we spent fishing on the rocks with small nets.
Bradley made friends with a little boy who was a whizz at catching fish, and he even caught this squid in the rocks. Please note that all creatures were returned to the sea
And on the subject of creatures, we went to the Flag Animal Farm one morning, and the kids had a ball feeding all the animals and milking the cows and riding ponies.
And what’s a holiday on the coast without watching the sunrise over the sea…
