Dotterels and Terns

Today I got up early, abandoned my lovely grandson and his parents, and headed across to Tuamarina (Marlborough) to watch an ex-student bull-riding at the rodeo.

First rodeo I'd ever been to and I was looking forward to the opportunity to capture some action shots. Sadly all my shots were crap disappointing so instead I'm blipping the flight of the terns and dotterels.

We came home thorugh Havelock and went down to the marina to see if we could spot the spoonbills. We couldn't. Instead we spotted a stoney parking area that was hosting a flock of terns and banded dotterels. I've never actually seen a dotterel before (other than in photos) so it was a pretty exciting moment for me.

So, with apologies to H (who did ride his bull for the full 8 seconds) this was the highlight of my day.