Birth

This morning I took some more ice photos on my way to work.  

I had a half day workshop to attend that was extremely worthwhile.  It was supposed to finish at 12.00 so I'd made an appointment in Timaru for 1.30.  As it was the course ran late and I had to leave before it was finished which was a pity.  When I was leaving work a bit after 1.00 I noticed that the grass and concrete were still frozen in some areas - gives you an idea of how cold it's been today!

I was even later for my appointment than I thought I'd be because I couldn't find the address.  You wouldn't think that the corner of King and Queen Streets would be so royally hard to find!  It didn't particularly matter anyway because, as is the norm with medical appointments, they were running late anyway.

On my way home from town I decided to go down to the coast and walk along the stop bank.  I walked along until I found a lagoon I'd been told about and found a pair of pied stilts there that I photographed, along with lots of pukekos and a couple of herons.  

The ice , the birds and the beach could all have been my blips - and were definitely better photos than this one.  BUT . . . 

I watched this calf being born!  When I pulled up on the side of the road it was only half way out. My camera was on the back seat and by the time I'd contorted myself around to try and reach it, wrenching my shoulder in the process, then given up and decided to get out of the car to get it, the calf was already fully out still in it's sac.  

By the time I'd got out of the car, got my camera, opened the boot and changed lenses, the calf was on its feet.  By the time I'd fiddled with my settings (which I still got wrong), it was trying to feed. 

As you can see, Mum wasn't too happy with me and straight after I'd clicked twice she turned sideways putting herself between me and that precious baby.  With a ditch between us I didn't have any show of maneuvering into a better position so I left them alone.

Moral:  Always carry your camera, and spare lenses, in the FRONT of the car with you.  Preferrably set up on settings that will be the exact ones you need when there is something you want to photograph in a hurry.