Nø 41

This morning I was back to reading the agenda papers. Daughter C needed to go in to school to sort out various things she had not been able to do because of being unwell all week. So the boys came to spend the afternoon with us. Knowing that this was going to happen, I chose to go for a run when they arrived, to lessen the time of potential distraction.

All this meant that I headed out for a run to Western Springs Lake at about 2 pm. I was pleased with a number of photos taken. The NZ scaup, a putangitangi drake (young and solitary), and then a group of shags on nests high in a tree on an island in the lake.

It was then that I noticed this Royal Spoonbill landing in a nearby tree. Delighted with this rare visitor to Auckland, I tried hard to get a defining picture, only for it to unexpectedly fly off, and I couldn't track it quickly enough. After a couple of circles it landed on some rocks in the middle of the lake, and I got this photo. The 41st different species of bird photographed this year.

Very pleased with what I had got, I turned to head away. Past a young man with his daughter in a pushchair, and a camera on a tripod pointed well away from the spoonbill. Asked him if he'd seen the spoonbill. "yes" was the response. "There's a whole group of them over there". Where his camera was pointed! I counted eight in one of the photos I got.

This remains my choice, however, as it is the clearest image of the spoonbill. Later today I will add some of the other photos I took into my blipfolio.

ADDITIONAL:
A good day's birding
A male scaup
A young solitary male putangitangi
Shags nesting in a tall tree
Eight spoonbills at Western Springs Lake