Muriwai: Gannets and Surf
A corner of the stack of Motutara Island, Muriwai (map), seen from the northern viewing platform. The gannets are back in force, preparing for the breeding season. Serendipitously, a surfer glides into the picture in Maori Bay, a popular spot for surfing.
Gannets reside in the Muriwai breeding colony for about 9 months, starting late July or early August, with the last birds gone late April. In our winter they holiday in Australia.
September 2, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Great capture of both the birds and the surfer.
September 3, 2010 at 5:58 am
Congratulations on this brilliant composition. Love it!
September 3, 2010 at 11:11 am
I hasten to add that this is NOT a composite image, it’s exactly as it happened.
September 3, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Beautiful gannet photo. Wonderful that the surfer came along just at the right time. They called them surfies when I was in Australia in 1982. And big bad men on big bad motorcycle were called bikies, which I thought was hilarious.
Anyway, about your gorgeous gannet picture… I went from Western Canada to the east coast of Quebec to see Western Gannets, and took hundreds of pictures with a too-slow camera, so I have hundreds of pictures of white dots. But I guess I get high marks for effort.
Kay
Alberta, Canada