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.
Great capture of both the birds and the surfer.
Comment by joan — September 2, 2010 @ 4:38 pm
Congratulations on this brilliant composition. Love it!
Comment by JM — September 3, 2010 @ 5:58 am
I hasten to add that this is NOT a composite image, it’s exactly as it happened.
Comment by paul — September 3, 2010 @ 11:11 am
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
Comment by Kay Davies — September 3, 2010 @ 1:32 pm