It has been a long time since I last visited the Muriwai gannet colony and Edin’s birthday was a great excuse to revisit a spot we both love. The devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 had caused significant property damage and loss of life in the area and as a result the tracks had been closed until repaired and safe again.

The damage has resulted in a change in topography but it was a delight to be amongst the birds again. We spent our time near the lower platform as there was a lot of activity there and this area will be closed permanently at the end of this breeding season.

The aspect that always impresses me is the movement and speed of these lovely large birds flying so close overhead. Trying to capture this feeling of speed I spent a lot of time using slow shutter speeds and panning. This makes a lot of images, many of which can just be thrown out as too blurred, but some work to convey the motion.

The continual movement of birds keeps you on your toes looking for opportunities to combine bird, motion and background. It is easy to become a bit overwhelmed.

Birds are continually coming and going. Taking off and landing with nesting material and greeting partners. Those that have been out fishing spend time preening their feathers back into top condition.

In the chaos of the colony is is often difficult to isolate a subject in a pleasing way without distractions. This next gannet was resting and mostly in shadow thrown by the crowd of people on the viewing platform. As people moved the low sun would episodically get through a gap and highlight the bird. A bit of patience allowed me to use the spotlight effect

Sunset over the Tasman sea is always impressive if the clouds allow

A gannet texture in the last rosy glow of the evening sky

It can be hard to drag yourself away from such a special spot and the temptation is to keep photographing even when there is almost no light left.

Photos with Nikon Z8 and Nikkor Z 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 VR S