Lake Okareka is one of my favourite  local bird photography venues. It is very convenient being just a few minutes from home but is also quite versatile with a number of bird species that are relatively uncommon. Regular species seen include Grey Teal, Shoveller, Pied Stilts, Dabchicks, White-faced Heron and  Canada Geese as well as the usual Black Swans, Paradise Ducks,Pukeko, Mallards, Gulls, Shags and Plovers. There is a comfortable birding hide but for photos getting low and concealing in the marginal vegetation provides better images. Late afternoon is best with the last hour of sun being lovely giving reflections from the sunlit hills behind in the water. I have recently acquired a small folding beach chair which provides a comfortable perch and low angle with a long lens on a monopod. Last Wednesday was a lovely day and a quick trip up to the lake after work resulted in a number of reasonable images.