pūweto /spotless crake

I went back to see the spotless crake again this morning.  I wanted one more go at them before turning my attention to something else.  I have to admit I was disappointed when I got there to find that most of the foliage along the edge of the pond that I was stealthily hiding behind on my last visit, was now totally flattened.  I can only assume there are a lot of photographers just as keen as I am to capture some images of these wee treasures. It would however be nice if the natural environment didn’t suffer too much from it.

This morning there were three photographers already there when I arrived, and as I was leaving, another photographer arrived and was just setting up.  Thankfully these shy little birds are taking it all in their stride and so long as everyone is very quiet they remain unstressed.  I was using the G9 on full silent mode when is perfect for these kinds of conditions.  Even the pied stilts in the pond show no fear of us being there and they are usually the early warning system.

I had bought a small stool with me this time and thought I would be ok on it. However I didn’t think it through properly and one leg of the stool sunk quick smart sending me backwards in slow motion onto the wet ground. Figured I may as well stay there to get the shots before worrying about how I was going to get up again.  This can be difficult for me as I have fused joints in both feet and they just don’t bend like they used to, so getting leverage to stand up is tricky without something to pull myself up on.

Thank you to the helpful photog who assisted me getting back upright today, it is really appreciated.  I shudder to think what I would have done if I was there alone when it happened.  As it was I went home with a wet behind from sitting in pond water. Even so, I am super happy with today’s images and see no need to go back there now.  I will leave that to the others who have yet to achieve their desired results.

© Digitalpix Photography