Bird photography is made up of more than just skill with a camera, sometimes it is just knowing where to find the birds and when is the best time to be there. In New Zealand we have a huge network of bird photographers online and it is thanks to this that today I had one of my best days in the bush yet. Rifleman or tītitipounamu have long been on my list of birds that I wanted to get a decent image of. I have only managed to photograph them twice before and each time I wasn’t totally happy with the results. Today on the other hand was awesome.
My husband and I made our way over to Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre to find a couple of riflemen that were nesting in a very convenient spot. After we found the birds, I noticed that the seat nearby was in entirely the wrong place for me, however standing for any length of time wasn’t going to work for me either. So off hubby went to talk to the lovely ladies at reception and came back with a comfy chair for me to sit in. The birds didn’t appear to care that I was sitting there with my camera pointed their way, in fact a couple of times I am sure they came super close just to check me out. I made the most of those times!
I hope to go back later in the week to see them again, but that will depend on the weather and right now the forecast isn’t looking great.
