Hen and rooster in the rain

Staglands in the rain

Visiting wildlife parks for photography during the school holidays is usually something we avoid. However if the weather doesn’t look the best then many of the holiday makers bunker down to stay dry. Last Friday was such a day. It was overcast with showers forecast, but that didn’t scare us off. We visited Staglands in the rain and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Farm Animals

Kunekune piglet on the run
Kunekune piglet on the run

The light on a cloudy day can be perfect for photography as we don’t have to contend with the harsh sun and shadows. A little rain adds freshness to the surroundings and the cooler air brings the animals out to play.

Kunekune piglet following the food trail
Kunekune piglet following the food trail

Staglands Wildlife Reserve & Cafe is the perfect place for families and children to hands on interact with nature. The little kunekune piglets learn very quickly that where there are children, there is also the possibility of food. They will follow you around the park looking for the yummy treats. They also enjoy a scratch as well. The animals at Staglands clearly don’t mind the rain.

Sheep
Sheep looking for food treats

The hands on experience continues with being able to hand feed the sheep, and even get into the guinea pig enclosure. A good place to shelter from the rain.

Guinea pig snug and dry
Guinea pig snug and dry

Birds

Kea at Staglands
Kea at Staglands

My main focus is always the birds and this time the kea and two king parrots posed nicely for the camera. I love how soft the female’s colours are compared to the bright male colours and neither of these two were afraid of a little rain. The king parrots reside in the pond aviary, while the kea have their own walk through aviary.

King parrot (female) in the pond aviary at Staglands
King parrot (female) in the pond aviary at Staglands
King parrot (male) in the pond aviary at Staglands
King parrot (male) in the pond aviary at Staglands

Flowers & water drops

Daisy with rain droplets
Daisy with rain droplets

Where there is rain, there are rain drops to photograph and it was no different at Staglands. I am not about to pass an opportunity by and when I saw the white daisies, I couldn’t resist having a go. The other flower (not sure what it is called) provided even more droplets.

Raindrops on flower
Raindrops on flower

I haven’t been out with the camera as much lately as I have been dealing with some family stuff. I do have loads of bumble bee images that I haven’t shared with you yet. If you are keen to see them let me know and I will do another post later in the week. I hope you have enjoyed our visit to Staglands in the rain. You can leave comments and/or feed back here.