The Birds of Muriwai

The gannets you'll be seeing today are Australasian gannets. They nest here, incubating their eggs for 44 days and then remain a bit longer while their young grow, practice flying, and get ready for their approximately 2000 km flight across to Austrailia. 

They are quite a spectacle to see and hear (and smell) and I was lucky enough to get a really good look at a pair of them as one returned from feeding and was welcomed home by its mate. (third video)

Here's the good stuff...

We are just starting our walk from the carpark to the first viewing platform. This is looking south. Look at the apparent size of the people down there. 

We're on the steps going down to the first platform. Arram agreed to pose for a picture here because, back in 2012, I took his picture not far from here. He looks happier today than he did way back then. He was feeling a bit grumpy that day I think. 

Same steps, same handrail, but Arram is now about twice as tall as he was in this picture. 

And here is Amiri standing tall above the thick carpet.  Allie is taking a break in the tall grass, much like Amiri is doing in the next picture. It was also taken on our 2012 trip. 

The view north from one of the viewing platforms. I didn't take many pictures from the platforms, but I did take some videos. 

In the past, when I uploaded my videos to Youtube, I was able to remove shakiness from the video. Today, I wanted to do the same with two of these, but could
no longer find the feature in the edit screen. So the first one shakes a bit unfortunately. The third video has a sequence in it too, when I try to zoom in on some terns, that also shakes. If, in their last 'upgrade,' Youtube removed that edit feature for good, I'm guess I'm going to have to get much better, and steadier, when I take my videos. I want to give you the best product  I can after all. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwU6_zWgY9w&feature=youtu.be



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvWfBwWGfxo



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU_q-WqhBcw&feature=youtu.be

To the right of the gannet platforms lie 'Fishermans' Rock. It's now at low tide, and the rock looks completely safe. During a high tide not long ago, a man was washed out to sea and drowned. 

After watching the gannets, I turned my attention to the north end of the beach, and noticed something about the blowhole rock. Check this out.

There is the rock and the blowhole.  The new cave-in looks bigger than it was.

 I first showed you a picture of the collapse of the rock surface near the blow hole on 1/17/17, but it looks as though that new hole has opened up even more since then. 

Well, Arram has been patiently waiting to go down and kick his soccer ball around on the beach for a while and we are all tired of smelling the gannets. While they are undoubtedly beautiful and entertaining to watch, their personal hygene habits leave a lot to be desired, and make viewing them in person for any length of time, from downwind, quite a trial.  

My next post will be from the beach.         -djf