As promised, a penguin for Steenbeck: that spot in the middle of the picture is a rare Hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) Mara snapped coming ashore in southeast NZ. Unlike some other penguin species, the Hoiho prefer to keep to themselves, and generally wait until other penguins have cleared the beach before they surf in, hence the lack of masses of birds. Owing to the need to remain out of sight in a hide the picture is rather small. Some interesting facts about this bird here:
http://www.kcc.org.nz/birds/hoiho.asp
Other avian highlights included Albatross, Kaka and Kea (forest and mountain parrots), Saddlebacks, Bellbirds, Tui, Shags, Oystercatchers. And we encountered some funky Pelicans on Santa Monica pier on the way home.
Here's a Tui Mara recorded on a forest walk at Kaka Point:
And some tracks which might fit the inauguration of my Pacific brother (as my Hawaiian neighbour and I refer to him) Obama:
Nat Adderley Jr, The price you gotta pay to be free. Recorded in 1970, could have been recorded in 2008..
Ammoncontact, One in an infinity of ways.
Freedom, DJ Food, remixed by Fila Brazilia. Zensational Ninja Tunes chill down track. One for Saneshane.
The Chills' Rain could be seen to be contrasting the safe, constrained existence of the narrator (Rain taps my window pane, I'm sheltering warm and dry) with the freedom of the person he's addressing (wishing you near to me, now that you're finally free).. well, have a listen anyway.
(Players removed.)
Adding Coldcut's remix of Jello Biafra's A message from our sponsor, off the brilliant Journeys by DJ mix. Unify is the next track on the album.
13 comments:
Beautiful picture!! My boys liked it too, Isaac asked what the penguin was DOING? Thanks, and to Mara, too.
I haven't had time to listen past the bird song yet, but that was grand.
It's just kind of waddling ashore.. they surf in, jumping through the waves like dolphins, really gracefully, then they just sort of splat onto the beach, get up in a dazed way, and begin trudging up the sand. They stand around for ages where the gravel begins, drying out and calling to their partners, (you'd never believe the size of the squid I nearly caught today..) before moving through the grass to their nests.
Ha! And I told Isaac he was walking up the beach to find his umbrella and his buckets and shovels, and to put on more sunscreen.
I love the Nat Adderley, Jr, and the Ammoncontact.
this is all just reminding me of Oliver Jeffers 'lost and found:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Found-Oliver-Jeffers/dp/0007150369/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231708920&sr=1-4
great coldcut by the way.. didn't really keep the ninja tune up while you've been away
(DJ Kentaro Free
just doesn't really fit this weeks theme)
That book is quite popular in the mcFlah household.
and 'one in an infinity of ways' is perfect... I just love how it ends..
'Freedom' is going to be a lovely way for me to end the day.. it was my ms.s birthday so a bit of a catch up, after a beautiful day on a freezing beach..
(I've been photographing the cliffs falling into the sea.. don't know what that say about getting older.. but magical day)
Thanks for the Coldcut track, i hadn't heard it before, gives it a nice bit of pace and urgency, great stuff!
Ha, too windy for umbrellas down there- they tend to use bush hats or sou-westers, tied under the beak.
The Jeffers books look nice.
I spent my time photographing protruding tree roots or unfolding tree ferns.. not that the cliffs weren't nice too, but I think I had enough of crumbling things in 2008...
The sunscreen is also superfluous.. he's wearing a tuxedo and a high collar, once he puts on his hat he's well covered..
Welcome back Nilpferd.
You need to buy your daughter a zoom lens if she wants to compete with the 'Spill's Norbert Rosing,TonNL.
Haven't heard Jello for a while - always interesting. He seems to be touring his spoken word, political stuff these days. Some new music to go with it would be good.
Thanks shoey.. Actually I was thinking more along the lines of a wetsuit and a set of flippers..
Or maybe a wet fish to entice the timid & lonesome penguin a little closer?
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