Te Mata Peak after Dark

The Morepork's of the Peak

Well it started as I was walking back down from the peak one night as I heard a morepork calling, I thought it was a kid playing a practical joke as it sounded so fake and so close.

Later I went to have a closer look and there sure enough was a morepork 4meters in front of me so I quickly raced back home and got my camera.

When I got back to the peak I couldn't find him again so headed back home after a while of searching and practiced taking photos of trees and trunks in the dark, "even if I saw a bird I don't think I would have even got a shot in as I couldn't focus and it was way to dark"

So I had to think of new ways to improve and how I am going to take a shot of a night bird.

 An few days later I was walking back down the peak again and I had a morepork fly directly in front of me so I thought that the weekend coming I should go out and practice my night photography.

 Once I found the morepork and I had my camera I kept on coming back once a week and only for a hour or two around the evening so flash wasn't going to have as big of effect as it would during the night.


   The beautiful morepork but I over flashed this one plus it was the first night out.



Morepork (Ruru)





Morepork Calling

 

Carefully watches His Prey



Feather Grooming Even Happens Under the Cover of Night

  
Also when out and about up the peak I heard moreporks mating quite a bit but getting close was impossible I tried many times, even movement would scare them and they would fly off.
So Lucky one of the pair called in his mate and I managed to get a shot in of them mating but only just because they don't do it for long.




Movepork Mating