Muriwai Gannet Colony
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No match
A classic shot of the gannet colony at Auckland's Muriwai beach. About 1,200 pairs of gannets nest here from August to March each year. Each pair lays one egg and the parents take turns on the nest. A few weeks after hatching, the chicks begin to exercise their wings in preparation for the one-shot jump off the cliff. Once airborne, the young gannets leave the colony and cross the Tasman Sea to Australia. A few years later, surviving birds return to secure a nest site at the colony.
About the photo
Adobe Photoshop.
Canon EOS 40D.
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More by Chris Gin
Comments (15)
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ISO2112
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/photo-contest/img/wallpaper/1027wallpaper-11_1280.jpg was looking through National Geographic photo contest winners, this one was taken from the same spot!
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Great shot Chris. Not fancy getting any closer? LOL
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R4_Grace89
Great article, thanks.
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firefly.serenity
I just read that whole story from Hans van de Vorst and it is unbelievable! I mean, I can just about get my head around the entire situation, but the fact that this dude was wearing flip-flops was too much. I won't even take my equipment outside for fear that it will get a scratch - and this guy is performing stunts like that!
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Bosque
Love it. After seeing the thumbnail it was a nice surprise seeing all white dots were birds! :)
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Wow, that guy is nuts!!
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Very beautiful shot, Chris! Especially, because the birds stayed put! I found this crazy "extreme photography" picture. Have a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hansvandevorst/216877526/
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nbocch
This is beautiful! My new desktop immediately.
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@stubulman, no idea why the birds would want to leave NZ, especially for Australia :) There are several lookouts at the beach with safety barriers so no extreme photography required.
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Yorkie X
Great on many levels, When art can teach us something its more than art ...
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stubulman
Chris, First, I mistook the birdies for barnacles. Second, why the birds would want to leave NZ escapes me. Also, What was your vantage point? Were you perched atop a cliff yourself? Please be careful!
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OMG! i was at the same spot years ago o__O New zealand is a dream.. .__. nice gannets
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QuaffAPint
I really enjoy reading the background on the shots, so thanks for writing that up - It was a nice little tidbit :-).
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lerch84
Now your shots apart from being stunning, became instructive too..i also noted those birds were not afraid by you!
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jman
the birds looked like seashells at first...interesting shot