⁠Skuas are one of my favourite birds. They’re fierce. They’ll dive bomb anything threatening their chicks, even when their chick is an adult-sized awkward teenager and can probably look after itself just fine.... ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #chathamislands #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9AMtpdnq91/?igshid=u3bfmih2bc15

I want to diversify my feed a bit, and show some of the other photos I take. It's not all birds! Okay, it's mostly birds. But the places they inhabit are pretty stunning as well.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #aotearoa #subantarctic #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist #campbellisland #albatross #islandlife #thebrillianceofbirds #fieldlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Fm0d7pZrm/?igshid=51sbaa60or51

Dent island, the sharp toothed island refuge of Campbell island teal while rats ravaged the main island. Now the flightless teal are thriving thanks to the rat eradication, and aren’t confined to this rugged offshore rock. It’s amazing to think they clung to existence there, just too far away for rats to swim out to them. #birdventurenz #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #aotearoa #subantarctic #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist #islandlife #moody #travelgram #aotearoa #wildnz #islandvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/B9w5PCPJMYj/?igshid=1mskdw0sg4j3e

That golden eye...⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Campbell albatross, 2020⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #aotearoa #subantarctic #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist #albatross #seabird #seabirdstory #nuts_about_birds #raw_birds #birdstagram #bb_of_ig #bird_lovers_daily #eye_spy_birds #nz_birds #ocean https://www.instagram.com/p/B-IL4nIp1-W/?igshid=1ewe794kaf1zm

Nightlife on predator free islands can be extremely reptile-y! Our native skinks and geckos don’t do well with mammals around, but the Poor Knights islands are a safe home for them - like this chunky Duvaucel’s gecko. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #aotearoa #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist #herping #gecko #reptiles #reptilesofinstagram #geckogram #nznative #wildnz #nocturnal #nighshift #whatwedointheshadows #wildislands #islandlife #biologistlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B9pPqrWpPcC/?igshid=1gk5qndmniv0o

Snares crested penguins, endemic to the Snares islands just south of Aotearoa. The spectacle of their comings and goings on the rocky shores is an introduction to our subantarctic region for many visitors! We did the trip backwards, so this time they were our farewell from this wild realm. #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #subantarctic #seabird #penguin #penguinstagram #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Z0SLxJBtf/?igshid=byhhs67fc34b

A very round young Black robin. They’re just as curious and confiding as the North and South Island robins - if not more! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9HrTmlpQeW/?igshid=1h5hv2bcwvip9

Who’s that sneaking in the shadows? Chatham snipe! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9UreQypsg7/?igshid=zgnqd4t5ey4v

I’m often amazed by how fine the line some of our birds have walked between existence and extinction, and the massive efforts people have gone through to save them. Black robin⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B92JEw3pbV-/?igshid=17gx03p4yjzi6

Everything seems a bit scary and difficult at the moment, but I’m going to keep posting photos of our beautiful birds, our conservation success stories, because we all need a little light. Chatham oystercatchers are our rarest, but their numbers have increased from around 50 to 300 thanks to intensive management. They are still critically endangered, but they’re in a much better position than they were in the mid-1900s. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B95QZe3pN88/?igshid=19712m6y9zoi4

Chatham warblers are such sweet little birds. While they’re normally forest-dwellers, I watched a small flock foraging for insects along the shoreline rocks on Rangatira, interspersed with Silvereyes! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9M4PzQJZgm/?igshid=1se0a57ib1u4a

A little Sunday snippet! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ That's right, baby snipe are called snippets.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠#birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist⁠⠀ https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uigd8pXaI/?igshid=w47ww2vwnh3z

Snipe in Aotearoa have had a hard time of it - our mainland species are extinct, and the Chatham snipe barely held on to existence out on the remote islands. But they’re bouncing back now, with predator free havens to hide in. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B89imLqpRjV/?igshid=5lj477znbykb

In Aotearoa we have a few species of miracle birds that have been brought back from the very brink of extinction. Every Black robin is descended from one female - Old Blue - and the population has risen to over 200 thanks to tireless efforts from conservationists. It was a hugely special experience for me to see these beautiful little birds for the first time while on Southeast island.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B866fxmJcrO/?igshid=1boxcjljzvm6n

Chatham oystercatchers, so fierce in defence of their territory and chicks. Rangatira was the first place I ever saw them in the distance, bobbing offshore in a zodiac - it was wonderful to see them up close! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Pk4QDpx5q/?igshid=yym1m2hmf373

⁠Who doesn’t love a little bumblebee bird! This tiny tuturuatu shore plover chick was difficult to keep track of amongst the rock pools and lichen stippled rocks of Rangatira island, but I did manage to sneak a few photos. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #thebrillianceofbirds #nzbirds #your_best_birds #conservationphotography #conservationphotographer #nuts_about_birds #bird_brilliance #birds_adored @docgovtnz @forestandbird @nz_birds @nikonnz #nikond500 #nikon #birdphotography #feathered_perfection #aotearoa #chathamislands #rarebird #extinctionisforever #endangeredspecies #bird_lovers_daily #bird_lovers #nature_brilliance #eathcaptures #wilderness #explore #adventure #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Knq5Gp85G/?igshid=1h4ksvdilo6zv