Returning to Tapanui from Balclutha we encountered a pretty rural sunset scene as we drove through Conical Hill in the Pomahaka area. I asked Nigel to turn around because I’d spotted an irresistable view that included a stream and an old bailey bridge. We both hopped out in the drizzle to take photos and Nigel’s had the best colour – both of these are his. Taken 08 July 2019 (winter in New Zealand).
It was chilly outside but the sunset imparted a “warm” glow to the scene.
Click on either photo to enlarge
Text by Liz and photos by Nigel; Exploring Colour (2019)
One of those beautiful moments that you were able to capture for all time!
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It was perfect timing!
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WOW, so glad you stopped for these! Beautiful colors and I love the larger reflection of color in the first photo!
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Thanks so much Donna! The colours were amazing.
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What a beautiful few moments. The quiet and the calm looks beautiful.
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And completely unexpected. Magic!
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Love the atmosphere the soft light gives, especially in the top photo – brings the feel of other evenings back to me…
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It’s a special moment when everything glows.. knowing the special light won’t last long. hurrying to get a shot 🙂
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Nigel’s photos of this bucolic setting are lovely! If memory serves me correctly, those old Bailey Bridges were of great importance to the military during World War ll. I must tell you about something that Benjamin and I came across today that delighted my little birder in the making. In my today’s newsletter from EcoWatch there was an article that was supposed to be about a rare New Zealand parakeet, but when opened it was not that at all. Try as I might, I could not locate it there. Benjamin told me to “Google it”…at 5 1/2, he is light-years ahead of me! Fortunately I was able to do so and found a July 18, 2019 National Public Radio (NPR) piece by Vanessa Romo : “Rare New Zealand Parakeet Population Doubles After ‘Epic’ Breeding Season. It is about the orange-fronted parakeet known as “Kakariki Karaka”, Benjamin loves that name! It included the cutest 40 second video of a young bird in the wild that we watched over and over again. During the video, Benjamin said to me : “Gem, we need to tell Ms. Liz about her country’s special bird! She will be so amused with this video.” Hope that you can find it and be amused! Thank-you x 2!!
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Thank you Ellen. I haven’t looked at that but I did see mention of it on Twitter. I’ll make a point of finding it! Kakariki are gorgeous parakeets and as you’ve said the orange-fronted one is very rare. Kakariki are ultra-shrill noisy birds and very active, very endearing!
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At last I got around to finding the video and the young birds are adorable! For anyone reading this thread the video and article can be seen here: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/18/743137333/rare-new-zealand-parakeet-population-doubles-after-epic-breeding-season
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These remind me of the kind of light Winslow Homer painted in many of his works. One of our favorites hangs on a wall in our home (not the original, of course 🙂 ).
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I followed the link and loved the finger-nail moon in the sky. The moon is just a wispy suggestion!
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Not all of his work is of such light and mood but he is among our favorites. We were fortunate to visit an exhibit of his paintings at a nearby museum a few years ago.
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Nicely done
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Thanks Ted!
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What a beautiful spot and glowing colors, Liz! I love the reflection in the water, especially in that first image.
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An unexpected blaze of colour that caught us by surprise. It was the glimpse of the reflection in the water that made me ask Nigel to turn back for a photo! Thank you Ellen
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