New Zealand Artist

Snowing on Lake Ohau Village, 27 May 2010

2010-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had a gorgeous day in Lake Ohau Village. Big, fluffy flakes drifted down into the village. The surrounding mountains have been blanketed with snow during the last couple days, reminding us that snowboard season is only a month away. Winter is upon us, but there is lingering, vivid colour of autumn. Meanwhile, the bellbirds sang and fluffed their feathers. A great day all around.

Lake Ohau Cottage in late Autumn

2010-05-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

After having been away for awhile, it was a pleasure to get back to wonderful Lake Ohau Cottage. As I looked out at the lovely golden autumnal colours, I reflected upon what it is about this cottage and this location that I love so much. First, it has to be the beauty. Every season brings different colours. The views of the lake and the mountains really are breathtaking at every turn.

But the cottage is special in its own right. Even though I had been gone for a few weeks, it was in perfect order. First I turned on the gas fireplace for instant heat. I then gathered up some wood from our woodpile and lit a cheerful and very warm wood fueled fire. It made the wooden interior of the cottage deliciously warm and cozy. (I turned off the gas fireplace as the woodburner easily heats the house.)

I wandered outside and the bellbirds swooped down close and said hello to me. It seemed like they were welcoming me home.They feasted on the grevillia flowers that are in full bloom. Crabapples hung red and ripe on the tree. Later on, I discovered a jar of spicy crabapple jelly in our refrigerator that was left over from last year. It was still very tasty.

I unpacked my laptop and turned on the modem. Because we have wireless broadband internet I sat on the soft easy chair with my feet on the ottoman and checked my email. I turned on the television, but switched it to radio, and listened to jazz and then the international music programme.

The next day I snapped a few photos showing golden needled larches. But within a day, all had changed. This morning I woke up to snowy mountains. I'm looking forward to the mist clearing so I can get some great shots. I heard on the news that there are gale force winds and flooding elsewhere in the South Island. I'm glad we are protected from southerly winds here at the Lake Ohau Cottage. We are very lucky here in Lake Ohau Alpine Village. It is very quiet and peaceful!

Here are some of my late autumn photos, before it started snowing:

Lake Ohau Colours and Clouds

2010-04-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

The never ending changing of colours and clouds at Lake Ohau never ceases to amaze me.

Bellbirds in Lake Ohau Cottage Garden

2010-04-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Bellbirds feast on nectar from Lake Ohau Cottage throughout the year. From March until December a favourite source is Grevelia, as you can see in the following photos taken in November of 2009. Bellbirds also frequent the honeysuckle that grows along the veranda, as well as the kowhai, and flax.

Lake Ohau: 5 Feb 2010

2010-02-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

We have been having day after day of stunning weather here at Lake Ohau. Here are some photos I shot on a short after dinner walk:

Black-fronted Terns at Lake Ohau, 4 Feb 2010

2010-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today, (4 February 2010), I saw the flock of Black-fronted Terns on rocks on the shores of Lake Ohau. There seemed to be at least 20 of them. The lake was calm and fish were jumping. I could identify a couple of juvenile Black-fronted Terns as they had black beaks and paler bodies. Adults have orange bills and feet.

Here are a few of the photos I took today on my Lake Ohau walk.

Tarapiroe, the black–fronted tern at Lake Ohau

2010-02-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today, the 2nd of February, 2010, while walking along Lake Ohau, we had a special encounter with what I believe are Tarapiroe, New Zealand endemic black-fronted Terns. A small flock of about 10 birds, swooped over us and beside us. They soared high and then swooped, at times flying quite close to the road. They were most assuredly catching insects but were very athletic and showy. The flock had juveniles as well as adults...some of the birds had black caps and some not. Watching them was quite an exhilarating experience.

Tarapiroe are on the endangered list, with approximately only 5,000 remaining. The black-fronted tern is the only inland New Zealand Tern. They breed inland in shingle river beds in the South Island, in areas like the Ohau Conservation area, and only visit the coast to feed in Autumn and Winter. They catch insects in the air, which is what we saw them doing today.

(Note: if there are any ornithologists reading this blog, I'd appreciate confirmation as to whether the photos I am posting here are indeed black-fronted Tern, Tarapiroe. Thank you!)

18 Jan 2010 at Lake Ohau Cottage

2010-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

It has been a perfectly still day, partly cloudy with lovely views all around. As we are now into January, summer flowers are blossoming nicely. The roses, daisies and hydrangea are beautiful and I have been using the garden herbs: thyme, mint, sage in my cooking. Yesterday they added local flavour to the roast lamb and on Friday they were a welcome addition to the steak and kidney stew.

Climbing roses surround the picnic table. From the picnic table we look out over the reserve to Lake Ohau.

Here are a couple photos of Lake Ohau taken today. (The reflections of Ben Ohau were stunning.)

Lake Ohau Walk

2010-01-12T01:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite things to do is take a break and take a walk along the shore of Lake Ohau. I just stroll through the reserve, adjacent to Lake Ohau Cottage, and down to the lake. There is a path along the lake I like to take as not only does it have fabulous views of the lake and surrounding mountains, but also of local flora and fauna. Here are a few photos I took on walks on the 28th and 29th of December 2009. Along the path were native New Zealand plants including matagouri and sun orchids.

Merry Christmas from Lake Ohau Cottage

2009-12-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all the very best of holidays!

Paradise Ducks of Lake Ohau, New Zealand

2009-12-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Paradise shelducks, endemic to New Zealand, are a perfect metaphor for the Lake Ohau region of the South Island. They are wild, boisterous, and extremely vocal at times. On the other hand, they can be remarkably peaceful. Even their colouring is similar to the snowcapped mountains. The female duck has a handsome, chestnut body and a white head. The male has a dark grey body and black head. From a distance, though, they look remarkably similar, as you can see from the following photos.

I shot these photos on a walk this spring along Lake Ohau. The pair was noisily flying overhead with the Ohau Range in the background. I followed them down to the lake where they alit and swam peacefully in the tranquil waters.

Snow in Lake Ohau Alpine Village, 15 Dec 2009

2009-12-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Last night, (14 Dec 2009), at 11:30 PM, gigantic, fluffy snowflakes floated into Lake Ohau Alpine Village. It was a gorgeous evening. The snow quickly melted from our garden and windows, but in the morning we were treated with beautiful snowy vistas. The Ohau Snowfield looked white and inviting. The Ben Ohau Range had nice white caps. Everywhere I looked the hills were glistening. The roses in our garden didn't mind the snow. As you look past them in this photo you can see the mountains got a snow top up.

Breathtaking day at Lake Ohau

2009-12-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those breathtaking days here at Lake Ohau Cottage. Our garden was alive with blossoms: roses, hebes, lupins ... The bees hummed and I saw a bellbird visiting the grevillea.

Lake Ohau was perfectly calm and created a mirror-like image of the surrounding mountains. I particularly enjoyed Ben Ohau's reflections. The only disturbance in the water was jumping trout. The scenery took my breath away.

Lake Ohau Beech Mistletoe, South Island, New Zealand

2009-12-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

New Zealand has eight endemic species of mistletoe. Mistletoe is a plant that extracts nutrients from a host plant, but unlike the mistletoe in other parts of the world, New Zealand mistletoe does not harm its host. The flowers provide nectar for native birds, such as tuis and bellbirds. The mistletoe actually depends on the native birds to open its flowers.

On the shores of Lake Ohau, near Lake Ohau Cottage, we can see both yellow and red beech mistletoe in early December. Here are a few photographs I took of mistletoe in a beech tree with Lake Ohau and Ben Ohau in the background.

Bellbirds in our Lake Ohau Cottage garden

2009-12-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

Bellbirds are native to New Zealand. They owe their name to the bell-like quality of their song. Members of the "honeyeaters" family, they feast on nectar and berries. Bellbirds love our Lake Ohau Cottage garden because it has grevillea whose bright red flowers provide nectar throughout the winter months. We also have native kowhai, which David has grown from seed, as well as flax bushes, which attract bellbirds as well. Currently, the local bellbirds have been visiting the native mistletoe which has come into flower during the last week or two. These beech mistletoes are a rarety in the world with their "exploding" flowers. The flowers must be twisted by native birds, such as bellbirds and tuis, in order to be pollinated. More on that next post, including recent photos of Lake Ohau mistletoe.

Here are a few photos of bellbirds I snapped while they were visiting the grevillea in our Lake Ohau garden:

Bee photos, Lake Ohau, South Island, New Zealand 3 Dec 2009

2009-12-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Lake Ohau Clouds, 29 Nov 2009

2009-11-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

We've have some brilliant sunshine at Lake Ohau during the last couple of days. There have been some interesting clouds, as well:

Magnificent Cloud day, including Lenticularis

2009-11-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

The 27th of November, 2009 was an exhilarating weather day at Lake Ohau Cottage. The wind came in extremely strong gusts. The sky was filled with excitement. High clouds, lower clouds, clouds moving in from the east, the northwest, the southwest, up and over mountain ranges....forming lenticularis.

It was a weather watcher and photographer dream day.

The photo below was taken from the shores of Lake Ohau looking eastward above the Ben Ohau ranges:

Everwhere I looked there was something different happening. As I looked up the lake toward Lake Ohau Station, a plume of dust, presumably from a car driving on the dirt road, rose up and formed yet another cloud. Above it, clouds were streaming in from the Northwest over the Southern Alps. See below:

Looking southward from the lake, the sky was full of interesting colours and patterns:

I pulled myself away from enjoying the clouds and lake around mid-day. Back at the cottage, I set out to post my photographs, when we had a power outage. Not surprising in this wild weather!. David made a fire in our woodburner and I fried potatoes, onions and gurnard fish on it. Tasty.

But there was more! The sunset was glorious and I snapped photos as the night darkened.

Bombus terrestris

2009-11-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

I have been photographing a common type of bumble bee, bombus terrestris, as it buzzes around our garden at Lake Ohau Cottage.

Here a bombus terrestrias is visiting a Grevillea, (which is also a favourite source of nectar for native bellbirds).

This another Bombus terrestris getting pollen from lupin. Look at those amazing orange pollen sacs on her legs. I photographed this bee on the 12th of November 2009, on the reserve next to the Lake Ohau Cottage.

Lenticular and wave clouds

2009-11-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a fantastic spring here at Lake Ohau with glorious colours and wild weather. I have been photographing clouds, birds, flowers, mountain, mistletoe and bees (a lot more of that to come).

Today I want to show off one of my favourite recent photographs of a lenticular cloud above Glen Mary Mountain.