Orokonui Ecosanctuary is one of the places we visit with our NZ Photography Workshops Wildlife Masterclass. We have altered the schedule to give us more time there as no matter how long you have at Orokonui it is never enough. We used to do a session and then meet back at the cafe before heading off to our next venue. We now use the cafe break to warm up if conditions are cold (coffee and cheese rolls highly recommended) but stay for longer to make the most of all the opportunities.

Takahē are one of the highlights as they are usually reliably encountered but can be more secretive with newly hatched chicks in the spring. During our latest visit in May they were out and about with a large juvenile and gave us plenty of photo opportunities, at times getting too close for the telephoto lenses so prompting a switch to phone cameras.

On this occasion we started to photograph them from a distance before they took an interest in us (hoping we were the herald of feeding time) and wandered over to join us.

Using a low shooting angle with the birds just behind a small fold in the grassed area helped conceal their bands (just remember to leave space for the “virtual legs”)

This was a really special experience for us. A group of birds, thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1948 walking around us unperturbed was quite lovely to share with the group.

Like kiwi, takahē evolved in the absence of ground based predators. This resulted in a large body size with small wings and strong legs as flight was unnecessary and a larger size helped survive colder climate conditions.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 180-600 5.6-6.3 VR and iPhone 14Pro