Tasman Bridge Industrial - Cement Kingdom

 

ABOVE LEFT:  Underside of overpass, Tasman Bridge, Tasmania

ABOVE RIGHT: Cement columns and electrical conduits beneath the Tasman Bridge, Tasmania   

Every now and again I get asked to do something different.  An engineering client requested some images of the Tasman Bridge for use in one of the company reports.  The request was a little odd in that they wanted something different to indicate the structure and form of engineering.  Rather than shoot the bridge (which the world has already done) I opted to explore the underside of the bridge where few people venture.  All in all I think I shot around 35 frames of different structures from varying angles which in my opinion related to form and structure.  I liked the way the massive cement columns, unpainted and natural, seemed to overpower the viewer.  I also liked the way that the sunlight, which was still rather harsh for that time of day, struck the cement leaving strong straight shadows.  In my mind these lines of shadow helped to define the structure and strength of the bridge.  To help emphasize this, I choose to shoot in muted colors, black and white and colour.

Explosive Blowholes at Bicheno, Tasmania

Recently I travelled to the east coast of Tasmania to a small coastal town called Bicheno.  One of the attractions to this town in a blowhole located adjacent to the ocean.  The geology of Bicheno is predominately massive granitic batholiths dating to the Devonian Period around 400 million years ago.  Over geologic time the granite has become weathered and joints have developed within the rock.  These joints are preferentially eroded by wind, water, waves and salt.  In some areas these weathered joints are close to the tidal range of the ocean and seawater travels into the joint/crack as ocean swells wax and wan with the tides.  The resulting feature is a blowhole in which seawater is propelled through the fissure to become highly compressed at the end of the crack resulting in an explosion of water.

LEFT:  The power of water is seen as it explodes from a small fissure in the rock at Bicheno, Tasmania

Acquiring an image that is somehow different to the many images taken at this popular spot is difficult.  When I was on location there was strong late afternoon light; the light was golden but still rather intense.  To obtain a slow shutter speed and cause the water to appear silky I decided to use my Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter.  This filter has a changeable dial that allows you to "dial in" the denisty you require based on tyhe intensity of sunlight.

It was quite a bit of fun timing the water explosions to the swells and I can only imagine how much more powerful the explosions would have been if there was a strong swell running.

Traditional approach

Nearly everyone uses colour these days; to try and create something a bit different I decided to switch my Canon 1DsMK3 to monochromatic and see what I could achieve in traditional black and white.  Unfortunately daylight was rapidly become dusk and I didn’t have too much time to think creatively before the light dropped below the horizon. I believe the area holds some promise, so maybe next time!

LEFT:  Black and white is not dead.  Often the traditional approach to photography is a good idea as shown in this black and white of the blowhole at Bicheno, Tasmania.

Meeting the Wandering Albatross (Diomededea exulans) - New Zealand

I'd decided before departing for New Zealand that I was keen to acquire images of albatross in flight and at sea.  I was particularly interested in obtaining flight shots of the Wandering Albatross (Diomededea exulans), which is the largest albatross in the albatross family. 

LEFT:  Wandering Albatross (Diomededea exulans) flying in to land.

To achieve this I secured an arrangement to use a boat operated by Dolphin Encounters based in Kaikoura.  Unfortunately for me the first day was exceptionally rough and I was soon quite seasick; at one stage there were waves washing over the bow of the boat and flowing across the windscreen!  Add to this, the optical distress of looking through a long lens in a rocking boat, and you can imagine the reasons why I felt ill for much of the time at sea.  I managed to get in about an hour of shooting before I too was feeding the albatross…

Although I was ill, I did manage to see several species of albatross including the wandering albatross.  My first sighting of the wandering albatross was spectacular!  As the boat rose and fell to the rhythm of the ocean swell, I saw this massive bird, not flying, but gliding along the crests and troughs of the waves.  The bird would glide for what seemed eternity before eventually arcing skywards to alter direction and make another flight run.  I was reminded of a surfer working his way along the front of a large wave to eventually flick himself upwards and over the crest. 

Albatross are exceptionally graceful when in flight, however, as they approach to land, this gracefulness changes to abstract horror as they loose airspeed and subsequent lift, almost performing a managed crash landing.  It seems that the larger the albatross the worse the landing!

The wing span of the Wandering Albatross is between 8 and 12 feet in length and it’s because of this  immense wing span, and subsequent lift, that this bird is capable of staying in the air for several hours without flapping its wings.  Interestingly, this species of albatross is typically a night feeder and its diet consists of cephalopods, crustaceans and animal refuse floating on the surface of the ocean.

Long Lining

It’s very disturbing that this species, along with many other species of albatross are subject to global decline due to poor fishing practices – especially long lining.  Long lines are set by fisherman in an attempt to increase the catch of target fish, usually swordfish, Patagonian tooth fish and tuna. These lines can be up to ~80 miles (~140 kilometers) in length and float just beneath the surface of the ocean.  Each line is armed with thousands of sharp hooks, each baited with fish or squid.  The bait on these lines attracts albatross and other seabirds which dive to capture the tasty morsel and become “hooked”.  Unfortunately, once an albatross or other seabird is hooked, it isn’t able to reach the surface and they suffocate and die an agonizing death!

LEFT: Please note that this image is courtesy of G. Robertson, Australian Antarctica Division, Tasmania (with thanks)

It’s been reliably recorded that ~100,000 albatrosses die each year on fishing hooks.  The long lines are killing so many birds that in many circumstances recruitment is not replacing those killed!  The possibility of extinction is high.

Birdlife International has compiled a list of threatened birds.  Currently, three albatross species are Critically Endangered, seven are Endangered and nine are Vulnerable. 19 of the 22 species of albatross in the world are threatened with extinction largely because of long line fishing.

This is a sobering thought when you realize that many people have absolutely no idea of the plight of the albatross.  Very few people actually see albatrosses because they spend much of their time either at sea or at nesting sites well away from mainland populations.

The Wandering Albatross is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.

Small Things Can Be Important

Just a short breather between wildlife posts!

So what's so important about a silly carabineer and chuck of rope?  Probably nothing when your living in the confines of a large town or city.  But these items were probably two of the most important pieces of equipment I had with me on my recent field trip to photograph Shy Albatross and Blue Penguins.  Actually, I didn't intentionally bring the carabineer; it just happened to be clipped to my photo backpack after an impulse buy at REI in California a few months earlier. 

If you've read the posts below you'll know the significance and importance.  If I didn't have this small chunk of metal (and rope) we would have had major issues getting our gear down into the sea cave (and out again)!

It's funny, but often it's the "small things" & "little things" that makes the biggest impact.

Albino Shy Albatross Chick (Thalassarche cauta)

On a recent field trip to islands off the coast of Tasmania, I observed a pair of non-albino Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) tending an albino chick.  This chick, which was very healthy in appearance. was the only youngster iin the 2 breeding colonies that showed albinism. 

LEFT: Albino Shy Albatross Chick (Thalassarche cauta) is feed a diet of squid.

Congenital hypopigmentary disorders, known as albinism, result from a defect in the production of pigment (melanin) in the skin, eyes, and hair.  The condition is due to the dysfunction of the melanin producing cells.  The condition can occur when offspring inherit a recessive gene. from either parent.  The number of defective genes inherited determines the type of albinism.

Albinism affects both males and females, and is apparent from birth.  From my reading on the subject there are three types of albinism: OCA type 1, OCA type 2 and OCA type 3; each presenting with slightly different symptoms.

Whilst albinism is not an uncommon occurrence in animal populations, it is an uncommon occurrence in groups of species that have relatively low population numbers, such as Shy Albatross.  Boisey, R.E. (2003) states that OCA type 1 albinism occurs in 1 individual per 40,000 and OCA type 2 occurs in 1 individual per 15,000.  There is little research to reflect the occurrence of OCA type 3.

In general, species that present with albinism are predated upon and selected out of the population.  For example, an insect that is usually coloured white to blend in with its snow surroundings, but is black, will be predated upon and killed, removing it from the population.  Usually a recessive gene (trait) has a negative impact on an individual, however, if the inherited trait provides an environmental benefit or sexual advantage, it maybe carried forward into future populations (natural & environmental selection).

How albinism affects a bird such as the albatross is unknown, as generally these birds don't require effective camouflage to survive.  However, albatross do require excellent eyesight in which to spot prey beneath the surface of the ocean.  OCA type 1 and type 2 albinism causes sensitivity to light (photophobia), reduced visual acuity and involuntary eye twitching.  OCA type 3 also has reduced visual ability but not to the same extent as type 1 and type 2.  A lack of visual acuity would have an affect on an albatross once fully fledged. 

An albino albatross may survive if the population of prey is great and easily found.  However, if prey is difficult to find then I would suggest that an albino albatross may have difficulty feeding in the wild.

LEFT: Albino Shy Albatross Chick (Thalassarche cauta) and parent.  The pink face is a very obvious characteristic if albinism.

Please note that I am not a geneticist by training and information for this post has been obtained from several sources.

I wish this little fellow the best of luck in the future as he/she transit the world’s oceans.