tiabunna's photos with the keyword: kodachrome

When Ipernity member Herb Riddle recently posted a photo of a fog bow, it seemed I was one of the very few who had previously seen one. Herb asked if I had a photo from my sighting and this is it, taken on Kodachrome slide film at Macquarie Island (a very foggy place) in 1968. Maybe view large. Explored.

Maybe not the greatest image, but this is a copy of a very old Kodachrome slide chosen because of its high contrast, ranging from solid blacks to burnt out highlights. Best viewed on black. I've just written an article on my approach to copying old slides and negatives: www.ipernity.com/blog/tiabunna/4248640 . Explored.

"Islander" , a Short Sunderland converted for passenger-carrying, as it arrived to return us from Lord Howe Island in June 1974. It is in "white tail" paint scheme (ie, the airline livery has been removed) because it was being taken out of service by the airline. Note the old wartime "Blitz" truck on the jetty and the surf on the reef beyond. This aircraft now is in the "Museum of Flight" in Florida, USA. Happy Fence Friday!

The flying boat on which we had travelled to Lord Howe Island was blown aground by a gale, leaving us castaway (unfortunately in winter) for a week before another flying boat was able to retrieve us. We began our take-off run from alongside the stranded flying boat, with choppy seas. Airport runways are always smooth, but not so for flying boats. Our first takeoff run needed to be aborted because the boat was being badly affected by waves: we left without problem on the second attempt. Islander , the flying boat on which we left, is now in a museum in the USA. The damaged flying boat Beachcomber was repaired and eventually went back to England, where it has pride of place in a special museum. Second photo in note. View on black.

When I visited Lord Howe Island in 1974 an airstrip was being built to enable normal air services, but it was incomplete. The only way to fly to the island was by flying boat. This was the last regular airline service in the world still operated by flying boat, but they had been sold and were being retired. One had been taken out of service to prepare for the trip overseas, by replacing the seats and other fittings with long range tanks, but this one was doing limited service until the airport opened. Our return trip was to be two days later, but a gale on the second night broke the flying boat’s moorings and washed it aground. These flying boats had been the island’s lifeline for many years, and it was a disconsolate crowd of locals and visitors who gathered around the damaged aircraft on the beach next morning. The good news is that the aircraft was repaired on the spot, flown out, and in September 1974 it became the last flying boat out of Lord Howe. The aircraft is now housed in a special aviation museum in Southampton, England. As I mentioned though, the other flying boat was out of service being refitted, and the runway was unfinished. We had become castaways on a sub-tropical paradise! Unfortunately it was winter and the weather was poor: you can't win everything. :) Insets Another view of the beached aircraft; The wingtip dug into the sand and damaged; The damaged float removed from under the wing. From Kodachrome slides.

From an old slide. At various times through the year, we were visited by Leopard Seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) which normally live in the sea ice around Antarctica. They gave an almost reptilian impression and moved quite slowly with a caterpillar motion on land: in the water they were superbly manoeuvrable. They also were able to open their jaws to an incredible extent, showing most impressive teeth (though sadly this one was not preforming for the camera).

From an old slide. This is an immature Southern Elephant Seal putting on a threat display. He's probably about two years old, with what looks like a moulting female resting behind. Surrounding him is some of the giant kelp which grows around the shores of Macquarie Island and is tangled around the beaches.

From an old slide. Toward the end of winter, the bull elephant seals arrive and stake out "their" patch of beach to establish a harem. This is a mature bull with the fully developed extended nose which leads to their name. Yes, the island does have reasonably frequent "freeze-ups" during the year, most for only several days. Best viewed on black.

From an old slide. The sad record is that when Macquarie Island was discovered by sealers in 1810, they promptly began killing the many fur seals for their pelts. One ship alone was recorded to have taken over 35,000. In total, over 200,000 were taken by the early 1820s: by then the fur seal population had been exterminated and nobody even knows what species had been there. When the ANARE station began operation in 1948 a few fur seals were found in isolated areas, but there was no record of a pup being born there until 1954. Numbers gradually increased and, in 1968, we found small numbers around the rocks on North Head. I understand the population has been increasing substantially since the early 1980s. But what species is this? I am no sealologist (if there's such a word), but three species now are living at Macquarie - the most common being the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) , the next most common the Subantarctic fur seal (A. tropicalis) ; and the New Zealand fur seal (A. forsteri). To make it even more complicated, it seems they all are hybidising! I'll take a guess that this is an Antarctic fur seal and will be happy to be corrected by an expert.

From an old slide. Rockhopper penguins are distributed around the sub-Antarctic. Usually found in small groups on rocky outcrops where they really do hop up and down the rocks. Also featured in the movie "Happy Feet". Best viewed on black.