A childhood favorite

Ever since I can remember, I have been looking at, and reading about birds. One of those magical birds that I always hoped to see some day was the Masked Lapwing. There is no real logical reason, it just seemed like a really cool bird. So, you can imagine my excitement, when I go to see this very bird on my first day in New Zealand. No, quite honestly, the are EVERYWHERE!   Still cool, still fun to photograph, but the magical, mystical aura has worn off. I got a few shots in the last few days, so here are a few to look at.