Prizes offered for best falcon photos

The Rotorua Museum wants your photos of their young native falcons and is offering prizes for the best ones.

Following the first successful urban release of a threatened species at Rotorua Museum, visitors now have a chance to enter their photos of the birds in a competition to win great prizes.

Thousands of photos were taken of the three young karearea (New Zealand falcons) as part of the On the Wing project.

Both professional and amateur photographers posted their favourite images on the Rotorua Museum and Wingspan Facebook pages for all to see.

Rotorua Museum director Stewart Brown decided he wanted to showcase some of those amazing images taken by dedicated photographers who sometimes waited hours to get the shot they wanted.

The images must be of at least one of the three New Zealand falcons released at the museum.

Pictures of Hatupatu, Tama and Te Rangi Rere I Waho (Maureen) need to have been taken since their arrival on December 16.

Entries will be accepted until Thursday, March 14 at 5pm on both the Wingspan and Rotorua Museum Facebook pages, with child, youth and adult categories to choose from.

Any people not able to enter this way can email kathy.nicholls@rdc.govt.nz for an entry form.

Local judges will choose four final entries in each category, which will then be put online for a public vote from March 18 until April 11.

The winning images will then be displayed at the museum.

Mr Brown said the three falcons were still entertaining visitors around the museum and Government Gardens, but are taking trips further afield as their confidence grows.

Rotorua Museum also has a special display, called On the Wing, about karearea, the urban release project and the work Wingspan does. Entry to the On the Wing exhibition is included in the admission price.