This pied shag (Phalacrocorax varius varius) appears to be using its tail to slow itself down as it comes in to land, but really it’s just the first thing hitting the water. The shag’s use of its wings provide an interesting study in aerodynamics. The patch of yellow skin in front of the eye and [...]
Motueka
The royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) was first recorded in the North Island in the 1860s, and they started breeding at Okarito on the West Coast in the late 1940s. Today, spoonbills can often be seen feeding on the mudflats around Motueka. They feed in shallow water, sweeping their bills back and forth looking for invertebrates [...]
It’s not uncommon to see a single black-backed gull hanging around with a group of red-billed gulls. The relationship looks like an uneasy one, perhaps because black-backed gulls will prey on the chicks of red-billed gulls. These adult red-billeds are a bit big for even the most ambitious of predatory black-backed gulls, but should some [...]
A shot of the Janie Seddon at sunrise. The light coming through the gaps in her shows how much she’s deteriorated.
Those eyebrows! That fan! Those glaring eyes! These guys are so nice to have around. This guy looks a bit scruffy, but after a busy day flitting around diving at insects and keeping an eye on all those people walking through the bush, who wouldn’t be?
The welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena) made itself welcome here in the 1950s. The welcome part of its name comes from southern parts of Australia, where their arrival was welcomed as it indicated the start of spring.
Southern black-backed gulls (Larus dominicanus dominicanus) are found all around New Zealand’s coast, up rivers and around farmland. They are even occasionally found quite far inland. Notorious scavengers, they hang around people in public spaces hoping for some cast off fish and chips and other scraps of food. They also prey on still-living things, such [...]
This is the New Zealand pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae), which is a bit smaller than a song thrush, about 16-19 cm long compared to the thrush’s 20-24 cm. Pipits belong to a family of birds called wagtails, because they kind of wag their tails as they walk. Numbers in New Zealand are over 100,000 but they [...]
The Baton Valley is remote, covered in native New Zealand bush, and the road up to it is shingle. So this guy is a bit overdressed for the environment. Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) in New Zealand are usually escapees from farms or lifestyle blocks, although there are some isolated feral populations. The male is all showmanship [...]
This is a juvenile piled stilt/poaka (Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus). The black neck and back of the head of the adult develops as the bird matures. This one near Motueka has caught what may have been a tunnelling mud crab.
