This is the red-billed gull (Larus novaehollandiae) and if you’re thinking “Hey! That bill doesn’t look very red”, that’s because this is a young bird. The brown-black bill is the giveaway. Note also that the legs are as much brown as red; they also turn red as the bird matures. Red-billed gulls are easy to confuse [...]
Motueka
This kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) on the Motueka estuary has found itself a tiny crab snack.
The sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is found in lowland watery habitats: estuaries, lakes, rivers, streams and so on. They like to perch in trees, on fences and along power lines and they eat invertebrates and small vertebrates. On mudflats where vantage points are few, a rock or piece of driftwood allows these beautiful birds to [...]
Tobacco growing used to be common in the Motueka area, but since the 1970s, other crops such as hops and kiwifruit have displaced tobacco as the crop of choice. Kiwifruit (Actinidia species) are grown on trellises to support the heavy crop. In this photo, the vines form a dense canopy with near-ripe fruit hanging below, ready [...]
A tunnelling mud crab that ventures too far from its tunnels ends up, well, like this. Helice crassa, meet the sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus).
Finger-width holes on tidal mudflats are the handiwork of the tunnelling mud crab (Helice crassa), and you might see these tiny grey-green crabs scuttling back into their tunnels if you pass too closely by these nervous creatures. They have reason to be nervous, they’re food for wading birds, gulls, kingfishers, fish… it’s a long list. [...]
In 1900, the New Zealand government ordered the Janie Seddon for use as a mine laying vessel to defend against the Russians. Built in Scotland, she was delivered in 1902 and served in the First World War. Her role was limited, though, as she carried very little coal and so had a short range. In [...]
The tui (Prosthemadera novaseelandiae) on this flax bush at Kina Beach shows off the classic tui colouring. Its dark feathers can glisten with blue-green iridescence in sunlight, while others on its back appear a more chocolate brown. In low light or shadow, tui appear to be almost black. The bright white puff under the throat and the sprinkling [...]
Little owls (Athene noctua) were introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s to sites in Canterbury and Otago. The idea was that the little owls (aka German owls) would control other introduced birds (sparrows, finches) that were becoming pests for farmers and orchardists. Little owls like it here and are now found throughout the eastern [...]
