Places

The end of February is often regarded as the end of summer in New Zealand, so today’s pic is a weka running on the summer-dry grass of a Golden Bay campground, because no summer camping holiday is complete without a weka. The subspecies found in the Tasman District is the western weka (Gallirallus australis australis), [...]

Kōtuku-ngutupapa is the Maori name for the royal spoonbill (Platalea regia), which is a fairly recent arrival to New Zealand. Spoonbills were 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 [...]

This is a male shoveler (Anas rhynchotis), although from a distance, you could mistake it for a mallard/grey duck. In fact, the female shoveler looks an awful lot like a grey duck, but with a bigger, wider bill. They’re filter feeders, sucking water through the very fine comb-like fringes on the edges of their bills.

These robins (Petroica australis) flew across the track from the Flora carpark to the Flora hut, yelling at each other, harassing each other, oblivious to the people walking said track. Obviously someone was intruding on someone else’s territory, and that someone else was determined that they should not pass.

This black-fronted tern/tara pirohe (Chlidonias albostriatus) was one of a flock swooping around the Motueka River bridge feeding on flying insects. Black-fronted terns are regarded as primarily a species of the eastern and southern coasts of the South Island, breeding on braided rivers, then moving to the coast outside of the breeding season. The Motueka [...]

The white heron/kōtuku (Ardea alba modesta) is rare in New Zealand and looks likely to stay that way. The New Zealand Encyclopedia of 1966 states there were about 20 pairs nesting on the West Coast of the South Island, and nzbirdsonline.org.nz says that there are now about 30 pairs nesting each breeding season. That’s an [...]

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 [...]

The name matuku moana most often refers to the white-faced heron, Ardea novaehollandiae, which are common on paddocks and coastlines around the country. The reef heron, Egretta sacra, is less common but is also referred to as matuku moana. The reef heron is found in tropical parts of eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. [...]

The Mapua channel is the western-most entry point to the Waimea Inlet. This boat was moored just along the coast from Grossi Point, a popular picnic and BBQ spot that sticks out into the channel.