Tasman Every Day

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 the blue eye ring indicate that this is a breeding adult.

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 and fish. Their rhythmic sweeping motion and brilliant white feathers makes them easily recognisable at a distance.

In some parts of New Zealand, holiday homes have been built on public land, which in some cases was leased, but in other cases the arrangement was less formal, one could even say absent. This has caused issues in recent times, with “baches” needing to be removed because the structure was illegally occupying public land. These homes at the Anchorage, however, sit on private, freehold land that just happens to be adjacent to the land that was put into the Abel Tasman National Park when it was established in 1942. This happy occurrence gives these landowners some of the best holiday home locations in the whole of New Zealand. Disadvantages? There’s no road access. You can only get there by walking track or by boat. Is that really a disadvantage?

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 food be found, the black-backed gull has no qualms about harassing the smaller birds out of their share.

These fluted rock formations are called karren. They’re formed in marble, from rainwater forming a weak acid and dissolving away the rock. This photo was taken at the top of the hill that looks out over Gorge Creek, near Takaka. The photo shows the view looking down, as the photographer walks across the karren, taking care to balance on those sharp edges.

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?

Dummy Bay is a small beach tucked between Stephens Bay and Kaiteriteri. Wave action has left a lot of interesting shapes along the shoreline at Dummy Bay, including this hole in the rock.

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.