Stick insect, January 2023
The first stick insect of the season has set itself up inside the open window but on the outside of the insect screen.
A Pod of Orca off Waikawa Beach
Back in March 2022 we had Dolphins just off Waikawa Beach, now a local reports on Facebook: Went for a swim about 1/2 hr ago [04 January 2023] and saw a pod of 3 Orca go past Swimming north,awesome to see. No photos, unfortunately.
Beach Comparison Photos from the North Track, late 2022
It’s so heartening to see the incipient dunes flourishing south of the river mouth. Birds are nesting in that little haven and as the dunes grow most of the vehicles are staying out. The growth in the dunes in that area is thanks in large part to the hundreds of volunteer and Council staff hours spent in spinifex plantings intended…
Our Class 2 Dark Sky
Thanks to the global Light pollution map I now know the sky at Waikawa Beach is almost as dark as it can get, at Class 2. On a clear night we can see the Clouds of Magellan with the naked eye. Wellington, OTOH, comes in at Class 6: bad. Our dark sky is a taonga we need to protect assiduously.
Beach newcomer: a Ruddy Turnstone
The other morning on the beach by Waiorongomai Stream I spotted a group of Kuaka Godwit doing their thing then realised one bird looked quite different. I believe this is a Ruddy turnstone — I haven’t spotted them around here before. Identification Length: 21 - 24 cm; Weight: 84 - 190 g; Similar species: Shore plover | Tuturuatu A medium-sized…
Take care for the Pied Stilt chicks
These baby birds are so hard to see they’re at huge risk of being trampled, run over or grabbed by a dog. Back in early November 2022 I almost stepped on a Poaka Pied Stilt nest not far from the blue pole that marks where the North Track off Reay Mackay Grove exits onto the beach. Luckily I saw it…
