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It’s the right time of year for the Australian coots on the lakes at the corner of Strathnaver Drive and Reay Mackay Grove to have babies. I spotted these today. The Australian coot is a smart, dark-grey, duck-like waterbird, instantly recognisable from its bright white bill and frontal shield. … The Australian coot is a recent arrival in New Zealand,…
Glance at the lakes at the corner of Reay Mackay Grove and Strathnaver Drive and you may think they have many ordinary ducks. Look more closely though and you’ll discover a variety of birds. One is the pāpango, New Zealand scaup. New Zealand scaup are gregarious diving ducks common throughout New Zealand. Compact and blackish, they have the silhouette of…
Sometimes in summer a Bush giant dragonfly finds its way into the house and then gets ‘stuck’ in a corner. I can cup my hands around it to take it outside to freedom. The other day I managed to ‘catch’ one in flight above the lake (Puna o te Ora) at the corner of Strathnaver Drive and Reay Mackay Grove.
You’ll hear its long melodic song trilling 30 to 100 metres high above you before you can spot this bird. Search the skies and you may spot it over the dunes or the paddocks. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a kaireka, skylark: Identification: Length: 18 cm; Weight: 38 g Similar…
They’re so graceful and elegant. Often seen in pairs on the lakes. At the right time of year these large black birds may have a half dozen fluffy white or grey young in tow. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a kakīānau, black swan: Identification: Length: 110 - 140 cm; Weight:…
A little Warou, or Welcome Swallow posed very nicely today on the rail of the deck.
Wow Waikawa! photo riddles Sheet A Can you solve the riddles to spot the photos? When you find a photo make a sketch, or take a photo, or write something about what's in the photo and where it is. Sheet A and Sheet B (available later) have different riddles for the same photos. PDF to print at home (4 MB).
Spot the Wow Waikawa! photos Grab a Clue Sheet and spot all 30 photos Clue Sheets are at Awa Pukapuka and on this website or email photos@wow-waikawa.nz and ask for one. All photos are within the area of the map above. Some are simple to find. Others need a bit of sleuthing. Some are big; some are small. Look at…
You’ll have no trouble with this very common medium size water fowl. Its quacking will be very familiar. We see them on lakes and the estuary. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a mallard duck: Identification: Length: 50 - 70 cm; Weight: 1050 - 1300 g Similar species: Grey duck A…
Look closer and you’ll see this isn’t a regular duck on the Reay Mackay Grove lakes. This colourful bird has a dark head and large dark bill, with a splash of white between the two. The body’s an almost luminous brown. They seem to hang out in groups. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with…
Every summer from 1 November to 30 April Horizons Regional Council monitors the water at the Waikawa Beach footbridge for E. Coli, and just offshore for Enterococci. They also keep an eye out for potentially toxic algae (cyanobacteria). While the water by the footbridge is suitable for swimming only 46% of the time (a historical average), we don't seem to…
I recently became aware of a new publication — Life in the Shallows The wetlands of Aotearoa New Zealand by Karen Denyer and Monica Peters: Featuring wetlands to visit all around the country, descriptions of the rich bird, insect and plant life that can be found there, and some of the innovative ways we can protect and restore them, Life…
Get in touch with Miraz Jordan
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