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The honking. The V-formation flying. The New Zealand population of these large birds with a distinctive white chin-strap is primarily descended from an importation of 50 birds in 1905. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a Canada goose: Identification: Length: 85 -95 cm; Weight: 4.5 - 5.5 kg Similar species: Greylag…
You see these very common white and grey birds on the beach, with their distinctive red bills and legs. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a tarāpunga, red-billed gull: Identification: Length: 37 cm; Weight: 240 - 320 g Similar species: Black-billed gull A medium-sized white gull with pale grey mantle, back…
What a surprise and a delight to find this large all-white bird at Waikawa Beach. It’s not a Royal Spoonbill though. These critically endangered birds are usually found only at their breeding site, Okarito Lagoon on the West Coast, but one recently found its way to wetlands on Reay Mackay Grove. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Kezna…
They dart and swoop around with their v-shaped wings and forked tails. They line up on wire fences. At certain times of the year you’ll find their mud nests above an outside light fitting, or high in the garage. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Stephen Betts. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a warou, welcome swallow: Identification: Length:…
I found this roughly 3 cm long insect on the garage wall on 16 December 2021. The Faceboook Invertebrate ID group IDed it for me. Bush gadfly (Scaptia adrel): Scaptia adrel has large, iridescent, reflective eyes and a prominent proboscis. There are two distinctive patches of white hairs on each side of its thorax just behind the wings and one…
We don’t have a lot of California Quail at Waikawa Beach, but they do show up from time to time with their distinctive “Chi-ca-go” cry. This one was strolling along Strathnaver Drive near Sarah Street on 16 December 2021. [Update]: Then on 14 October 2022 one came and hung out on our deck railing for a while. It let me…
This large bird has been seen around Strathnaver Drive, and seems to have taken up residence in the ‘rainy season’ lake on the bend. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a kuihi, greylag goose: Identification: Length: 80 cm; Weight: 3 kg Similar species: Cape Barren goose, Canada goose, Mute swan A…
Some may describe this bird as ‘a fancy sparrow’, but look closely and you’ll see the greenish colours and the yellow stripe on the wing edge. This one was feasting on rosemary. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a greenfinch: Identification: Length: 16 cm; Weight: 28 g Similar species: Bellbird, Silvereye,…
You see these large birds at the beach, or maybe flocking around a fishing boat, or perhaps inland. The adults are black and white; the juveniles speckled brown. He aha tērā? What is that? Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission. Answer: it’s a kororo, black-backed gull: Identification: Length: 60 cm; Weight: 1.0 kg Similar species: Subantarctic skua A large…
December is the time when we see Spinifex seedheads covering the dunes. Once the plant releases them they will blow and roll across the dunes and the sand, finding a place to stay and grow. Coastal Restoration Trust say: Spinifex (Spinifex sericeus R.Br.) is the major indigenous sand dune grass that occurs on foredunes throughout most of the North Island and…
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…
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