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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…
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…
I’ve never yet seen a Pīpīwharauroa, Shining cuckoo but have recently heard one near the lakes in Strathnaver. I’m keeping my eyes peeled. These birds have the most annoying call. Visit the link above and listen to the sound files. They do a sort of ‘pee pee pee pee pee pee pee pee pee wheeeew’. Voice: the main call is…
Excited to see on my beach walk this morning that the first Kuaka (Godwits) have returned from their sojourn in the Arctic.
In August 2022 Marion Cherry posted a photo on Facebook that showed clearly the size difference between a Little black shag | Kawau tūī and a Pied shag | Kāruhiruhi. The Little Black Shag’s size is: ‘Length: 61 cm; Weight: 800 grams’, while the Pied Shag comes in at: ‘Length: 65 - 85 cm; Weight: 1.3 - 2.1 kg’. Little…
A local resident told me recently she’d spotted a Bittern on one Strathnaver wetland, one of 3 areas in Strathnaver where the very rare Bitterns are known to breed locally. Bittern breeding season falls between August and May. They lay between 3 and 6 eggs sometime between August and December. The eggs hatch after about 25 days and then fledging…
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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