Miraz Jordan Profile Photo

Miraz Jordan

I love simplicity and silence. On this blog I share bits and pieces from my daily life. In late 2025 I moved to Ruakākā near Whangārei in Aotearoa. 100% human (she / her). Since July 2024 I've been doing resistance training to help me maintain my independence as I age. Now 71, I'm super happy to be getting old — it means I'm not dead yet! I believe all beings have the right to clean water, nutritious food and adequate shelter, and that humans are simply one small part of the amazing life on this planet that supports us all: humans, animals, plants. My interests include reading cosy mysteries, things to do with language and linguistics, photos of birds, space opera scifi, especially Star Trek. I love learning things. I joined the MB community on 05 January 2018. Follow me on Micro.Blog at https://micro.blog/miraz .

  • A delightful start to the day. At 0535 I was passing an open window when I heard a Ruru | Morepork call half a dozen times from nearby trees. 🐦

    This terrible photo from 2008 is the only one I've ever managed to take. I think it was at Zealandia in Wellington.

    Small owl in a tree.

  • Two birds caught my eye at the estuary today: a kingfisher and a New Zealand Dotterel. 🐦

    Kingfisher on a post.
    Orange breasted dotterel looks at the camera.

  • Congratulations to the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Programme. This represents so much hard work by so many people — Kākāpō Population Soars to 325: 🐦

    The 2026 kākāpō breeding season, the biggest on record, has come to an end with a bumper number of kākāpō chicks produced. The youngest chick has just passed 150 days old, a milestone that marks its independence.

    We had 90 chicks reach that milestone," …

  • Matuku moana | White-faced heron: 🐦

    In flight the white-faced heron usually tucks its head back towards its shoulders in the characteristic heron posture

    Heron flying low above sand beside the water.

  • Taranui | Caspian tern: 🐦

    Caspian terns are silver-grey above and white below, with dark wing tips. The tail is relatively short and only slightly forked compared to other terns. The large bill is mostly bright red in adults, becoming dark near the tip…. Adults have black legs and a black cap to below the eye during the breeding season.

    Caspian terns on sand. One has its head lifted and wings outstretched.

  • I was the only human on the beach at Waipū Estuary this morning. There were gulls, Oystercatchers, and my favourites, the Dotterels. 🐦

    View across wet sand and sea to a distant island.
    View to the north across wet and dry sand to distant hills. The sun is just visible at top right and the sky is blue.
    NZ Dotterel.
    NZ Dotterel.

  • Yesterday I went to the estuary specifically take take photos of birds. It's been a while …

    View across river mouth with sandy banks to mountain beyond.

    Those posts in the sand are strung with wire to discourage folks from entering, so the birds have a chance to nest. 🐦

    Pied stilt, reflected in a puddle. One leg is raised.
    Pied Stilt.
    Black shag with white face on a branch.
    Shag.
    Kingfisher on an orange topped post.
    Kingfisher.
    Spoonbill sweeping the river for food.
    Spoonbill.

  • It was one of those days when the sun was shining from a blue sky, but the air just wasn't very clear.

    This tanker(?) was on its way to Northport.

    Hazy view of a ship on the horizon, caught between sea and sky.

    Meanwhile these Oystercatchers were puddling around. 🐦

    Oystercatchers wading in water near a patch of sand.

  • Hmm, I won't take my big camera on my bike ride to the estuary this morning

    …

    But if I had, then I might have caught a decent picture of the spoonbill fishing, rather than the 8x iPhone snap. 🐦

    A stream of water in the estuary with various birds, including a spoonbill.

  • I spotted a bunch of birds at the estuary today, not all in photos. I saw swallows, ducks, gulls, black-backed gulls. I also saw Oystercatchers, Dotterels, Arctic Terns, Godwits. 🐦

    A group of godwits is standing on sandy patches in a body of water near a grassy shoreline.
    Godwits.
    Arctic terns on the sandy beach near the shoreline, with trees in the background.
    Arctic terns.
    A dotterel with brown and white plumage is standing on sand with sparse vegetation in the background.
    Dotterel.
    A small, orange-breasted dotterel is standing on a sandy beach near a piece of driftwood.
    Dotterel.
    Two black birds with orange beaks are resting on sandy ground among sparse grass.
    Oystercatchers at rest.
    Two black birds with long red beaks and legs are interacting (fighting) on a sandy beach near a rock.
    Oystercatchers not at rest.

  • I went down to the protected area at the estuary today to see what birds I could spot. It was mid-tide and with the light wind coming from the west the water was very calm.

    Behind the beach the eroded dune face is higher than me.

    A couple of swallows cross the shot. 🐦

  • While I was looking out to sea at Waipū Cove, Deb spotted the dotterel sitting on the sand behind me. 🐦

    View from beach across the sea to some small islands, with large white and grey puffy clouds against a blue sky.
    Small bird with orange chest sitting on a sandy beach.

  • The goldfinches love the lawn after a spot of rain. 🐦

    A dozen or more goldfinches peck around on a bit of lawn.

  • I watched birds today for the annual garden bird survey. Not a great score. 🐦

    garden bird survey.png
    • Swallow 2
    • Magpie 2
    • Fantail 2
    • Gull 2

  • It's another gorgeous day and fairly warm for winter. I biked to the estuary at Princes Street — 5 Km / 20 minutes each way — and spotted this Royal Spoonbill sweeping for food in the river. 🐦

    Also spotted: gulls, dotterels, ducks, white-faced herons, Oystercatchers.

  • There was a white-faced heron in the mangroves at the edge of the river. 🐦

    Heron on the edge of a river.

  • I walked the Hātea Loop Shared Path – Huarahi o te Whai this morning, and enjoyed the various sculptures along the way.

    I also spotted this little Kōtare | Kingfisher. 🐦

    Kingfisher on rocks beside a river.

  • Sparrows on the lawn, and paradise ducks on the area behind us. 🐦

    Two sparrows on grass.
    Male and female Paradise ducks on grass by bare earth.

  • Seen through the window, goldfinches chaffinches on the lawn. 🐦

    Lone chaffinch on green grass.
    Pair of chaffinches on green grass, with another out of focus chaffinch behind.

    Oops, a reader has pointed out these are goldfinches.

  • A young looking Kōtare | Kingfisher on the stump out back behind our place. 🐦

    Kingfisher.

  • Yesterday I had scrambled eggs on toast at Serenity Cafe in the Town Basin. The food was OK though the eggs had a slightly unusual taste.

    Disconcerting though was the gull just above my outside table waiting for me to leave my food unattended. 🐦

    Gull on a roof edge just above my table.

  • Finally it's not windy and though not specially warm it's not cold either so I biked the 10 Km round trip to the west side of the estuary (at Princes Street). 🐦

    It was mid-tide but there weren't very many birds around. I did get snaps of Mt Manaia, a white-faced heron and a pied stilt.

    Mt Manaia in the distance with greenery in mid-ground and calm water in foreground.
    Pied stilt on river mud with heron in water in the background.
    Pied stilt in flight and heron striding with an odd-looking posture across mud in the background.

  • It's blimmin windy today. When we went for a walk we saw a bunch of gulls hunkered down on a sand bank in the river. 🐦

    Gulls line a small sand bank. One airborne gull flies directly towards the camera.

  • After 20 minutes brisk walking from the Racecourse beach entrance I reached the bird sanctuary and rested for a few minutes in a deep squat.

    This gull arrived just a couple of metres from me to see what I was up to. 🐦

    Side view of a gull who is looking straight at me.
    Side view of a gull about to take off.

  • It's only a 10 minute stroll to the prettiest and most accessible part of the nearby Dune Lake.

    Along with some ducks, a pair of Kakiānu | Black Swans on the lake were enjoying the pleasant sunny day. 🐦

    A small blue lake surrounded by reeds, bushes and trees.
    A pair of black swans glide on the lake, with brown rushes behind.
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