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An unusual sight on the beach today: a Karetai hurukoko | Cape petrel, probably exhausted — it didn't move when I came close but managed to get away from a small wave. 🐦
New Zealand status: Native; Conservation status: Naturally Uncommon.
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On the beach this morning: a (seeming giant) Spur-winged Plover next to a (truly small) Black-fronted Dotterel. 🐦
Plover: Length: 38 cm; Weight: 350 - 370 grams
Dotterel: Length: 16 - 18 cm; Weight: 30 - 35 grams
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It was dusk when we left the movie yesterday and birds were roosting in the big trees along the Square in Palmerston North. 🐦
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At dawn this morning there were 3 Royal Spoonbills in the ponded area of the beach where the Pied Stilts like to hang out. I was delighted, as I thought the spoonbills had abandoned us. 🐦
Pied Stilt: who dis? Three spoonbills snoozing. -
At 7 am, still about 40 minutes before sunrise, I stepped on to the beach. Although there was barely any light the pair of Paradise Ducks on the nearby remnant lagoon loudly announced my arrival. In the background are a few birds twittering. 🐦
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An interesting 11 minute interview — NZ's smallest bird makes new sounds | RNZ 🐦 :
A new study shows the tiny titipounamu or rifleman has the ability to learn to make new sounds, just like parrots.
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This Pohowera | Banded dotterel has somewhere to be … 🐦
While this Black-fronted Dotterel is looking good …
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My day went awry in the best possible way. I cut short my bike ride to collect my Fuji X-T5 and take photos of a rare visitor to Waikawa Beach: a Kōtuku | White heron. 🐦
Such amazing birds!
Peekaboo! -
I knew it was still too dark at dawn to take photos of the Pūkeko by the lake, but I did anyway. I like the effect on this shot. Fujifilm X-T5, lens: XF100-400mm, ISO 12800, 600 mm, 1 ev, f22, 1/30 s. 🐦
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At the beach this morning: 3 spur-winged plovers and a pied stilt.
In the next there's a spur-winged plover, a pied stilt, a black-fronted dotterel (in the background), while a swallow flies by. 🐦
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This morning I joined a couple of other members of the Horowhenua branch of Forest and Bird to do a bird count at Waikawa Beach estuary. We don't have so many birds around at the moment, but along with the usuals we spotted a flock of maybe 60 white-fronted terns, and also 5 banded dotterels. 🙌🏼 🐦
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Pied Stilt (and friend). 🐦
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This Pied Shag kept an eye on me while drying its wings at the beach. 🐦
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From Queenstown we travelled to Te Anau where I was able to spend a few minutes walking round Punanga Manu | the bird sanctuary. I had a wonderful close-up view of a total of 5 takahē. 🐦
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Yesterday I took a bunch of rubbish photos at the beach. Today I applied more thought. A pair of white-faced herons was keeping an eye on my process. 🐦
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This Paradise Shelduck pair stood out on the lake today. 🐦
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I haven't visited the beach with my camera so much lately — many of the birds have gone. Today I took the camera and captured this Tarapunga | Red-billed gull. 🐦
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At the Te Anau bird sanctuary I spotted Takahē and Whio (Blue Duck). 🐦
Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary
Two Takahē in Te Anau. Two Whio at Te Anau. -
So cool 🐦 : 3D printed eggs used in fairy tern rescue programme | RNZ News:
Staff remove the [real] eggs, take them to incubators at Auckland Zoo, and the terns continue incubating what they thought were their eggs.
… a record-breaking breeding season with 22 eggs laid and 14 chicks successfully hatched.
A tara iti chick steps briefly out of its nest at Waipū to explore. Photo: RNZ; Supplied / Darren Markin. -
On the beach yesterday. 🐦
Social distancing for NZ Dotterels. NZ Dotterel looking fine. Immature red-billed gull up close. -
Waves? What waves? 🐦
Waikawa Beach, Aotearoa, for the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. 🌊
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There was one Ngutupapa | Royal Spoonbill at Kuku Beach this morning. 🐦
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Kuku Beach Estuary is a 3.5 Km walk north along the beach, but I drove there by road this morning. A local told me there had been a lot of birds there yesterday, but today there weren't so many. Lots of ducks though. 🐦
Oystercatcher and godwit hanging out with ducks at Kuku Beach. -
Chilly at the beach this dawn. We're now in one of the official Autumns. 🐦
Oystercatcher and almost grown up chick. Oystercatcher with a tasty grub, and a friend, possibly an adult chick. -
Through the window. A rather scruffy looking Starling. 🐦