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. I joined the MB community on 05 January 2018. Follow me on Micro.Blog at https://micro.blog/miraz .

  • Naughty little House sparrows sitting on the roof (pooping in the gutter that supplies our drinking water). 🐦

    Update: the photo I exported at Medium resolution looked terrible. I’ve replaced it with a better version.

    Two sparrows on the edge of a roof, with blue sky behind.

  • Meanwhile, the Australian coots were having a bit of a dust-up (volume up). 🐦

  • To my delight, this morning’s walk brought me two Kakīānau, Black swans with 4 cygnets, already swimming. 🐦

    Two adult swans with 4 grey cygnets, on a placid lake.

  • Touching. Pied Stilt. 🐦

    Black and white wading bird, reflected, with bills almost touching.

  • This Karoro, Black-backed gull was keeping a close eye on me this morning. 🐦

    Large black and white gull floating on the sea.

  • Pukeko at the lake. 🐦

    3 swamp hens on the grass beside a lake.
    3 swamp hens on bright green grass right next to the lake edge.

  • Looked out the front door and spotted these two young pheasants moseying about. 🐦 They scurried off when they saw me though.

    Two young pheasants on an area of grass and sand.

  • This is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s smallest birds, often heard but seldom seen. I got lucky a few months back. Riroriro, Grey Warbler 🐦 :

    Length: 11 cm; Weight: 5.5 - 6.5 grams

    Small bird on a branch.
    Small bird on a branch, facing the camera.
    Small bird on a branch, facing the camera.

    Riroriro, Grey Warbler song.

  • Up, up, down, down. 🐦 Canada Geese, on the wing.

    4 Canada geese flying. Two have wings up, two have wings down.

  • These ring-necked pheasants are very common round here. They’re splendid birds, but also kind of incredible. That eye belongs in a cartoon. 🐦

    Large brown bird with long tail and dark head with red wattles.

  • We see Kingfishers around here quite often — usually in the garden. I didn’t really expect to see this little one on the beach yesterday. 🐦 Kōtare, Sacred kingfisher

    Small bird with blue head and back, yellow underparts and a chunky black bill, on the sand.

  • These Rock pigeons, although common everywhere, are actually not that easy to find at Waikawa Beach. 🐦 I first spotted them a few months ago, but it was only yesterday things came together for a quick photo of one. It flew away immediately. 😒

    Rock Pigeon on a post.
    Rock Pigeon in flight.

  • These two annoyingly distant Spur-winged Plovers were at the beach this morning. I’ve been wanting to get photos of them, but am a bit disappointed with the results. 🐦

    Two medium size birds on the beach. They have brown backs, white underparts, black caps and yellow bills.

  • I was never really very fond of gulls, but I’m coming to quite like the ones at Waikawa Beach. Tarapunga, Red-billed gull. 🐦

    Two gulls seeming to chat as they walk by the sea.
    Lone gull walking.
    Lone gull looking down.
    Lone gull picking something up off the sand.
    Lone gull side on to the camera.
    Lone gull with lowered head.

  • This morning on the beach I was lucky enough to get a decent shot of this Tuturiwhatu, Banded dotterel 🐦:

    Length: 20 cm; Weight: 60 g
    A small compact brown and white plover with a short black bill, relatively long dark legs and large round dark eyes.

    Small bird on the beach, with brown above and white below.

  • Two photos from a couple of days ago of a Kawau, Pied Shag at the beach. 🐦

    Length: 65 - 85 cm; Weight: 1.3 - 2.1 kg; A large, relatively slim …shag … white face, black feet, blue eye-rings, yellow facial skin. Black back, nape and upperwings … white throat, breast and belly.

    Large black and white shag with wings stretched, on wet sand.
    Large black and white bird with wings folded, reflected in wet sand.

  • A new favourite photo: a Kuaka Godwit at the edge of the sea today. 🐦

    Brown speckled bird with very long beak at the edge of the sea.

  • Busy day but it started with a dawn beach walk and an encounter with Taranui, Caspian terns. 🐦

    Taranui Caspian terns on a low tide beach at dawn.
    Taranui Caspian tern in flight.
    Taranui Caspian tern in flight.
    Two Taranui Caspian terns in flight.
    Solitary Taranui Caspian tern on a low tide beach at dawn.

  • Love this: Scientists Attached Tracking Devices to Magpies 🐦:

    Within 10 minutes … we witnessed an adult female … trying to remove the harness off of a younger bird.

    … By day 3, even the dominant male of the group had its tracker successfully dismantled.

    // @jayeless

  • Finally refreshed the straw and shavings in the front part of the quail run. 🐦 Put the soiled straw round nearby vege garden. Trimmed back flax plant for easier access to quail run. The quail should love to scratch the straw around. It’s all in a hill at the moment.

    Quail run fresh straw.
    One white and one stripy quail in their run.

  • I tend to see ngutupapa, Royal Spoonbills on the beach solitary, in pairs or even three at a time. Today is the first time I’ve seen a flock of maybe 12 or 15 — I was unable to actually count because of distance and the big piece of driftwood. 🐦 See more…

    Flock of large white birds sheltering behnd driftwood.

  • When Canada Geese, Oystercatchers or Pied Stilts fly over you know all about it, thanks to the racket they make. 🐦 With other birds you hear the clatter of wings. You're lucky to spot the gorgeous Royal Spoonbills though as they glide over completely silently.

    Two Spoonbills in flight overhead.
    Two Spoonbills in flight overhead.
    Two Spoonbills in flight overhead.
    Two Spoonbills in flight - moving away.
    Two Spoonbills in flight - moving away.

  • The amazing Kuaka, Godwit flies between Aotearoa New Zealand and the Arctic every year to feed and breed. 🐦 They are a similar size to the more delicate Pied Stilt. These were on the shore this morning.

    Kuaka feeding, with wave behind.
    Two Kuaka and a Pied Stilt.
    Six Kuaka in flight.

  • The other day I took photos of a Karoro, Southern black-backed gull as it flew by. Hand held. Pretty pleased with the results. 🐦

    Black-backed gulls are often seen on the water’s edge where they scavenge corpses and fish frames washed up on the tide.

    Black backed gull in flight with wings stretched.
    Black backed gull in flight with wings bent.
    Black backed gull in flight with wings down.
    Black backed gull in flight, side on, with wings high.

  • I haven’t spotted any Pukeko at the lakes recently so was glad to see a couple at sunrise today. 🐦

    Striking large blue bird with red beak, walking on grass.
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