Miraz Jordan Profile Photo

Miraz Jordan

I love simplicity and silence. I enjoy taking photos of birds, and strive to be an actively decent human being. In late August 2025 I moved from Waikawa Beach to Ruakākā near Whangārei in Aotearoa. 100% human (she / her). Now 70, 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 .

  • I’ve been hearing a bird with a call that sounds like a piercing ‘pee you, pee you’. It’s taken me a while to track it down, but apparently it’s a European goldfinch 🐦:

    Voice: a liquid, tinkly calling, often given by flocks in flight. Also a shrill, clear pee-yu.

  • I was down at the lake taking photos of the Royal Spoonbills when this Matuku, White-faced heron, arrived. 🐦

    Bird flying over lake with wings spread. Bird flying over lake with wings on a downbeat, yellow feet behind.

  • Yesterday I visited the Wildbase Recovery in Palmerston North and saw this Kākā. The facility is amazing, helping wild birds recover and recuperate until they can be released. 🐦

    Large brown parrot type bird in an aviary. Large brown bird preening. Large brown bird in an aviary.

  • These ducklings in the gardens in Palmerston North were very bold. 🐦

    Two dycklings approach the camera.

  • Neck bending competition this way! 🐦 Pied shags by the river.

    Half a dozen shags beside the river, with their necks in various positions. Reflections too.

  • Variable oystercatcher / tōrea pango — bird and egg. Eggs bigger than a hen’s egg; birds smaller than a hen. (Bird weight 720 grams — 25.4 ounces.) 🐦

    Some birds reach 30+ years of age.

    highly aggressive towards people close to nests or chicks … undertake distraction displays

    Egg as long as my fingers. Black bird with orange bill and long legs: Variable Oystercatcher.

  • I spent $10 on a 1 metre arm extender aka selfie stick and climbed the ladder. I was able to take a photo along the gutter and determine that it is not in fact full of bird party supplies. Perhaps we’ve been imagining the noises? Or perhaps they cleaned up before I came along? 🐦

    A clean gutter

  • While looking for something else I found this pigeon photo from May 2004. 🐦

    Two pigeons who look as though they’re kissing.

  • Clockwork quail. In 2018 and 2019 my Coturnix quail laid their first egg for the season on 21 September. Today, 21 September 2020, they kept the trend going.

    They require 12 hours of daylight to lay, which we achieved yesterday with equilux. Clever girls! 🐦

    Single quail egg in its shell resting on a slice of white bread.

  • The Equinox | MetService Blog:

    Equinox is on Wednesday, but due to refraction+width of sun the equilux (day with 12 hours of daylight) occurs today or yesterday in NZ depending on latitude.

    ☀️🕶 🥳

    It’s about time my two remaining quail started laying eggs again. 🐦

    Diagram showing the effect of refraction.

  • “Our” black swans have so far managed to keep all 5 cygnets alive. Perhaps the alarm calls even as I was still quite far away are an element of their success? 🐦

    Two black swans on a lake with 5 white cygnets between them and another water bird in the foreground.

  • And in today’s superb news: ‘our' swans at the lake a couple of hundred metres away have 5 babies. 🥳 🐦

    I thought I’d sneaked up, but no… Two of the cygnets hitched a ride on mum as they all glided away.

    Last year most babies disappeared. I hope things go better this year.

    Female and male swan with 5 cygnets swimming between them. Two cygnets have climbed on to mum. Male swan with bent neck, drinking, female and cygnets beside him.

  • The high-pitched Riroriro or Grey Warbler at start and end, ducks and magpies. Sorry about the background which is either or both of slight wind and the nearby sea. 🐦 I’ve never actually seen a Riroriro as far as I know — only heard them.

  • I cleaned the window so I could see the Tauhou better. The more I watch them, the more I love them. Look at this little cutie! 🐦

    Tiny bird, looking up. Tiny bird looking straight at the camera and appearing cross-eyed.

  • By lunchtime the Tauhou had completely emptied one feeder and the other was disappearing quickly. I bought more ‘cakes' and decided to only put food out for a few hours each day. I don’t want them to forget to forage… 🐦

    Tiny bird on a branch heading for the food.

  • One bird at the new feeder was bullying the others away so I added another feeder yesterday. We now have a flock of about 15 feeding! Egads! They are so cute! 🐦 Tauhou FTW.

    Many tiny birds on and near the feeder. Closer view of numerous birds at the feeder.

  • I think Tauhou are one of my favourite birds. I put up a bird feeder near the front door a couple of days ago, and three have been visiting off and on all day. Photo through the window. 🐦

    Three tiny birds at a feeder.

  • Cold southerly at the beach this morning. For once I took my camera. Photo of Kuaka (Godwits), which usually return to the Arctic for our winter, but these stayed. Oshi and Sasha also enjoyed their outing.

    🐦 🐶

    Long beaked birds digging in the sand for food. Small white dog looking at the camera. Small black dog running, with ears and tail flying.

  • Last night Oshi drove me crazy with almost continuous barking for about 90 minutes when I went to bed. 👿

    Today I may know why: one dead quail and one missing quail who left a lot of feathers behind. I think a stoat halved my flock! 😤 🐦

  • Every 6 weeks or so I move the quail to a new spot. Here they are, near the house. It was a major effort to move the run uphill, but we got there in the end. The quails favourite shelter is the low plastic thing with the tree branches on top. 🐦

    Two white and one brown stripey quail next to a low plastic shelf covered in green macrocarpa tree branches.

  • This Thrush was hanging round near the kitchen window this morning. 🐦

    Thrush on a flax spear.

  • I hopped out of bed and spotted this pheasant watching me from the rail of the dog yard fence. I quickly grabbed this shot through a rather dirty window. 🐦

    Ring-necked pheasant.

  • While looking for something else I came upon this photo I took in 2013. Oystercatcher. 🐦

    Black bird with bright orange beak.

  • Emily Graslie works for the Chicago Field Museum and is one of my favourite YouTubers. She has such a lovely manner.

    If you like birds watch her 8 minute video: I put GoPros on my bird feeders - YouTube 🐦

    Screenshot showing a Red Cardinal.

  • Every few weeks I move the quail to a new spot on the flat area of grass below the house. Today Flop managed to escape in the process, but I caught him before too long. They’re all enjoying the fresh straw and fresh patch of ground. 🐦

    Quail run. 4 quail in their newly located run.

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