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 .

  • No-one on the lake was very happy about me emerging from behind a bush to take an iPhone photo of the two black swans and their remaining 3 cygnets. 🐦

    On a small lake, black swans with cygnets, adults with necks craned, and a mallard duck flying splashily away.

  • At last! Eastern Rosellas have been taunting me. I’ve heard their chattering at various times recently, then they’d shoot past and my camera was nowhere nearby. Today though, one perched outside my window and my one press of the shutter before it flew away actually worked. 🐦

    Colourful parrot sitting on a flax spear.

  • Toutouwai, North Island Robin at Bushy Park. These little birds are such cuties, and so tame! 🐦

    Small black bird on the forest floor.
    Small black bird on the leafy forest floor.
    Small black bird on a branch with forest behind.

  • The Tīrairaka, New Zealand fantail is a tricky bird to photograph and I’m still on a quest to get excellent photos. It flitters and flutters and is so fast! 🐦

    Small bird with fan-shaped tail, sitting on a fence wire.
    Small bird with fan-shaped tail, sitting on a twig.
    Small bird with fan-shaped tail, sitting on a fence wire.

  • I was trying to take photos of the elusive fantails who were flittering just outside the window. What I did get were these European Goldfinches, with their bright scarlet faces. 🐦

    European goldfinch on a flax flower.
    Two European goldfinches on a flax flower.

  • Striding. 🐦

    Black and white wading bird with legs apart as through striding, head back, reflected perfectly in shallow water at the beach.

  • Skating! This little New Zealand dotterel turns out to be banded, when I zoom in. They’re very small, fast birds: 25 cm and about 150 grams. Perfect on the beach: dark upper and white below so you think you’re just seeing shells on sand — till it moves. 🐦

    NZ Dotterel on wet sand with wings slightly elevated and one foot behind so it seems to be skating.

  • 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.
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