There was one Ngutupapa | Royal Spoonbill at Kuku Beach this morning. 🐦

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. 🐦

Chilly at the beach this dawn. We're now in one of the official Autumns. 🐦

Through the window. A rather scruffy looking Starling. 🐦

Half a dozen Kōurarini | European goldfinches were outside my bedroom window this morning. 🐦

Not sure I've seen a dozen or more Poaka | Pied Stilt all together at our beach before. 🐦

Bird footprints on the beach. 🐦

There is a small group of Warou | Welcome swallows who spend a proportion of their days perched on the deck railing, about 3 metres away, watching Miraz TV. Sometimes they also air their opinions on the failings of the plot or characterisation. 🐦

I took this photo the other day of Kuaka | Godwits in breeding plumage. Do you like the halo? 🐦

Today's bird, on Lake Te Puna a te Ora: Kuruwhengi | Australasian shoveler. 🐦

New Zealand status: Native; Conservation status: Not Threatened

Shovelers are specialist filter-feeding waterfowl with a large spoon-shaped or shovel-shaped bill that is almost twice as broad at its tip than at its base

Some of my Micro.Blog pals might be interested in reading this Waikawa News blog post: Who are all those birds in the Estuary? 🐦

See photos of the 21 birds that commonly use our estuary — excludes common birds like ducks, magpies etc.

Sample bird:

For those who just want the pretty pictures — 🐦

A juvenile Tarapirohe | Black-fronted Tern.

New Zealand status: Endemic

Conservation status: Nationally Endangered

Length: 28 cm; Weight: 95 g;

More at Juvenile Black-fronted Tern.

At this time of year we see flocks of White-fronted Terns hanging out in the estuary near the sea, but on 22 February 2024 this bird was sitting apart from the flock. Looking closer, it was a bit different, but has been confirmed as a juvenile Tarapirohe | Black-fronted Tern. That's a new addition to the Waikawa Beach Big List of Birds. 🐦

New Zealand status: Endemic

Conservation status: Nationally Endangered

Length: 28 cm; Weight: 95 g;

A medium-small blue-grey tern with a forked tail, short orange legs and bright orange pointed decurved bill. Breeding adults have pale blue-grey body plumage contrasting with a black cap and narrow white cheek stripe; non-breeding adults have a mottled grey cap, a black patch around the eye and ear coverts, and a black-tipped bill.

It's so encouraging this summer to see the estuary full of birds from the land to the sea and north and south of the river. There's a very young new Oystercatcher chick running round too, bringing the total of Pied Stilt and Oystercatcher chicks that have survived to 6.

I'm certain that one reason the birds have been so abundant this summer is that the easy access for vehicles to the beach has been blocked off. People have still been sometimes illegally accessing the beach through a track from one nearby property, through council land and destroying several metres of recently planted spinifex.

Some locals also carved a vehicle track through a pedestrian-only Reserve, even using a chainsaw to cut down a post that was in their way. Council ended up installing three signs warning vehicles off, but these vehicle-addled locals just laugh as they drive through anyway. Witnesses have reported some to the Police and to the Council.

The overall effect of the official entrance being closed though has been to very much reduce disturbance of the wildlife by vehicles.

Tarāpuka | Black-billed gull 🐦 :

The black-billed gull is found only in New Zealand … The black-billed gull is more slender than the red-billed gull, with a longer bill. Breeding adults have a white head, neck, rump, tail and underparts, and pale silver-grey wings and back.

Juvenile Tarapunga | Red-billed gull, a native whose conservation status is Declining. 🐦

The swallows love hanging out on the railing by our east window, in the early evening sun. 🐦

I suspect this juvenile Oystercatcher was one of the babies from early January. Its parent was looking a bit fed up, to my eye. 🐦

A little further along a flock of a dozen Kuaka Godwits was feeding at the water's edge.

What the heck! 🐦

Behind you!!! 🐦

Black and white (and orange). Tern next to Southern Pied Oystercatcher. 🐦

It was darned hot at the beach this afternoon, but I was so glad to spot baby Oystercatcher again. 🐦

Big and Little: Kakīānau | Black swan and Pāpango | New Zealand scaup. 🐦

Length: 110 - 140 cm; Weight: 5 - 7 kg (male), 4 - 6 kg (female) vs Length: 40 cm; Weight: 695 g (male); 610 g (female).

Big and Little: big Taranui | Caspian Tern with little Tara | White-fronted Tern (I think …) 🐦

Length: 50 cm; Weight: 700 grams vs Length: 42 cm; Weight: 160 grams.

Birds I noticed at dawn at the beach today: NZ Dotterel, Royal Spoonbill, adult pair and baby Oystercatcher. 🐦

Flocks of birds in flight at the beach today. 🐦