Miraz Jordan

There were also plenty of birds on Lake Te Puna a te Ora, including many Pāpango | New Zealand scaup. 🐦

Today I noticed juvenile Karoro | Black-backed gulls 🐦.

Today's 'haul' — Dotterels and a Hawk in flight. 🐦

Also on the beach and in my camera's view this morning, this Matuku moana | White-faced heron. 🐦

Success! Not only has the population of baby Oystercatchers doubled overnight, but I managed a photo or two. Like this one of the two chicks seeking refuge under their parent. 🐦

This parent Oystercatcher was very upset with me today for walking too close to its baby (maybe 10 or 15 metres away). I was getting the works! 🐦

At the beach I saw, but didn't manage a photo of, a brand new baby Oystercatcher! Huzzah!

Meanwhile, at home, Warou | Welcome swallows keep lining up on the deck railing to keep an eye on me. 🐦

Kawau | Pied Shags on the beach this morning. 🐦

While the Warou | Welcome swallow sat on the zendo roof the Kāhu | Hawk was out hunting. 🐦

Pied Stilt stands guard on 3 juveniles. 🐦

Today's other beach bird is this NZ Dotterel showing off its jewellery. 🐦

Today's beach bird is … a sparrow! It had found a tasty morsel for its dinner. 🐦

There were so many birds at the estuary this morning. I went for photos of groups. No chance of photos of the flock of Dotterels — they were too speedy. 🐦

I had only 2 minutes at the lake this afternoon. How lucky to spot a Matuku moana | White-faced heron, Ngutupapa | Royal Spoonbill, heaps of birds including black swans, and my favourite Weweia | New Zealand dabchick. 🐦

Deb spotted a stoat running past the quail run just before I went to feed Fliss, the Japanese Quail. I think it must have bitten her through the wire. RIP Fliss. 🐦

That's truly the last of our pets.

Today a baby Oystercatcher walked past really close to me. What a sweetie! 🐦

With its mottled brown back and head this is definitely a baby Pied Stilt. 🐦

Caught the baby oystercatchers yesterday dashing about. 🐦

(This should be an animated gif.)

For users of Acorn app: Open image, then File - Add Images … . Arrange layers to suit. Then File - Export - Web and other - Animated Gif.

Those baby Oystercatchers are growing! 🐦

The Oystercatcher chicks are getting so grown up. Here's one with its parent. 🐦

I quickly abandoned The Complete Maxie Reddick Mysteries Books 1–3 box set by Helen Bridgett. 🐦

I really didn't like the lead character — she was just 'off' and I felt uncomfortable with her methods.

I quite enjoyed reading the 5 books in Charlotte Dean Mysteries eBook Bundle by Phillipa Nefri Clark. 🐦

You'd barely know the books are set in Australia, but the good characters are amenable, the bad characters rotten. Some things are a little too perfect, but the stories were a good easy read.

Hah! Apple Photos just gave me a new 2023 Year in Review Memory. More than 95% of the photos are birds! Fantastic. 🐦

This was useful: Export photos, videos, slideshows and memories in Photos on Mac - Apple Support (NZ).

Some random annoying music is the soundtrack. Mute the video ….

Such a gorgeous summer morning with the dawn chorus, a hazy full moon setting in the west, Venus rising in the east behind pink-tinged cloud. 🐦

The Matuku-hūrepo | Australasian Bittern is an extremely rare and endangered bird, but one sometimes turns up in these parts.

Last night a large dark bird startled beside the road and flew off. In those few seconds I didn't see what it was, but believe it could have been that. Older photo below. 🐦