Miraz Jordan

I’ve been promising Fliss, the Japanese Quail, for ages that I’d clean out her run. Today was finally the day. I popped her in the glass recycling bin while I did the work. 🐦

Before: old stale straw, pine shavings.

After: deep, clean fresh straw, pine shavings and fresh branches for cover.

It pays to look up. Kōtare | Sacred Kingfisher in a neighbour’s tree. 🐦

On today's beach walk I saw a large mussel shell and a couple of oystercatchers. 🐦

This is a very heartening good news story. Take a moment to read this non-fiction comic by Toby Morris : The Side Eye: Anahera, our neighbour. 🐦

Note: Kiwi is a Māori word. There are very few specific plural forms in Māori, and definitely no plural ’s'.

Nope. No Kuaka | Godwits round here. Nope. 🐦

Late afternoon and I was just walking from one room to another when I noticed these (perhaps juvenile) Eastern Rosellas on the flax plants nearby. I love their bright colours. Photographed through the window. 🐦

There's always one who's late to the meeting… Pāpango | New Zealand scaup on Lake Puna o te Ora. 🐦

Pukeko at the edge of Lake Puna o te Ora. 🐦

When I was on the beach yesterday 3 Kakīānau | Black swan flew in and landed on the estuary. Here are two, with a Karoro | Black-backed gull in the background. 🐦

I struck a lucky shaft of rising sunlight at the estuary this morning, with this Poaka | Pied Stilt. 🐦

It's been a while since I've posted a photo of Fliss, my one remaining Japanese Quail. 🐦

Today had a visit from our favourite Kōtare | Sacred Kingfisher. 🐦

A couple of photos from the other day of one of my favourites: the Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel. On close inspection, I see this one has a yellow band high on its right leg. 🐦

These little Tūturiwhatu are only about 25 cm vs 37 for a gull or 15 for a sparrow.

Turns out I’ve been wrong for at least 5 days now in my belief that Fliss had stopped laying for the season. Quail only lay when there’s at least 12 hours of sunlight… 🐦

On the beach this morning was a sizeable flock of Tara | White-fronted Tern. The photo shows about 1/3 of the flock. Nearby was a pair of the much chunkier Taranui | Caspian Tern — I suspect an adult and a youngster. 🐦

I write a monthly newsletter for our local community. A kind resident made this wonderful cartoon on an extremely topical and important issue and I've had such a turbulent week I forgot to include it until just after I pressed Send. So annoyed. 🐦

Just out for a stroll. 🐦

Peihana | Pheasant.

And I say again: “Sea levels are rising. We gotta deal with climate change.” 🐦

A good read: Borrowed Time (A Cass Raines Mystery Book 2) by Tracy Clark. 🐦

It could be murder. But why would anyone kill a dying man? Cass’s persistence attracts unwanted attention, putting her life in danger and uncovering sinister secrets she may end up taking to her grave.

This is an extreme crop of a photo at nearby Lake Puna o te Ora: two birds shaking, with water droplets spraying around them. The birds are likely Rakiraki | Mallard, with a Kuruwhengi | Australasian shoveler enjoying a quiet moment in the background. 🐦

I was just getting nicely lined up on this Makipai | Australian Magpie at the beach — hoping it would sing — when it flew away! 🐦

I always enjoy a visit from the Eastern Rosellas. 🐦

I saved out half a dozen photos of the Wrybills I watched yesterday, but this one stood out as my favourite. 🐦

I haven’t looked through all ~150 photos I took of 3 Ngutuparore, Wrybill at the beach just now, but this shot clearly shows its bill curves to its right. 🐦

A relatively small pale plover with a long black bill curving to the right

I initially thought they were Tuturiwhatu, Banded dotterel.

RIP my Japanese Quail Glee, which leaves only one now, little Fliss, the striped one. Glee was full of zip, until she wasn't. 🐦