Miraz Jordan

Those Glossy ibis photos I took during the week … These are the images I kept in the end. A sliver of late sunlight helped. 🐦

Poaka | Pied Stilt are very aggressive when it comes to defending a nest, and they seem to have a 100 metre radius for action. 🐦

Pied Stilts are streamlined rockets in flight. When they want to warn you off they fly straight at your head and swerve only at the last second.

Tonight the light was better and I got smarter with camera settings so the Glossy ibis photos actually worked out. 🐦

Last night's photos were disappointing.

Here's just one for the moment.

Better photos from last evening were this Kuruwhengi | Australasian shoveler pair with chicks and Canada Goose with chicks. 🐦

Unfortunately Canada Geese are a bit of a pest species round here. They certainly make a racket. There are loads of them locally.

I've been wanting to grab a photo of a Pahirini | Chaffinch for a while now. Finally one flew in while I was waving my camera around learning about settings. 🐦

I set a couple (literally) of settings on the new X-T5 and went out to experiment. Focus was set for bird recognition. I'm thrilled with these shots. 🐦 📷

When I feed my friend's chooks there's an extra scoop for the doves. 😆 🐦

Haven't had one of these birds visit our garden before. I assume someone's pet canary found its freedom … 🐦

The chooks were singing themselves to sleep when I went to tuck them in at sunset. 🐦

With that look I was glad to be on the other side of the wire today. 🐦

Good morning! 🐦

This broken blue egg I found on the ground may have belonged to a song thrush perhaps? 🐦

This blurry photo was the best I could do: two Warou | Welcome swallow eggs in a nest above the door of Deb's zendo. 🐦

There was simply no space to get the iPhone further away.

Here's the mum back on 10 October 2023.

Kawau | Pied Shag flies off. 🐦

Two Karoro | Black-backed gull. 🐦

The Poaka | Pied Stilt are so delicate and fragile looking. 🐦

I just love these birds — they're so cute. Weweia | New Zealand dabchick. 🐦

At the lake today: duck and 6 ducklings! 😍 🐦

5.30 am. The sleepy eye of dawn starts to open. The birds sing it into being. 🐦

Listen to the birds

I did better with the Tōrea pango | Variable Oystercatcher, one of whom I see has been banded. 🐦

At the beach I spotted a couple of Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel. Between lifting my fitover sunnies and getting my camera out I lost them in the glare. Thus I have my first photo: Ceci n'est pas une Dotterel. 🐦 🤣

Today's delight: two tiny ducklings on the lake. I believe these are native Tētē-moroiti | Grey teal 🐦 :

Length: 42 - 44 cm; Weight: 505 g (male); 470 g (female)

A small grey-brown teal with pale-edged body feathers, pale cheeks, chin and throat, crimson eyes, and a dark grey bill.

We’re Searching for Our Bird of the Century 🐦:

Aotearoa New Zealand’s favourite election is back, and the stakes are higher than ever before. This year marks a whole century of Forest & Bird speaking up for nature.

Join us in celebrating our 100th birthday… But vote carefully... this year the winner is not just Bird of the Year, but Bird of the Century!

This Tōrea pango | Variable Oystercatcher pair have found their spot in the driftwood, ready for nesting. 🐦

A pair was in a similar location last year too.

Manu pango | Eurasian blackbird on flax. 🐦