Miraz Jordan

Here’s the longer story about that Oystercatcher egg.

The dogs and I were walking from the beach track to the river when I almost stepped on an odd-looking ‘stone’ lying alone in the sand. I picked it up — it was quite heavy — thinking the coloration was more like a bird’s egg. Then I realised it was in fact a bird egg.

Given the size I thought perhaps it was from a black-backed gull, a large bird. It was cold so I puzzled how it came to be lying by itself on the sand, and I put it in my pocket to take home.

We walked on, and soon passed the oystercatchers who did their usual squawking and distracting.

I’d read:

Nests are normally simple scrapes in the sand, often with a marker of driftwood, vegetation, or flotsam. The 2-3 eggs are usually laid from October onwards (rarely September), and replaced if lost. Incubation is shared and takes about 28 days. Chicks fly at 6-7 weeks-old, and late chicks may not fledge until March.

I’ve never been able to actually spot their nest, but the birds are in that place every year. We have a couple of pairs actually, not too far from one another.

At the river I chatted with a friend, showing him the egg. He identified it as an Oystercatcher egg and we talked about where I’d found it.

I followed my footprints back and put the egg where I thought I’d picked it up. A few moments later I spotted their nest and moved the egg over there.

My friend and I added a few sticks around the nest to provide an iota of extra protection. Our beach is well used by walkers with and without dogs, horse riders and people in all manner of vehicles — cars, tractors, quad bikes, trail bikes. Many hoon around at speed and with no regard for wildlife or the beach environment.

We’ve had quite a spell of rough weather lately, with high tides and big swells, along with wind and rain. I suspect the stray egg was dislodged from the nest, perhaps by the tide, which is why I could pick it up with no protest from the parent birds.

Variable oystercatchers breed in monogamous pairs, and defend territories vigorously against neighbours. Nests are normally simple scrapes in the sand, often with a marker of driftwood, vegetation, or flotsam. The 2-3 eggs are usually laid from October onwards (rarely September), and replaced if lost. Incubation is shared and takes about 28 days. Chicks fly at 6-7 weeks-old, and late chicks may not fledge until March. Chicks are vigorously defended by both parents, often well after fledging.

I hope that egg and the two siblings survive. We’re entering the height of people-at-the-beach season. The Christmas summer holidays start in a week or so, and the beach will be a chaos of activity for two or three weeks.

Breeding success of variable oystercatchers is often low, with main causes of failure being predation of eggs or chicks by a range of mammalian and avian predators, flooding of nests by big tides, and disturbance resulting from human recreational use of the coast.

From: Semicolon: How a misunderstood punctuation mark can improve your writing, enrich your reading and even change your life

‘You can never revise too often !’ I used to tell students, before I had read much James.

From Semicolon…

Having a more advanced knowledge of a language provides a wonderful opportunity to be welcoming and constructive, if you prioritise communication over a set of fictitious rules.

From Semicolon…

The semicolon represents a way to slow down, to stop,**** and to think; it measures time more…

****A stop without stopping completely. Who wants the full stop right now, with its silence and finality like a red button pressed, or a clock striking midnight?

I had no idea! 🎬 How New Zealand's film industry boomed during the pandemic:

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the [film] industry supports about 21,000 local jobs and contributes $NZ2.7 billion to its GDP every year.

There are worse places to be stuck in traffic than beside a vineyard.

My trip home from the supermarket today includes an hour or two wait because the only road is blocked. 😒

Link: Truncating only posts with titles on Micro.blog - The Jayeless Micro Blog

Micro.blog Help has a guide to showing truncated posts on your front page, but … the truncated text shown is stripped of HTML…. There had to be a better way!

Excellent movie: Misbehaviour. I was 15 when this happened, 50 years ago! 🎬

1970 Miss World took place in London, hosted by the US comedian Bob Hope …the newly formed women’s liberation movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast.

I’m so much enjoying the daily readings of Maria Dahvana Headley’s translation of Beowulf. Some readers are better than others, but what a story!

Yes, you do want to watch this.

A Canadian teenager … won a major scientific competition for an electrifying YouTube video in which she brilliantly simplifies the complicated concept of quantum tunnelling.

Via: Science Alert. So this is the basis for Star Trek transporters… 🤓

Guess what! Female birds sing too. We’ve Been Ignoring Female Birdsong for Centuries: > Birdsong has historically been described as a male trait to compete for female mates, but there’s a good chance that you’ve never learned about female birdsong, and they do indeed sing!

♀

If nothing else, this must-listen, wonderful 32 minute interview will explain how a semicolon shut down bars in Boston, US, and led to all-night drinking binges.

Semicolons; the most misunderstood punctuation mark

Also: “Punctuation Theorist” is a job. Who knew? Marvellous!

I’m totally a fan of vaccines, but was suspicious about the speed of potential Covid-19 vaccines perhaps making them unsafe. These two items have allayed my fears:

• A Clinical Trials Expert Explains Why We Should Feel Optimistic About COVID Vaccines — long development time is mainly waiting for funding rather than safety checks.

• Inside the Lab That Invented the COVID-19 Vaccine — 12 minute video explaining how one candidate is made and how the lab’s basic ongoing research meant they had a head start.

The Maiden Statement by new Green MP Teanau Tuiono was funny and inspiring. He pointed out that the lifts in the Beehive look like the Tardis and the House needs to be like that: much bigger on the inside. (13:21 on) Hope to hear more from him over the years. (No tardis emoji ‼️)

I found this photo of me at Massey Memorial, 27 March 1989, just after I moved to Wellington. One of two times in my life I’ve had a perm.

At high tide the estuary was full. A bunch of the shags that normally hang out in the trees near the footbridge instead chose to hang out by the estuary. Perhaps it was nice and quiet in this rainy weather.