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The estuary was popular today with the birds: tiny banded dotterels, long-legged pied stilts, and the large white royal spoonbills.

Several black and white shorebirds are scattered across a shallow water area with a sandy and muddy shoreline.Two white birds are standing in shallow water, each balancing on one leg.

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This photo may look like a bat in a tree, but actually it’s our native pigeon, drunk. Gorgeous birds.

A native green and bronze wood pigeon with a taste for fermented fruit has been named the 2018 bird of the year in New Zealand.

Source: The Guardian.

A pigeon's hanging upside down from a tree branch, appearing to be intoxicated after consuming fruit punch.
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Front lawn rabbit at dusk, through the kitchen window, with my 55-230mm zoom. This one lives around here somewhere — I often see it.

A small brown rabbit is sitting on grassy ground, facing away from the camera.A small brown rabbit is sitting on the grass next to a blue garden hose.

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A stunning day at the beach. I was able to experiment with my new (replacement) zoom lens. Driftwood, waves, Kāpiti Island.

A wave is crashing on a shore covered with dark seaweed and debris with a mountain visible in the background.
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Spring is when the Cabbage Trees, Cordyline Australis, Ti Kouka, bloom. Their perfume is exquisite.

A tall plant with spiky green leaves and clusters of white flowers is set against a clear blue sky.
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Lunch, with dogs, at the Aro Street Cafe. Fun coincidence that we’re here on our 25th anniversary as we had our first ‘date’ here.

Two small dogs are leashed outside a café entrance while a waitress and customers are visible inside.
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Today some loans I made were repaid and I lent another $25 to help a woman in Pakistan set up her business. Other Micro.bloggers might like to know about Kiva where those of us with $25 to spare can lend to folks in need.

A collage of images and categories such as Women, Agriculture, Education, Refugees and IDPs, Eco-friendly, Kiva U.S., Livestock, and Arts highlights ways to create opportunities through lending as little as $25.
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The quail still aren’t laying every day but I have gathered enough for an occasional meal of fried eggs. (Photo: quail eggs in frying pan.)

Several egg yolks are being cooked in a frying pan, with one yolk broken and spreading with the egg white.
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We visited the Ōtaki Cat Show today. It’s hard to see Orientals with exaggeratedly triangular faces and Persians with almost entirely flat faces. The enormous Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats were splendid though. Photos: Oriental (extreme iPhone crop); Norwegian Forest Cat.

A person wearing a leopard print top is gently holding a Siamese cat on a white mat placed on a wooden table.An older man wearing a sequin vest is holding and examining a large, fluffy cat that is standing on a table while a few people watch in the background.

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Today 30 or 40 volunteers turned out to help plant thousands of Spinifex, provided by the local Council. The plants help stabilise and retain the sand.

People are working on a sandy beach area with grassy dunes under a partly cloudy sky.Several people are participating in a beach cleanup or restoration activity, carrying equipment and working near sand dunes under a partly cloudy sky.

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With blue skies and sunshine it’s the season to bike to the beach with the dogs. It’s about 1 Km by road to my preferred beach track. Soon though we’ll have to go early morning to avoid the heat. Little dogs can’t release heat so well as their airway’s too short.

A bicycle is parked on grass next to a road with a red trailer attached, surrounded by greenery and trees in the background.
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This appealing fungus popped up in the dog yard without my noticing till today.

A single white mushroom is growing from a bed of wood chips and dried plant material with green grass in the background.
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The free iOS app Kupu is rather clever. Take a photo of an object and it selects the Māori word (kupu), with alternative options. Tap the speaker icon to hear the word. Today’s experiments produced great results. Screenshots below.

A black horse with a blanket on its back is standing in a grassy field near a fence.A close-up of a horse with a white stripe on its face standing in a grassy field near a fence.

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My little Aphra the cat actually allowed me to cuddle her yesterday, and to take a selfie! She’s nearly 17 now.

A smiling person wearing glasses and a gray hoodie is holding a black cat outdoors with a cloudy sky and some greenery in the background.
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The first quail eggs of the season from my 4 Japanese Coturnix Coturnix quail. Yum. I fried these.

A white bowl contains multiple raw egg yolks and egg whites.
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This map is so great — it puts New Zealand near the centre of the world, rather than falling off the edge (or not appearing at all).

a projection centered around Antarctica to emphasize the role of the oceans

A world map projection centers the oceans, showing continents and major oceans labeled in French.
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Well, I was just thinking: that pheasant squawk sounds like their earthquake alarm. Next minute… And it was not ‘unnoticeable’.

An unnoticeable earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 occurred 150 km deep, 10 km south of Hawera, New Zealand at 10:11 AM on September 19, 2018.
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We spent 3 or 4 hours on a small boat today, hoping to see humpback whales or spinner dolphins. We had no luck, though others did some snorkelling. At the southern end of the island waves were crashing against the rocks. 🗺🇳🇺

Waves are crashing against a rocky coastline under a cloudy sky.
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Snorkelling at Utuko Reef again yesterday I just snapped loads of pictures. Between contact lenses, mask and being underwater it can be hard to see what’s in shot. This photo pleases me. 🗺🇳🇺

Underwater shot of a reef with a few fish.

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Selfie with full-face snorkel at Matapa Chasm. 🗺🇳🇺

A person wearing a full-face snorkel mask stands on rocky terrain next to a narrow water passage between cliffs.