I occasionally spot a hedgehog on our property, and with mixed feelings. They are quite cute, but:
Hedgehogs cannot coexist with our endangered species. Removing them from the environment is an essential step to saving what makes Aotearoa unique.
Via: Hedgehogs: Animal pests.
Apparently it's not a good sign for a hedgehog to be roaming around during the day. The one I spotted today seemed reasonably fit and well.
Thanks to Virginia DeBolt at Old Ain't Dead I've been watching The Residence on Netflix. I just watched Episode 06.
The series so far has been interesting, intriguing, enjoyable, but E06, The Third Man, was outright hilarious! 🤣
Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises [of The White House] in order to solve a murder that occurred during a state dinner.
I'm looking forward to the final episodes. It's hard not to just binge.
I quite enjoyed The Earth Concurrence (Colonial Explorer Corps Book 1) by Julia Huni. 📚
Not entirely sure I'll read more from this series though.
Surprising finds and dangerous conditions cause her father to overreact, keeping Siti on a tight leash. When unknown enemies rear their dangerous heads, Siti must take matters into her own hands.
Yesterday was a stunning blue sky day so Deb and I went to Waikanae for breakfast then tried out a trail new to us: Barry Hadfield Nikau Reserve:
11 hectares of regionally significant kohekohe and nikau forest remnant.
Views from the lookout were stunning and the forest is lovely.
The climb was a killer though. It took me 35 minutes to the lookout from the carpark. There were a lot of steps. I was utterly exhausted in the afternoon.
Blueberry icecream from Waikawa Blueberries. Yum.
Whew, that quake started with a sharp jolt and a very loud crack then gave us a really good shake. I even considered getting up and going outside but it stopped before I needed to. 〰️
It was very close to us and not that deep really. I would have placed it closer to an M5 than 4.4. All good.
Well, well, well. I spotted the photo below with its caption about a new tsunami siren at Ruakākā. When I checked the map it turns out it will be … right next door to our new house. 😆
At least I guess we'll be the first to know about a tsunami, and won't fail to hear the warning.
I enjoyed Stranger in the Village (The Malvern Mysteries Book 2) by Kate Wells. 📚
I thought I'd cottoned on to the perpetrator early in the book, but things were way more complex.
things take a turn for the worse when a hit and run outside The Lamb brings death once again to the village. Is it an accident or is something more sinister afoot?
Handy link — Export bookmarks [from] Safari…:
[Safari File menu] "Export Browsing Data to File". When you click it you'll be able to choose which data to export.
I've realised my Safari Bookmarks are incredibly cluttered with all kinds of things I no longer need. Now I can happily delete all the cruft.
This morning I enjoyed a thoroughly restorative walk in Waiopehu Scenic Reserve:
The remnant native podocarp forest has some large old Rimu trees. This land was proclaimed as a scenic reserve in 1913-15 after previously being set aside as a waterworks reserve. In earlier times, this land was a refuge for the Muaupoko tribe with the Koputaroa stream providing water and an abundance of eels and kakahi shellfish.
What it has in abundance is fungi. Here are two of my favourites.
This will be literally just down the road from us — about a 5 minute bike ride — after we move in a few months.
Construction of Meridian Energy’s 130MW Ruakākā Solar Farm south of Whangārei is set to begin in August 2025 … With 250,000 solar panels and covering an area the size of 170 rugby fields, Ruakākā Solar Farm will be capable of producing up to 230GWh of electricity per year – enough to power around half the homes in Northland. It is located next to Meridian’s 100MW Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
Hooray! Whangārei to fluoridate water after court dismisses district council’s challenge - NZ Herald:
- Whangārei District Council’s legal bid to stop water fluoridation was rejected by the High Court.
- Justice Karen Grau stated that the council’s refusal demonstrated a disregard for legal obligations.
- Full fluoridation of Whangārei’s drinking water will proceed from March 28.
That's my rates (and others) the Council have wasted on this foolishness.
For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. The video was cut a little short as I was standing too close to the incoming waves. 🌊
I went out just before dawn for a beach walk. First I walked past Lake Puna o te Ora which was reflecting a still greyish sky.
By the time I stepped onto the sand a few minutes later the sky was starting to gain its reds, as reflected in the lagoon where the north track exits onto the beach.
When the Chinese warships were doing live fire drills not far away recently Deb reminded me no-one needs to invade Aotearoa if they want to take us over — they could just cut our cables. Now this:
A new Chinese tool capable of cutting the most fortified undersea data cable …
Via: The new threat to the undersea cables keeping our internet going | RNZ News.
Another good read in a series I enjoy. Straw in the Wind (The DI Callum MacLean mysteries Book 2) by Carol Cole. 📚
I had my suspicions about one character but things weren't as they seemed. A nice surprise.
Based on the sample, I bought The Complete Rain Morgan Mysteries Books 1–5 by Lesley Grant-Adamson. 📚
Book One was OK. Book Two was really boring and annoying. I dipped into Books 3 and 4 and found them unlikeable, so I didn't even try Book 5.
Today Deb and I went to the gym at Paraparaumu instead of Levin. They have HOIST Fitness CPL ROC-IT Selectorized machines which are really cool and easy to use. I liked them better than the machines at Levin.
Just like last Sunday afternoon at Levin, there were very few people using the gym.
Unexpected Chaffinch and Greenfinch
I uploaded these two photos and asked Claude to identify both birds above, like this: identify this bird seen eating flax seeds in Waikawa Beach, Horowhenua, New Zealand. 🐦
I had my suspicions and they were confirmed when Claude replied:
This appears to be a chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), specifically a male chaffinch based on its coloration. The bird has:
- A pinkish-orange/buff breast and face
- A bluish-gray head cap
- A distinctive perched posture on what looks like a dried flax seed pod or similar plant
Chaffinches are common in New Zealand, though they're not native - they were introduced from Europe in the 1860s. They're known to feed on seeds, including flax seeds, which aligns with your observation at Waikawa Beach in the Horowhenua region.
The setting of dried seed heads against the blurred green background is typical of New Zealand coastal and wetland areas where flax plants (harakeke) are common.
And for the second:
This appears to be a greenfinch (Chloris chloris), another introduced species in New Zealand. You can identify it by:
- Its predominantly yellow-green plumage
- Compact, finch-like body structure
- The positioning on the dried flax seed head (harakeke)
Greenfinches were introduced to New Zealand from Europe in the 1860s and have become well-established throughout the country. They particularly favor seeds, including those from flax plants, which explains why you've observed it feeding at Waikawa Beach.
Like the chaffinch in your previous image, this bird is taking advantage of the abundant seed resources provided by native New Zealand flax plants, despite being a non-native species itself. Greenfinches have strong beaks well-adapted for cracking open seeds.
I wasn't entirely sure at first, but by the later part of the book I was gripped. Murder on the Farm (The Malvern Mysteries Book 1) by Kate Wells. 📚
Things definitely didn't turn out as I thought they might.
