Dotterel Forum

Excellent presentations at the Dotterel Forum event at the Arts Centre in Orewa this morning.

Always good to catch up with such an interesting group of people helping protect dotterels and their breeding success.

More to follow........

Cambridge Trees & Raglan

The trees of Waikato particularly around Cambridge area are quite tunning including in Cambridge itself. Hall street has some beautiful Plane trees. Its said to be the most attractive street in Cambridge so I had to take a look.

Around the hidden  Te Ko Utu Reserve also near the centre of town there are more fine trees which at this time of the year, Autumn, are just beginning to turn beautiful golden shades.

We chanced the rain forcast  to visit the Waitakaruru  Sculpture gardens just a little way out of Cambridge town and they were well worth the visit.

 

 A Conker tree above the lake brought back many memories of childhood conker fights at school. These were very often banned as the season progressed as they could be quite aggressive. Conkers are the seeds of the Horse chestnut trees.

Te Awamutu has more fine trees including this one in the Selwyn Reserve in the centre of the town. It's a huge sweet chestnut tree which is not the Horse variety. These produce the chestnuts that can be roasted.

Raglan in the sunshine and the rain with views to Mount Pirongia which I climbed some years back from both sides. Today a market was full on at the Old Raglan School that is now an art studio.

More photos to follow....................

Landscape Infrastructure.

Landscape Infrastructure

'Urban design based on principles of Landscape Infrastructure is focused on landscape-based integration of the built and natural environments—seeking out innovative opportunities for building nature and public amenities into the infrastructure of a city'.

With BOT SOC today exploring the Landscape infrastructure of the wetlands at the 'Landings' development at Auckland airport.

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Stingray feeding pits

 Whangateau estuary

I have always been intrigued since being educated by John Walsby about how stingray feed on cockle shells in our estuaries. Staying at the excellent  Whangateau campsite for a couple of nights recently I was reminded of a memorable visit to the Whangateau village hall at the edge of the Whangateau harbour in January 2011 that I first met John who was part of an environment open day event.

 In the morning there were snorkeling activities for children. Then talks about the many marine creatures on display in tanks on trestle tables in the hall. Roger Grace the expert underwater photographer was also present. Sadly, Roger has since passed away.

 After the excellent talks John offered to take a group to explore the now waterless estuary. What I haven't mentioned is that the weather was atrocious on that day and although there was a good number of visitors at this event only 7 of us were game enough to join John on what was to be for me a not to be missed opportunity to learn from an excellent educator.

Whangateau estuary with John Walsby January 2011

Whangateau estuary with John Walsby January 2011

Whangateau estuary February 2024

With a little imagination you can see the shape of a stingray as it flutters its wings to clear the sand so exposing in a little pit the buried cockle shells which it would then devour leaving only small fragments of shell.

Stingray cockle feeding pit.

Fortunately, the weather on our present stay is very different and we have had yet another week of sunshine and heat. 

Tawharanui open sanctuary

The sands at Tawharanui were too hot to walk on barefoot but I did enjoy exploring one of the wetlands on the Tawharanui peninsular behind the predator proof fence of this open sanctuary.

Tawharanui white sand beach

Tawharanui predator proof fence

Tawharanui wetlands

Northern Light

 Heading North and some wonderful lighting and seascapes to enjoy.

Ruakaka

Motutara Reserve

Whananaki Estuary

Copper butterfly

Happy New Year -2024

 Late post-as we have been enjoying this year's sunshine having missed out in January last year with Cyclones bringing heavy rain and flooding. Temperatures are 25C creeping up to 28C today. 

Camping in the van at Mahurangi West was very enjoyable. A Bar-tailed godwit flock of 42 birds landed 

 in Sullivans Bay on the 12th of January at High tide to roost. Nearby was a regular flock of 29 oystercatchers all but three were Variable oystercatchers. The three were South Island pied oystercatchers.

Just one NZ dotterel was observed.