Fletcher Track near Huia - Waitakere Ranges

 The weather forecast was not looking good, however 17 walkers turned up for the Fletcher track Bot Soc walk. The Auckland Botanical Society walks are always interesting and with so many keen eyes looking out for interesting species there is always something to make the effort of a sometimes slippery  muddy track worthwhile. For a photographer this is great motivation. I wasn't to be disappointed on this walk as many plants were found some rediscovered from previous walks. The one that really fascinated me was Brachyglottis Kirkii an epiphytic plant with an amazing stem and daisy like flowers. It really stole the day for me as much as being a challenge to photograph with the breeze that always seems to be appear the moment you raise your camera to your eye.

Another plant that was of interest to me was Bush Lawyer  Rubus cissoides This is the first time I have seen it in flower.

Fortunately the predicted heavy rain did not come although most including me were well wrapped up in waterproofs that were not actually needed. A great Bot Soc day in the park.

Happy Returns

Although I really enjoy exploring absolutely new places its always good to go back to favourite interesting places. The Manurewa Botanic Gardens are one of those and with the vision of spring blossom in mind I set out down State Highway 1  for a 20minute drive to the gardens. On arriving I remembered that on a previous visit  a friend  had  tipped me off  about the sighting of a lone dabchick on one of the ponds. Sure enough we had found this solitary specialist diving bird showing off its skills.
 That day in February was  dull and wet so no photos taken but today the light was good and this diminutive endemic grebe was still doing its stuff much to the envy of the other waterfowl around.

Kotukutuku

In my Clevedon Reserve post I alluded to the fact that so many native NZ bush flowers are quite unspectacular and small and sometimes difficult to see.  Tree fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticata) rather makes up for that with such beautiful striking flowers athough again they are quite small and delicate. These  grow straight from the trunk of this small tree which can grow to about 12metres high. This specimen is growing by the side of a stream in Le Roys Reserve on the North Shore.

Motuora Island

I have been wanting to get to Motuora Island for some time.  Finally with good weather forecast, essential  for the beach  landing, I set off for Sandspit before sun-up to meet up with others including people from the Motuora Restoration Society for the 8am sailing.

 This island is pest free so encouraging the translocation and introduction of many native species. Kiwi, whiteheads and skinks are already here.

Its another  beautiful island and we are rather spoilt for choice living close to the Hauraki Gulf. The Department of Conservation (DoC) in close association with voluntary organisations are working so hard on projects to restore these islands to native species.
More images at http://creativemomentsimages.co.nz/library/motuoraAug2012

Clevedon Scenic Reserve

These spectacular female flowers of Coprosma spathulata, seen on a Bot Soc (Auckland Botanical  Society) walk on Saturday reminds me that most New Zealand plants are very subtle when it comes to showing off their flowers.

This was an excellent walk mostly up steps (750) through some beautiful bush just outside of Clevedon.

 An ideal place for Aucklanders to visit with access to local  cafes for their flat whites and a neat waterfall for a summer picnic.

Tiritiri Matangi Island

What a fantastic Island this is with so many beautiful birds to see. Its a tribute to the vision and hard work of the Tiri supporters group and DoC which allows this Island to remain an open sanctuary for all to visit.

Walking the many tracks from one end of the Island to the other I began to realise the huge amount of hard work that had gone into planting so many native trees to act as food plants for our native birds.

 Some nectar feeding birds still require supplimentary feed in the form of sugar water and this is an absolutely amazing sight when the frenzy of the birds and their song is at full pitch.

Thank you for sharing time on the Island with me Tansy.

The Pinnacles- only 600 steps to heaven

If you ever feel like climbing a few steps and staying in a super New Zealand hut on steroids then I recommend the Pinnacles walk and a stay overnight to allow you to watch the sun rise and the sunset from the Pinnacle peak in the Coromandel.

The scenery is fantastic the walk enjoyable, weather permitting. Walking back via the Billy Goats trail added another historical dimension to the lengths that early New Zealanders went to to clear giant kauri trees from this landscape. Walking down an incredible incline that would have seen steam braked trucks allow these giant logs down from the hills to the river below.

Fern birds, tom tits and fantails were the only birds seen although the foot prints of brown kiwi were found on the way down.

Thank you Tansy Bliss for you company and suggesting this great New Zealand walk.

Once in a New moon

A camping weekend at Tawharanui conveniently coincided with the new supermoon due to the  perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. This was close enough for a good viewing as it rose into the night sky.

Then we headed into the bush with head torches in search of kiwi and other nocturnal species. We were lucky and saw one Brown kiwi scurrying across a track in the light of my torch. A morepork with silent flight passed in front of me. I later heard its hunting calls.

 Native fish and an eel were watched below a bridge again in the light of the head torches.Other birds seen during daylight hours included kaka, kakariki, bellbird, Caspian tern and NZ dotterel.

It was also fortunate that Tansy found a Shore skink on the sands of Tawharanui beach. Unfortunately  it  had been attacked, possibly by a gull and had part of its tail missing.

Whatipu

A recent camp with my friend Tansy Bliss  at the fairly primitive Whatipu campsite revealed some of the magic of the West Waitakere coastline. The dramatic seascapes and huge sands  reminded me that we are pretty insignificant when nature forces are at play.

NZ dotterels and banded dotterels were seen by one of the ponds behind the sand dunes and a lone wrybill was also spotted too. The real delight though was when we heard what we think may have been Grey-faced petrels flying into the bush clad cliff face above our tents after darkness.

The Omanawanui walk with dramatic views of the Manukau harbour is well worth the climb returning to the Whatipu lodge  via the beautiful bush walk of the Kaura track.

This was a memorable camp in a magnificent landscape. Thank you Tansy for sharing it with me.

Te Wao Nui

During last years visit to Wellington and the Karore wildlife centre I was thrilled to see that kaka had moved over the botanic gardens and could be seen and heard near the top of the cable car ride.

On a further visit to Ta Wao Nui the excellent new displays at Auckland zoo of New Zealand animals, plants and culture, I was able to get up very close to these remarkable birds.

Hopefully they will one day become more common in the Auckland area flying wild above the city as they do in Wellington.

If you are interested in New Zealand's fragile wildlife then I recommend a visit to the zoo where over 100 species of native plants and over 60 species of animals can be seen.

Do we really hate hedgehogs?

Two baby hedgehogs were found in our garden recently and the reaction to them was how sweet they looked. This one was curled up and apparently asleep.

Gardeners have welcomed their slug killing activities but now they are of course considered a pest because of the damage they do to native wildlife.

Hedgehogs appear to be an underated predator eating birds eggs, weta and some lizards.

Archey's Frogs

I recently had an opportunity to help with an Archey's frog survey in the Coromandel. These beautiful frogs emerge at night and are small and silent. The search for them took all night included photography for identification. Other data collected included the exact location of each frog in relation to the grid site. This was added to the research of this vulnerable species. It was a real privilege to take part.

Rauparaha Copper at Tuff Crater

On a return visit to Tuff Crater in January I spent some time watching this butterfy feeding on Muehlenbeckia complexa on the edge of the tidal sea-water filled crater. Originally this butterfly was identified as a common copper but a professional lepidopterist at landcare has now identified it as Rauparaha’Copper, Lycaena rauparaha. This is another species to add to the Tuff Crater list.

"Welcome Swallow dipped in blue"

This is a late last post of 2011 but seemed appropriate with all this tropical rain today.

A couple of weeks or more back I was working on my computer when I was distracted, it doesn't take much, by this welcome swallow swooping and turning below the large oak tree that overhangs my garden from next door.

It was heavy rain and I think that maybe insects were disturbed from the tree. Apparently English oak trees can host up to 300 different species. The swallow was occasionally joined by another and I watched their acrobatics for some time.

Every so often this bird would stop for a rest on the washing line. A friend described this beautifully "A welcome swallow dipped in blue rests momentarily on our washing line while plucking insects from the falling rain"

I was able to take this photo with a long exposure which shows up the streaks of rain. I have been looking out this morning for hopefully a return visit. However these experiences with the natural world are so momentary.

Fantail Young

They moved at great speed and with excitement as their mother came to feed them. Flickering from branch to branch in anticipation of a good feed. Each young bird being fed in turn.

Then mother went away, beak empty of grubs and one by one they grouped at a high branch to rest side by side as if one bird.

Waiting patiently snuggled up in a sunny spot away from any danger from threats below, until food arrived and the whole cycle would begin again

MIRANDA

A couple of weekends ago I visited Miranda Shore Bird Centre. I was at the hide early because I didn't want to miss the high tide as I had on previous occasions. I then realised I was about two hours early, how keen is that? A volunteer guide from the centre arrived with an impressive Nikon scope.

I had already spotted a little group of wrybills that were fortunately pretty close but with the knowledge of the volunteer and a high mag scope along with other visitors we were treated to a wonderful collection of so many more birds further out at the waters edge. Godwits, black billed gulls, gull billed terns, variable oystercatchers, NZ dotterel, spur winged plover etc etc It now appears that only on very high tides does the water actually bring the birds close up to the hide.

While I snapped away at the closer wrybills I listened to every detail that the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteer shared with a small group of visitors that day including a couple from Sweden. I didn't want to leave as I soaked up the atmosphere and tried to assimilate a little more knowledge of this wonderful place. As the other visitors left the guide and myself continued to watch a variable oystercatcher actually break open an oyster shell. I am indebted to that volunteer for opening my eyes to such a wonderful sight. Sharing our delightful wildlife with other people is a real gift.

Auckland Botanical Society

The members of the ABS are a great source of knowledge about our wonderful bush reserves.

On a recent walk at Titirangi with ABS members I had my first sighting of Drosera auriculata the tiny insectiverous plant known as sundew.

On a walk in Torbay Heights Reserve on the North Shore this month we were fortunate to find some sundew in flower too. Sundew live on poorer soils where it supliments its nutrition by attracting small flies and insects to its sticky surface where it is able to gradually dissolve and absorb useful nutrients.

I used to find round-leaved sundew, Drosera rotundifolia on the heathland of Horsell Common near my home in the UK.

Karori Sanctuary and Zealandia

Visiting Wellington during September ( to see WOW) I was able to visit the karori sanctuary and the wonderful new Zealandia centre.

The native bird life in the sanctuary is easy to see and the Zealandia centre is excellent for its educational content, helpful staff and great food and coffee. There was even a free pick -up service from the cable car with a chatty and informative driver.

It was great to see tuatara, bellbirds, kakariki, North Island robin and many other species all on just a couple of visits, however the real surprise for me was sighting kaka flying wild from the reserve above the botanic gardens near the cable car.

Highly Recommended

Tiritiri Matangi

I realised that I had left it far too long to visit again this wonderful Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

An open sanctuary full of native birds, it's a credit to the Department of Conservation and the many volunteers who have planted so many native trees over many years to attract back the native birds.

This whitehead entertained us by flitting around in the tops of the trees along the Kawerau track. If the mainland reserves had the bird life of Tiri, we truly would be living in paradise.

A whole host of predators have to be removed before that day is possible. However a lot of progress is being made and some reserves are now protected by predator-proof fences.

Pied Shag in Knots! -

I had been walking the coastal footpath between Takapuna fossil forest and Milford beach looking for a kingfisher that I had seen the day before. I was distracted by the sight of this Pied Shag unfortunately all tied up with fishing line. It appeared to be trying to remove the line which I first thought was grass reeds amongst its feathers. As I got closer I could clearly see that this bird was struggling and its feathers were well and truly caught. As it flew off it hit the water awkwardly. I wonder how long it will survive?

Takitumu Conservation Area

On a recent visit to tropical Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Island group of Islands in the Pacific ocean, I had set as a goal the idea of visiting the Takitumu Conservation Area.

This area of land, owned by three families, had been set aside to help with the restoration of the population of the seriously rare kakerori bird. In the 1980's it was thought that there were less than 30 left worldwide.

In recent years, due to a management programme that includes irradication of pests, the kakerori has made a comeback. With the help of Tom Daniels a great Cook Islander and member of one of the families involved I was able to see this bird as Tom guided myself and two other visitors through the conservation area, ending at a high ridge where we were also able to see flying foxes(fruit bats) leaving their roosts in the evening.

Feeding Frenzy

During March and April there was much activity in our North Shore bush reserves by native birds, particularly the tui and kereru as they build up food reserves.

Enjoying a feeding frenzy amongst the kahikatea, mahoe and puriri trees, the fruiting bodies of these trees provide an important resource for these and other birds.

Apparently intoxicated by their activity some birds, like this tui, appear to risk precarious positions to get to their chosen fruit.

Bush book Available Now.

One of my summer photography projects was to complete a modest photo book, illustrating a few of the 'rich variety of species to be found in North Shore bush reserves'.

Many of these images were taken on Discovery Walks with Margi Keys. My thanks to Margi for checking my text on more than one occasion.

By clicking on this book link you will be able to view prices and ordering details.

A tale of two eels.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been watching a kingfishers nest on a stream in a bush reserve on the North Shore. While patiently waiting and watching for the parents to approach the nest, which was in a hole in the bank on the far side of the stream, I noticed something moving in the water.

Gradually I could make out the shape of a long dark eel approximately 1 metre long. This eel continually patrolled below the nest site, swimming up and down stream just below the surface which was also below the noise of the chirping young in their nest.
On a my next visit I watched the kingfisher adults visiting the nest and the eel once more patrolling up and down stream as I had observed before.

It was a few days after Cyclone Wilma, when I made my next visit. I could sense that all was not well, no chirping from the nest and no sight or sound of adult kingfisher along the stream.

Unfortunately the flood of water that had raced down the stream from heavy rainfall, had flooded the nest. I could see plastic rubbish lodged in branches some two metres above the usual stream height. The nest was less than a metre above the waters surface. So no chirping from any young, anymore.

I did see a large dark eel again but it no longer patrolled up and down below the nest but seemed to have a more random route.
After watching for some time I saw another smaller eel, light olive-green in colour, searching below the surface on my side of the stream. This is the eel in the photo above. I saw no kingfisher on this visit.

Ouch!

One of these Asian paper wasps stung me today as I backed up to our little puka tree while cutting a hedge in the garden.

My first thought was that puka trees do not have thorns but as I looked over my shoulder I could see the mushroom shaped nest with busy occupants, attached to the underside of a puka leaf.

The sting was like a being stabbed by a small needle in my back but fortunately it was only one of the wasps that I had antagonised.