Motuora Island

It's a working party group to Motuora Island today with MRS the Motuora Restoration Society  and the weather is perfect and more importantly the sea is calm. We are a smaller group and wondering what tasks are before us. We are quickly landed and then to work today clearing invasive weed from the ponds on  the Island.

 Jennifer Graeme and I tackle the smaller one with no water. It's completely dried up but surrounded by close bush so became very hot and quite airless to work. However the task was completed and then we were free to explore the Island until the pick up boat arrives at 3.30pm.

 I always head for the North and Southern most points of the Island and do my usual search for copper and blue butterflies. Then for a swim to cool off . We all wanted to stay in the water the temperature was just perfect and it was good to wash off some of the dirt from the mornings work especially those that had chosen the pond with knee depth water.

Another great day on this beautiful Island.

 

 

Common Copper Female feeding on muehlenbeckia 

 



Young Caspian Tern begging for attention and food.

Juvenile Gannet at the new colony

 

 

Jennifer pond clearing

Graeme pond clearing

Just about finished

Common Copper Male on muehlenbeckia.

 

Just Back. More photos to follow

Ian Wells Track- Waitakere Ranges.

The reason and highlight of my joining this walk today was the chance to see cave wetas at an old mine working on the Ian Wells walking track in the waitakeres.

 

Filmy fern

Cave weta in old mine working

 

 

More photos to follow

Make the most of your Toast!

 

Black-backed gulls are great scavengers and are a high risk to nesting shore birds who don't only have to contend with disturbance from us, our dogs and predators but also have to contend with nature itself on a daily basis.

 However today this gull at Shoal bay appears to be  too busy looking for vegemite!

Beach House Hideaway

We are staying for a week at a secluded beach house on the Mangawhai coast. Its great place with the added bonus that it looks over the Fairy tern nesting area on the Mangawhai spit. Thanks to a friend I soon recognised a Fairy tern call and two flew over me heading West.

Its a great place for looking down on the Fairy tern as they feed below diving for fish in the Mangawhai estuary.

 I managed to get some shots of the birds as they flew past after feeding. Its been a poor   nesting period due to the very high winds that scattered chicks and caused birds to abandon nests.

 I decided to keep away from any remaining nesting sites and opted for a trek up to Te Arai point This was successful and a great walk on white sand with beautiful waves crashing onto the beach.

 I was able to photograph two birds preening themselves near a little group of White fronted terns.

Returning today I watched another younger bird preening itself. They are all banded so should be able to get their history.

 This was the very area that I had taken part in an NZ dotterel count during 2013 with Gwen and Eliane.




We have just had another swim and next it's a BBQ and then a soak  in the hot tub on the deck  to gaze at the stars.

This is a fabulous place.

Off Track - Tongariro Volcanic Zone

Heading to Mount Ruapehu to walk to the Te Maari Craters. Our leader is Harry Keys a DOC scientific technical  adviser on volcanology. A Big Thanks to Margi for making this happen. Please thank Harry for his time and shared knowledge. It was a great fun time at the lodge too. I'm still laughing about the conversation about the little blue pills!

 

Thanks Neil,  I never get in photos!

 

You can tell that I'm enjoying myself!

 

 

Thanks Neil, Hope my sister is having a look!

A rare creature I am usually on the other end of the camera as you see. Thanks to Neil Davies

 

 

 

Back to Bush

 

 

More Photos to follow.

Summer Days and Evening light 2015

 

 

 

 

More photos to follow