Grotto

Auckland is a fascinating area for its volcanic history and features surrounding the city and today was a chance to visit the Grotto at Onehunga. Its thought that this feature was caused by a volcanic collapse over flowing larva.



Geoff Ewen and Claire enjoying the shower!

Maybe not the best day to visit because as soon as we assembled to hear Tim explain the site the heavens opened and we stood listening in a downpour. A good turn out though as usual and good to catch up with people. We were soon heading into what was once a pond and wetland but today was dry underfoot from the summer drought. Then we explored botanising the surrounding bush, clambering up the muddy sides  of the pit which was a privet forest. Mike spotted a maidenhair fern.

The rain stopped until we came out then a torrential down pour. A quick lunch in the car and on to our second destination Anne's bay and a walk along the mangrove lined foreshore with weed and pest plants galore but also Muehlenbeckia and a native geranium and Mike showed us sea grass as the tide was now receding. Then spoonbill were spotted sifted the water of the estuary and a total of six were seen which was great climax to the day.

Photos to follow...................................

Browns island - Hauraki Gulf

I have wanted to get to this volcanic Island for a long time having sailed past it many times on my way to and from other Islands in the Gulf particularly Motuihe Island. Today was my chance with a group of 30 organised by Margi with brother  Harry Keys who is a DOC volcanologist that led our walk in January at Tongariro.

Browns island 68 metre volcanic cone

 

On board The Facilitator

 

Heading out from St Heliers beach

The Summit

 

Jumping for Joy! I was having a great day.

 

Browns Island landing

29 NZ dotterel on the volcanic beach.

Photos and more to follow.....................

Bird Island - in the Kaipara.

Bird Island today.  I tagged along with a friend for a high tide bird roost count.  The weather was fine with no wind  so an easy paddle across before high tide. A few traps were checked before arriving at the Northern tip to set up the scope and start counting. At least 2000 South Island pied oystercatchers was a good start. And godwit, white-fronted and Caspian tern. Just one variable oystercatcher(VOC)

When the  three sites were counted we than checked and re-baited  the trap lines that   protect the Forest and Bird created  fairy tern site on the Island.

 Six tons of shell were helicoptered in a while back in the hope of giving our very rare fairy tern another site to nest at. The East coast sites are under pressure and this site is on an Island with the potential of little disturbance.

The high tide bird roost

Long-tailed blue

Counting at one of the three high tide  sites.

Godwit flyby

Good Nature trap being re-baited

Where you go I will follow and get covered in mud too.

Fairy Tern decoys. Not so sure about those skewers.

 Weeding!

Heading back on the low tide. Some haulage will be required.

REWARD- Kontiki Salvage on the 3rd of March resulted in a reward from the owner who came to pick it up a couple of weeks ago. So that paid for dinner and a glass of wine or two at the Thai restaurant which  I got to choose as it was my turn.

 

Frack off to Deep Sea Mining

At the march today an array of signs one stating 'Frack off' and this one that I think sums it up. Even China is moving towards the idea of  developing and using cleaner fuels.

Shoal Bay Forest & Bird Walk

Following on from the newspaper article last Tuesday, today was a chance to take a group of  Forest and Bird members for a walk along the shell barrier bank at Shoal Bay.

 Meeting at one of our new signs at  10.30am  a good turnout of people arrived. This later  included Margi and some of her 'Bush Walk and Talk' people from an earlier Saturday morning walk who turned up just after 11am and this made a good number of 15 people for checking out the birds in the estuary.

                    

                      

 

 We watched  pied stilts, NZ dotterels, kingfisher, Caspian tern, white- faced heron, and  Southern Black backed gulls, adult and juvenile.

Many Thanks to Neil Davies and Margi Keys who supplied these photos of our group today.

Secrets Out!

 

Here I am proudly showing off our new signage at Shoal Bay. Hannah Morris wrote a great article after meeting me and a local resident Eddie Hatch a couple of weeks ago.

 Eddie lives in a house overlooking the bay and has noticed that people seem to be taking more care to pick up litter and not disturb the birds since our Forest & Bird Interpretive signage was installed.

 There is a duplicate sign on the far side of the estuary below O'Neills cemetery on the far side of  the 'new' pipeline walkway and cycleway bridge.

Part of a group of 100 pied stilts with 9 bar-tailed godwit seen today

Maiden Voyage.

My replacement kayak was given a test at Shoal Bay today with a large expanse of water to explore due to a 3.6metre high tide. This enables me to cross the mangroves and explore a shell bank that could act as a good nest site for NZ dotterel. The retractable rudder was ideal when crossing these areas and useful for steering in the deeper areas of the bay.

 Today there were six pied stilt and two black backed gulls on this unreachable by land shell bank. However on the longer  shell barrier bank there was only a small area not submerged due to the high tide and this was crammed with over 80 pied stilts and four beautiful bar-tailed godwits in tundra colours ready for a their long flight to Alaska. Also the same Caspian tern with a whining juvenile that I saw the other day and three VOC's (variable oystercatchers).

Just binoculars and a compact camera today which was unfortunate as a swamp harrier flew low just overhead and my 300mm lens which I normally carry would have captured him perfectly. Another time. I will be back.

 

 

Kawaka Reserve, a BBQ Catch-up and Birdie!

Good walk with Bot Soc led by Maureen through the Kawaka reserve about 9kms outside of Warkworth.

Then a catch-up and BBQ at  Anne and Johns lovely garden. And later a tour of the extensive grounds and feeding of the huge eels in the garden stream. Good to catch up with  Suzy and meet some new faces.

This was great fun especially watching John feeding his pet juvenile starling called Birdie with grapes and macadamia nuts.

 Thanks Eliane for a fun time on a beautiful autumn day.

Kauri Snail in Kawaka Reserve

 

Alseuosmia fruit



Copulating stick insects tricky to photograph clearly

John feeding Birdie

A late afternoon walk

Shoal Bay

Pied Stilt waiting for the tide to recede

 

 

Kontiki Salvage

While bird watching on the East Coast we found this rather expensive kontiki on the beach and decided to clear up the tangle of nylon line to make the beach safer.

 The battery was still showing a recharge light. We decided to rescue the device and struggled back to the car over the dunes. We thought it would be good to return to the owner and maybe find out where it had come from. Will post the outcome of this story

A prized Kontiki washed up on the East coast

 

 

Removing the nylon line from the sea also entangled in sea weed

 

Dangerous hooks and nylon a high risk for sea birds and other sea life

 

 

Yes I did help too with carrying it back to the car!

 

VOC nest but this is an infertile egg

 

Muehlenbeckia Fruit



Sea Primrose

REWARD- Kontiki Salvage on the 3rd of March resulted in a reward from the owner who came to pick it up a couple of weeks ago. So that paid for dinner and a glass of wine or two at the Thai restaurant which  I got to choose as it was my turn.

Okura Bush Walkway

Thanks Jocelyn A great Forest and Bird walk today along the Okura Bush walkway to Dacre cottage the little herders cottage built in the 1850's

 

Photos and more to follow...................................