November

What is it about November? Some you gain some you lose, that’s friendships over time. As my friend Margi says "Friends are for a Reason a Season or Forever."

I seem to meet such interesting people in November usually in the great outdoors usually on a beautiful beach. Last November was no exception. We have just celebrated a year of friendship, with interesting fun times walking, birding, kayaking the coast and exploring bush reserves.

 I look forward to another season and thank all friends for their continued fun and for just being their wonderful selves. Don’t ask me what this photo was about I really can’t remember. It was simply about just being there.

Hauturu (Little Barrier Island)

At last!  I have been trying to get to Hauturu for some time but last year each time we got close the weather turned and the boat was cancelled and its quite a mission to get permits and all your gear through the quarantine process which is designed to protect this amazing Island. However it was worth waiting for.

 Richard and Leigh, the Department of Conservation Rangers with their two children were at the formidable pebble beach to meet us as we landed in small groups trying to avoid the occasional incoming wave.

Hauturu has over 400 species of plants and is home to more endangered bird species than any other place in New Zealand.  Leigh likened Hauturu to Galapagos in terms of importance and significance on a World scale as far as the range of incredible wildlife to be found.

Thanks to Sally everything was very well organised and thanks to someone else the weather was absolutely perfect.  We had a marvellous day and thanks to Lyn too for the beautiful guided bush walk. We saw kaka flying overhead and whiteheads, bellbirds, saddleback and heard kakapo, kokako and long-tailed cuckoo.  We also saw young tuatara and the amazing wetapunga which as you can see is a huge insect much larger than a mouse, here is one sitting on Leigh's wrist.

More to follow... Photos at this link http://creativemomentsimages.co.nz/library/hauturuNov2013/

 

 

Muriwai

A quick visit to Muriwai not so much for the gannets but to visit family who are settling into their new house above the cliffs and the gannet colony.

Just  had to have a look at the birds and then became engrossed in the white-fronted terns catching fish and feeding their partners high on the cliffs next to the gannets.

Fantail with History at Tuff Crater

Today I was pleased to catch a glimpse of a familiar to me, male banded (ringed) fantail, at Tuff crater.

I first saw this bird on the 10th July 2012. I sent photos showing the bands to Massey University to find out any information regarding its history.

  A researcher at Massey  sent me the details that this bird was born on the 14th November 2011 in a nest that had been found in a garden at the edge of Tuff Crater on the 21st of October 2011.

 There had been two male chicks and two female chicks born. The fledged banded bird was then last seen on the 3rd of December 2011.
 I again came across this bird on the 5th March 2013 and sent further photos to Massey and the researcher noticed from the photos  that its left foot was damaged.

However it appears to be still OK because it was with another fantail this morning that delighted me with its frequent visits (every two to four minutes) to this little nest as it added more material to the build.

 I will keep an eye on it and hopefully we will see eggs laid and chicks hatched if all goes well.