They're Back !

 Concern was growing that the usual arrival of the bar-tailed godwit to our local estuaries had somehow been disrupted. Eleven had been counted at the beginning of the month but this them reduced to a second sighting of just four a few days later. Then no further sightings at their usual high tide roost sites.

However, on Saturday 39 were recorded in Ngataringa Bay and then this morning I counted 68. It was a very windy and fairly cool count this morning and that's how the weather has been this month, I suspect that this is the reason for the rather inconsistent early arrivals from their flight nearly 12000 km flight from Alaska to spend the summer with us before returning to Alaska to breed via China next March.

So too are a pair of mallard ducks back visiting our pond this morning. I guess they too were seeking shelter from the strong winds across the nearby estuary.

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

Fossil Forest

 Some 250,00 years ago there was a forest area at the Northern end of Takapuna beach when the sea level was far lower. Rangitoto island erupted, and molten lava surrounded the larger trees and as it solidified formed deep cones. The timber continued to burn as the molten lava cooled forming a fossil forest that is still visible particularly at low tide.

Just recently probably due to some recent storms and rough seas gooey sandstone has appeared in a greater amount than I can remember observed as the tide recedes about halfway along the kilometer long Takapuna beach. Sticking out of this mix of sand and mud are many pieces of blackened wood appearing like small tree stumps. 

These are probably branches and trees that have floated out from rivers and have been captured by the sand and mud. I will try and find out more about this strange phenomenon. 

The Firth Tower.

 During a recent visit to the Cambridge Matamata area in the Waikato it was interesting to visit the Firth Tower near Matamata township. I had read about this tower some years back but didn't appreciate the undertaking, location and the present site as a museum including some very interesting old buildings.