Next door to the coastal village of Kaiaua (see my last post) is the small
settlement of Miranda, and it was here that I visited the Miranda Shorebird
Centre.
There was not much time to linger here, as it was almost
high tide and the perfect time to visit the bird hides at Robert Findlay
Wildlife Reserve.
The birds most obviously in evidence were these South Island
Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus finschi) gathered together on the mudflats.
I was informed that there were Wrybills (Anarhynchus
frontalis) present in this group of birds, but had no way of getting close
enough to see them properly.
It was different with the Pied Stilt (Himantopus himantopus),
of which there were several to be seen as they poked about in the shallow water
for insects to eat.
There were a number of White Faced Herons (Egretta
novaehollandiae) in the area. They are a
relatively new arrival in New Zealand, having become self-introduced in the
1940s.
This group of Pied Shags (Phalacrocorax varius) standing to
attention were beautifully silhouetted in the still waters of a nearby pond.
We have another sunny day here, after a slight frost this
morning.
I have a funeral to attend this afternoon (a lady who was a
friend of my parents), and then we will be into the weekend again. The year seems to be going by quite quickly.
Make the most of every day – life is too short not to!
Margaret 😊
I really enjoyed seeing some of the birds of your beautiful island, Margaret. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love that you have such pretty places to visit...with cooler temperatures I'm sure it's a delightful way to spend time. Thank you for sharing them with us. You're so right...I remember hearing, "Time flies, whether you're having fun or not." So you're right...make the most of each day! Funerals are difficult...sending wishes across the miles for comfort. Mary
ReplyDeleteWe love our vicarious birding day out - especially like the pied shags.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful... and clever post. Yes, the years just fly by, it is scary.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures of the ocean and birds. Have a wonderful... evening? Hugs.
You are right Iris! It is half past seven in the evening as you posted here :)
DeleteLooks as though you had a wonderful day Margaret - the photos are stunning!! Thanks for sharing them. We are forecast a 0 oC frost, and I am expected to go and watch my grandson's soccer game in the morning.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Maxine
My favorite shore bird is the Avocet, so beautiful. I get to see them while in North Dakota helping at our friends farm and rarely see them anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteI drool at the thought of seeing a Wrybill. I would have had my spotting scope trained on that group of oystercatchers until I found a Wrybill hiding in amongst them! Such a unique bird, and found only in New Zealand.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so fun to see all those birds!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. I am love birdwatching too, I am in the UK so it is always fascinating to see birds in other parts of the world. Thank you so much for sharing
ReplyDelete