The first of the eastern bar tailed godwits from Alaska have arrived in Christchurch. The estuary that is their summer home is about a kilometre from my house.
According to Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, most of the birds fly across the central Pacific, a non-stop journey of 11,000 kilometres, so I guess they spend their first days here resting and eating.
Hundreds of glossy ibis have arrived in UK and Ireland, the total at the minute is 600. And I remember when it was a rare bird. Presumably partly because of global warming. If you are into birding, check out local estuaries etc.
We find that with lots of bugs, they get eaten. We get a rather nice shield bug, which goes brown in autumn, although they've been missing this year. Too hot?
We also get the amazing rose chafer, which is a brilliant metallic green colour. It's supposed to nibble on various plants, but we leave it. It's also a detritivore!
I was very pleased to see a little lizard that lives in my mum's back garden - and one morning a turtle dove perched in the tree outside (in Cyprus). I also had a call and response one late evening from a local cockerel and an owl calling to each other!
Headed to a nearby town this morning, I spotted a young male moose. Tapped my brakes just to warn the cars behind me of its presence. Fortunately, it turned and headed away from the road.
Spring has sprung. Yesterday evening a pretty green grass snake went along our back fence.
Unfortunately, the biting ?march flies have hatched. Lots of spider webs as well.
The Pacific Bazxas are upsetting the noisy miners, and the groups of kookaburras are trying to outdo each other with their calls, and chasing others off fairly aggressively.
And the skinks are emerging from the undergrowth.
Sounds idyllic @LatchKeyKid. A couple of weeks ago we had a visit from a pair of black swans, but I am sad to say they appear to have moved on. Plenty of ducks and bin chickens though!!
I've seen a couple of little skinks darting in and out of the pots as I've been watering them this week. They are so quick!! Mr Fluffy cat was very excited to see a magpie in the garden this morning, good think he (the cat) was on his lead. However, I do have a suspicion that he might have come off second best had there been a to-do.
Bin chickens are called Sacred Ibis (or Straw Necked Ibis) I think. They are native to Australia and have adapted to urbanisation, and take advantage of easy access to food they find in waste bins, allowing a large population growth.
This morning, a couple of young magpies wandered near our breakfast area, searching for food and practicing their warbling. Although they all sound much the same to us, I understand there are differences that other magpies can use to identify them.
Four of those brightly red coloured King Parrots flew overhead as I was playing tennis yesterday afternoon. They come to our garden singly, or occasionally in pairs. This is the first time I've seen a group of four.
A 2 metre carpet python visited us yesterday. It found a gap in our stone wall and almost vanished into it, but before its tail entered, its head came out of another gap. Perhaps it already knew the hidey-hole. After a while, it departed for next door's garden. Perhaps it wasn't keen on us knowing its "retreat".
On a different tack, but still part of the naturalworld, we've just been in the chilly outside watching the equinox sunset. A near cloudless sky gave great visibility
Bin chickens are called Sacred Ibis (or Straw Necked Ibis) I think. They are native to Australia and have adapted to urbanisation, and take advantage of easy access to food they find in waste bins, allowing a large population growth.
Sacred ibis are a different closely related African species from the Australian white ibis.
Much of southern Britain has been blessed with an invasion of Glossy Ibis over the last few weeks. I saw 33 of them one day at a reservoir near here and others have seen over 60 there. As visitors, they have been increasing in recent years and have even been recorded as having bred. This influx is thought to come from souther Iberia where they had an unusually successful breeding season followed by a drought.
Although the photos etc in that Wikipedia entry make it very clear what Glossy Ibis look like, the map there is out of date. They are much more widespread now in southern Europe than it implies.
Lepidopterist Beaky husband was thrilled just now when a Monarch butterfly swooped across the deck here at daughter's house. We have three weeks of Spring here in NZ in which to enjoy such novelties. 😍
Fox is okay but maybe eat your cat. Coyote eats fox so there you go. Wolf eats coyote would be a joke. Pretends to be the boss dog. Coyote is smarter. is the trickster.
Trumpeter swans showed up. These guys got maybe 8 foot wings when spread out. Come down from Artic. Means things gonna freeze up soon. Thats a season for us. We got 6 seasons not 4 seasons. 5 degrees it is today.
I spent the day chasing a woodpecker out of my Palm Tree. The one across the street had to be removed due to disease caused by woodpecker damage. He/She? is very cute BUT.
Our cat has co mingled with our neighborhood fox for the past five years at least. It does not seem to be at all interested with her. Now, if a coyote shows up, that may be a different story.
Nearby school district reported a young bull moose is hanging around a small part near a school bus pick up.
I live in a city with a fair bit of park area. MS. C and I were out for a walk early these week and saw 7 deer divided between two properties on a street one over running parallel to our street.
Fox is okay but maybe eat your cat. Coyote eats fox so there you go. Wolf eats coyote would be a joke. Pretends to be the boss dog. Coyote is smarter. is the trickster.
Trumpeter swans showed up. These guys got maybe 8 foot wings when spread out. Come down from Artic. Means things gonna freeze up soon. Thats a season for us. We got 6 seasons not 4 seasons. 5 degrees it is today.
In the UK foxes are generally much more interested in bins than cats.
There was a macaw in our neighbour's lemon scented gum today. It may not count as wildlife as it is an escapee from someone's place and not a native bird.
There was a macaw in our neighbour's lemon scented gum today. It may not count as wildlife as it is an escapee from someone's place and not a native bird.
I misread that as a macaw *with* lemon scented gum, and spent a good two seconds wondering if macaws can chew gum before rereading.
There was a macaw in our neighbour's lemon scented gum today. It may not count as wildlife as it is an escapee from someone's place and not a native bird.
I misread that as a macaw *with* lemon scented gum, and spent a good two seconds wondering if macaws can chew gum before rereading.
Comments
According to Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, most of the birds fly across the central Pacific, a non-stop journey of 11,000 kilometres, so I guess they spend their first days here resting and eating.
Oh, how lovely!
We've just had a visit from a Field Mouse 😍
Ants are an important food for many birds, and help aerate the soil.
Over the years, we've seen quite a few painted ladies in Central London...........
Unfortunately, the biting ?march flies have hatched. Lots of spider webs as well.
The Pacific Bazxas are upsetting the noisy miners, and the groups of kookaburras are trying to outdo each other with their calls, and chasing others off fairly aggressively.
And the skinks are emerging from the undergrowth.
I've seen a couple of little skinks darting in and out of the pots as I've been watering them this week. They are so quick!! Mr Fluffy cat was very excited to see a magpie in the garden this morning, good think he (the cat) was on his lead. However, I do have a suspicion that he might have come off second best had there been a to-do.
This morning, a couple of young magpies wandered near our breakfast area, searching for food and practicing their warbling. Although they all sound much the same to us, I understand there are differences that other magpies can use to identify them.
Although the photos etc in that Wikipedia entry make it very clear what Glossy Ibis look like, the map there is out of date. They are much more widespread now in southern Europe than it implies.
Trumpeter swans showed up. These guys got maybe 8 foot wings when spread out. Come down from Artic. Means things gonna freeze up soon. Thats a season for us. We got 6 seasons not 4 seasons. 5 degrees it is today.
Nearby school district reported a young bull moose is hanging around a small part near a school bus pick up.
I guess word is getting around, the tuquoise swim bottoms deliver the goods.
Also our European blackbird is back. He bogged off sometime around the first week of June but is back making his territory known.
AFF
In the UK foxes are generally much more interested in bins than cats.
I misread that as a macaw *with* lemon scented gum, and spent a good two seconds wondering if macaws can chew gum before rereading.
🤣🤣🤣