December 2016

Black-billed Gull - Tarapuka #3

This gull is eyeing up the next fish it's about to dive for - Ashley Estuary Canterbury. Black-billed Gull is native to New Zealand and is critically endangered. Some of them breed at our local Ashley River on the shingle islands upstream from the estuary.

Black-billed Gull - Tarapuka #4

Black-billed Gull carrying a yellow-eyed mullet - Ashley Estuary, Canterbury. The Black-billed Gull is native to New Zealand and is critically endangered. Some of them breed at our local Ashley River on the shingle islands upstream from the estuary

Black-billed Gull - Tarapuka #6

Searching for fish to catch, Ashley Estuary, Canterbury. The Black-billed Gull is native to New Zealand and is critically endangered. Some of them breed at our local Ashley River on the shingle islands upstream from the estuary.

Crested Grebe chick

This fluff ball is taking time out to have a nap. The chicks are 4 weeks old and have started diving for themselves at times.

Crested Grebe Chicks

Chick bonding or should I say chick pecking, the chick on the right came up and tried to peck feathers from it's siblings back! As for eating feathers one suggestion is the ingested feathers form a plug in the pylorus, between the stomach and small intestine, which acts as a strainer to keep fish bones in the stomach long enough to be completely digested.

Crested Grebe

Female Crested Grebe, with a rudd fish for it's young.

Crested Grebe with small fish

Female Crested Grebe attempting to feed a rudd to 4-week old chick. It turned out it was too large, the female then had the luxury of devouring it!

Grebe chick with fish

"I don't think so babe, but nice try"

Crested Grebe

Female grebe is trying to down this fish that was brought back for chicks but was too large for them to eat!

Grebe selecting a feather to feed chick

One suggestion is the ingested feathers form a plug in the pylorus, between the stomach and small intestine, which acts as a strainer to keep fish bones in the stomach long enough to be completely digested.

White-faced Heron makes it's strike....

White-faced Herron makes it's strike on a crab at Ashley Estuary, Canterbury, New Zealand

Bee collecting honey from the lavender flowers

One of the many worker bees visiting our garden - lavendula anguvstifolia 'Pacific Blue'

Calendula flowers

Cheerful calendula's despite the rain. Calendula is a wonderful medicinal and culinary herb. I mainly dry the petals from my garden crop to make infused oil to use in my Nature's soap and skin care. I also add the petals to my Calendula and Gardeners Scrub Soap .

Wrybill - Ashley River

The Wrybill is the only species of bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways, always curved to the right which it uses to reach under flat river stones for water insects and larvae. They breed on the braided rivers of the South Island and migrate to the harbours of the northern North Island in the winter.

Black-billed Gulls - Tarapuka #5

This gull is eyeing up the next fish it's about to dive for - Ashley Estuary Canterbury. The Black-billed Gull is native to New Zealand and is critically endangered. Some of them breed at our local Ashley River on the shingle islands upstream from the estuary.

Black-billed Gull - Tarapuka #7

This gull is eyeing up the next fish it's about to dive for. Ashley Estuary Canterbury. The Black-billed Gull is native to New Zealand and is critically endangered. Some of them breed at our local Ashley River on the shingle islands upstream from the estuary.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Preening at Ashley Estuary, Canterbury

Bar-tailed Godwit

Preening at the Ashley Estuary, Canterbury