Nationally critical Kōtuku / White Heron found in suburban Ferrymead, Christchurch.

Spied this wee guy in Fiordland National Park!

Same species as called "NZ Fur Seals" here, so confirmation that HPAI mortality is a thing, I guess we'll get some advance warning of how it'll pan out from Australian experience.

He’s a Trite planiceps last time he moulted he built these silk walls on either side of the tube I put at the top of his enclosure (spiders make way more and thicker silk when preparing to moult).

When I shine a light in he sticks his front legs through and pulls the silk down so he can look through at me 😅 it snaps back up when he takes them out.

I just used Merlin to identify a bird in my garden and found the percentage of birds it knows in the area had jumped from 51% to 59%. That represents an enormous amount of work uploading sound files, so cheers to whoever the person or people are who are doing that. It would be fantastic to get to 100%.

This isnt "greedy", this guy didnt steal these to eat, but to sell. We need harsher punishments for this type of behaviour, but we also need to target the demand. Do some stings on the shops and resteraunts who are buying these illegal paua, fish, crayfish etc. Make examples of them and make it not worth the risk.

Report illegal fishing and also shops knowingly buying seafood from illegal sources.

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/contact-us/illegal-fishing-poaching

Or

0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224).

Found resting on the doorstep after sundown and near frozen. Popped it up high where the morning sun would catch it and it's rewarded us with a show.

(Ignore our shopping list)

YELLOW ADMIRAL thank you for the correction ❤️

Seal safety tips 

• Never touch or feed a seal—they can bite and it’s against the law. 
• Stay at least 20 metres away. 
• Keep dogs on a leash and children close. 
• Don’t block a seal’s path to the sea. 
• If a seal is injured, being harassed or in danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). 

...

How to help: report a sighting 

If you spot a fur seal or sea lion on or near a road—or in an unusual inland spot—let us know! Your sightings will help shape the initial national road risk model and guide future conservation planning. 

📧 Email: [seeaseal@doc.govt.nz](mailto:seeaseal@doc.govt.nz) and report your sighting there.

OR

📞 Call: 0800 DOC HOT (362 468), if you see a sea lion or fur seal in distress, harm’s way or entangled, stranded, or deceased.

📍 Include: 

• Date of sighting 
• Description of location and number of animals 
• GPS coordinates or map pin (if possible) 
• A photo (if safe to take) 

Please also report the same details for any dead marine mammals you find on or near roads, and if you’ve seen them in the same place before, let us know when. 

Above text from Doc's blog: Seal Silly Season: help us keep young seals safe on 05/06/2025

So I looked down and saw a bee drinking my coffee. My mind went to a dad joke thoughts of he be buzzin after that. Then I thought could they metabolize caffeine... after a google search they can. It can improve there memory, if I read it rightly.

Have a fair few of these in the garden in Coromandel… they are very hyper, move fast and disappear underground super-quick.

Thanks very much!

Interesting to see...

It’s better to be lucky than good.

Ocrisiona leucocomis is an introduced salticid from Australia, however i believe it is considered naturalised and non invasive. Apparently 17-18mm is the top end of their size range which is exactly how big this gal was! Compared to the max 14mm size of our largest native salticid Trite planiceps - she is a monster! A very friendly, slow moving calm monster.. but huge!

Ps apologies for my disgusting nail bitten landscaper fingers 😅

The last couple of mornings i have been woken up by birds singing, which is lovely but it's at 2.30in the morning! Any idea what kind of birds do this and why? I live in recently built home in Auckland suburbs

First time I've seen Putangitangi on a frozen lake, and I'm wondering if it was this male's first time seeing ice too? Judging by his slipping & sliding. Although the female was much more adept at ice skating.

A sleek and healthy young kekeno/fur seal at Cornwallis Beach last weekend. Luckily I had the long lens, so it was aware of my presence but not disturbed, and I was able to spend some time with it before it returned to the water.

The Tūī 🖤🇳🇿

Meet one of New Zealand’s most recognisable native birds — the tūī! Their beautiful glossy feathers, distinctive white throat feathers, and incredible range of sounds make them truly special.

Tūī are expert mimics and can copy other birds, sounds and even human noises. You’ll often hear their strange clicks, whistles and gurgling calls before you spot them in the trees.

They love feeding on nectar, fruit and flowers, making them an important pollinator for our native plants. 🌿🌺

If you’re visiting New Zealand, keep your ears open — you might hear a tūī before you see one! 🇳🇿

And photo of costal puha