Archiv der Kategorie: Nature
Ornithology 103 – Adventures with Lorna, Part III Kapiti Island
Finally we were almost in for our second ornithological highlight of the trip, the Island of Kapiti. But we still had two whole days to kill while waiting for our permission, as only 50 people are allowed to go each … Weiterlesen
Ornithology 101 – Adventures with Lorna, Part I Wellington and Karori
The connection between bird (North Island Robin) and birder (Lorni) After driving through sheep county all morning Lorni and I made it to Mount Doom to pick up Melli only a few hours after her bioinformatics conference had ended. Back … Weiterlesen
Muriwai revisited
Back at Muriwai the chicks have hatched and are white little balls of feathers. The adults are busy regurgitating food and quarelling with one another. Not much else has changed, it is a bit warmer and Lorna has finally arrived. … Weiterlesen
Zion Hill Track
On the Zion Hill Track The Zion Hill Track starts of at my favourite Waitakare beach, Karekare, and quickly ascends to the shoulder of the 262m high Mount Zion.
Physalia physalis, the portuguese manowar
Part of the fun of walking alongside the beaches is that everyday brings something new, a new shell, a piece of kelp, rests of a dead fish or in this case a couple hundred small portuguese manowars, the hydrozoan colonies … Weiterlesen
The Pinnacles via the Kauaranga Kauri and Billy Goat Trails
View from the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail to Tabletop Mountain. The rock formation on the left is the inner plug from a 15 million year old and eroded volcano.
All good things come from Australia… The White Tailed Spider (Lampona cylindrata and Lampona murina)
Just when you thought that Australian invasive possums in New Zealand where a pretty bad thing, one comes across this little creature (Lampona cylindrata or Lampona murina) peacefully lumbering across the board floor of our house. Although it looks pretty … Weiterlesen
Shaping the future together – the Ninth Annual New Zealand Molecular Ecology meeting
We teamed up with some fellow students for the ride to Wellington and the ninth annual New Zealand molecular ecology meeting on Friday. After an early start everyone settled into his or mostly her corner of the university bus we … Weiterlesen
Karekare II, The swamp and beyond…
A few pictures from a hike along the coast from Karekare to a swamp behind the dunes. The beach at Karekare. Forest with cabbage trees near the tunnel.. A kingfisher (Halcyon sancta vagans) showing off. Feeling a wee bit tired … Weiterlesen
Praying Mantis Attack!!!
Today we had a surprise guest in our yard, a miniature praying mantis. I’ve always been fond of them, maybe because of the never drawn Gary Larson comic with a mantis coming into a singles bar with his decapitated head … Weiterlesen