Many covering some of the Velella washed ashore. I guess they are under the small beach stones in the intertidal. Crazy.
Some had blue in the digestive canals.
When submerged in water they quickly drop off and crawl around.
~2 - 4 mm long
Something is boring holes in pine logs, lots of holes
in the wild we captured this big female for relocation.
This is the first photo of a Kakapo drinking in the wild.
female (unbanded) seen together with a male (zealandia banded 2020) several days in a row in the same area / looks like a new breeding territory. First time seen on Te Ahumairangi Hill
Photo by Melissa Boardman
ID for the paua - same as this observation: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/75744067
The Domain, Parnell, Auckland 1010. Three larvae feeding on the underside of a leaf on shaded tradescantia.
male, 5 mm
flagellar formula: 2 + 8 + 3/4
caught by James Tweed, alt. 300 m
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/73903356
Swept by day in shady ridgetop forest at about 400 m a.s.l.
Great white shark (possibly), swims beneath two seals
Youtube video of the shark here:
https://youtu.be/pMNiQZ1HgtI
dried dead gecko blown by wind and caught in between two rocks. freeeeaaaakkkkyyyy!
I often find crane fly exuvia/shells, but this is the first time I've found one emerging. I first saw what I thought was a honey dew thread with a bead on the end. But then it opened out and I realised it was a cranefly. In the first photo it has almost completely emerged, just the tip of its abdomen is still in the shell. The second photo is of the head of the exuvia/shell within a large borer hole in the tree trunk. At first the halteres aren't evident, but are seen in later photos as it dries out. Note the mites on the abdomen on the 4th photo, I found them also swarming over the exuvia - they evidently climbed on to the fly as it emerged. The 8th photo was 40 minutes after I started photographing, it flew off shortly after that. It appears to be 15 to 20mm long.
(the tree is a dead Holly tree)
Reasonably commonly swept from vegetation within beech forest.
An horrific find!
Bird dispersed seedlings of this terrible weed in the middle of a large remnant lowland podocarp sand dune forest. As far as I am aware this is THE only forest of it's type left.
The heavily browsed under story from years of cattle (gone) and deer (high numbers historically and presently) have reduced the understorey to unpalatable species only and let the light in. Now this ecosystem which in it's natural state would have been too dark for exotic plants to invade, is extremely vulnerable to bird dispersed invasive weeds spreading from the adjacent villages of Papatowai and Maclennan.
Recorded in this forest already in descending order of abundance are:
Blackberry abundant in places on edges as usual.
Himilayan Honeysuckle.
Darwin's Barberry. Common in edges and moving further in.
Rowan. Common in one corner.
Himalayan Cotoneaster abundant in edge and in clearings on landward side, seedlings in other edges.
European Holly. Only this patch of seedlings seen (but there will definitely be more especially on the Maclennan side).
Common Honeysuckle (Probably "Dutch Early Honeysuckle" Lonicera periclymenum var Belgica. One patch, on edge.
Cherry Laurel. Seedlings under beech canopy.
Probably here as young plants or seedling pioneers already (due to abundance close by) but not observed
yet in this block - unless the deer are cleaning them up:
Common Ivy.
European Black Elderberry
Spurge laurel
Chilean Flame Creeper.
Franchet's Cotoneaster.
Stinking iris.
Tutsan
Flowering currant
Bittersweet
Other bird dispersed invasive weeds (and potentials) found to date, close by in urban gardens and doc/Council land, but are still in the pioneer stage of invasion but not for much longer :
Wild Cherry
Japanese Flowering Cherry
"Wild" plum
Late Cotoneaster
Hollyberry Cotoneaster
Slender Cotoneaster
Japanese Honeysuckle
At least two "Rose of Sharon" St John's Worts
Arum lily.
Common privet.
Strawberry Tree
Korokia
Japanese Spindle Berry
European Spindle Berry
Black cherry (tbc)
Italian Arum
Gooseberry
Hardy Fuschia
Black Currant
Several other exotic fuschia
Himilayan Firethorn (tbc)
Common Yew
Wild Asparagus
Chilean Vanilla Tree
There will be more i haven't found yet. Will add information as it comes to light.
And that's just the bird dispersed ones! There are other weeds too that need attention.
COMPARISON OBS PLZ LEAVE AT GENUS LEVEL.
Comparison between:
Vespula vulgaris QUEEN.
V. vulgaris WORKER.
V. germanica WORKER.
For comparison with:
V. germanica QUEEN see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/35298484
For the two different QUEENS side by side see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/42534542
Complete set of castes germanica vs vulgaris see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/42536795
Complete set of germanica castes see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/42536794
Complete set of vulgaris castes see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/41663384
For ID of Vespula MALES see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/42040174
Also (with dissection):
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/116510663
For ID of Vespula WORKERS see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/41667758
And:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/69245344
For germanica QUEEN and MALE mating see:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/42534531
the coolest little dudes, only about one cm long, living on the gut weed in one pool!
It's another night and this wasp is still here diligently guarding this NZ mantis egg case.
First walk after the shift to Level 3, and this karearea flew up the ridge to settle on the stump in front of the top seat and check me out for a minute or two. One of two.
Northern (Coromandel) Striped gecko.
Official research undertaken in partnership with the Auckland Zoo.
Spotlight search. Gecko processed for svl, tl, w etc and catalogued.
Feeding on kohekohe fruit. Cleverly managed to hold onto the round marble-like fruit without dropping it.
Foraging on a Harakeke
These pups were absolutely adorable. They were playing. It seems like a rather odd place for them to be. They were tagged.
Two tiny puffballs on a different species of tree than usual /observations/45421511
The one in the cat's eye snail shell banged itself against the other one until the second crab left it's shell. Then first crab tried the other shell out for size before going back to it's original shell
Another interaction, with onlookers and an ornery neighbor
Palps looked lighter than they show up in the photos. I get coeruleviridis- what do you all think?
Explosive take-off on first downbeat of wings, grains of sand etc blown away from take-off site by downdraft.
Did I cry with happiness when I saw this gorgeous creature? Maybe :) I've been looking for one for so long!
ID based on Holloway 1991
Found this tiny male walking all over a square ended crab spider.
I should have held onto this until 2020-04-01 but thought I'd impose it on you good folks now ... yes the bird is in the photo!
New Zealand falcon - possibly juvenile. Tinakori Hill/Northland in pine tree by Northern Walkway. No leg bands.
Part of large colony, some pairs still with eggs and others with well-advanced chicks.
Vespula germanica. QUEEN.
Approx 20mm.
Comparison with:
V. vulgaris QUEEN
V. vulgaris WORKER
V. germanica WORKER
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/41271883
Presume it was a juvenile as it did not have the adult colouring. Distinctive curved beak.
There was another Kaka in the adjacent tree.
light brown and dark brown feathers on head and back and a wide white ring around its neck, with mallards
A couple (three?) bellbirds talking to each other (and a faint kereru flying past).
Feeding in the shallows on a low but incoming tide. Was in the middle of a large number of oystercatchers and black backed gulls until the water level saw them depart. Had to fight off a couple of gulls to keep its catch. Flew off to the east after 20 min of observing.
calf
About 3m long! It was slowly making its way down to the sea.