Watchful eyes!
I took this photo at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on Friday. I just looked closely enough to realise that only one of the four ducks wasn't watching me.
😄
Watchful eyes!
I took this photo at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on Friday. I just looked closely enough to realise that only one of the four ducks wasn't watching me.
😄
Behold, a feeding frenzy of Plum Sharks!
Plum sharks AKA kererū, the NZ wood pigeon.
Plums are in full fruit in Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ, at the moment. I was on Valley Road today in Cashmere there were at least 11 kererū feasting in the plum trees up the side of the road.
I think plums are one of the big reasons that these birds venture down from the hills into the city at this time of year.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/333255361
#birds #fruigivory #plums #Prunus #woodpigeon #pigeons #kererū #nz #Christchurch #nature #iNaturalist #iNaturalistNZ
Behold, a feeding frenzy of Plum Sharks!
Plum sharks AKA kererū, the NZ wood pigeon.
Plums are in full fruit in Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ, at the moment. I was on Valley Road today in Cashmere there were at least 11 kererū feasting in the plum trees up the side of the road.
I think plums are one of the big reasons that these birds venture down from the hills into the city at this time of year.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/333255361
#birds #fruigivory #plums #Prunus #woodpigeon #pigeons #kererū #nz #Christchurch #nature #iNaturalist #iNaturalistNZ
What better thing to do on a grey rainy day that hang out with friends drinking (sugar water)?
The 1st of January 2026 has been a grey rainy day in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, and that's kept our garden sugar water feeders busy with korimako (NZ bellbirds) and silvereyes.
That's included visits from a couple of banded korimako, Right Red and Right Blue Green, whom we've not seen in our garden since mid-August. They were both regular visitors over the winter months and my guess is they both headed up into the Port Hills bush reserves during the Spring to breed.
Right Red was banded in our garden back in March 2022, and Right Blue Green was banded in our garden in July 2024 (both by my wife who's a certified Level 3 bird bander).
I made 29 observations today of bellbirds seen at our feeders, and that included Right Red twice and Right Blue-Green once, one juvenile once, and all the rest unbanded males.
#bellbirds #korimako #nz #SugarWaterFeeder #GardenBirds #birds #Christchurch
What better thing to do on a grey rainy day that hang out with friends drinking (sugar water)?
The 1st of January 2026 has been a grey rainy day in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, and that's kept our garden sugar water feeders busy with korimako (NZ bellbirds) and silvereyes.
That's included visits from a couple of banded korimako, Right Red and Right Blue Green, whom we've not seen in our garden since mid-August. They were both regular visitors over the winter months and my guess is they both headed up into the Port Hills bush reserves during the Spring to breed.
Right Red was banded in our garden back in March 2022, and Right Blue Green was banded in our garden in July 2024 (both by my wife who's a certified Level 3 bird bander).
I made 29 observations today of bellbirds seen at our feeders, and that included Right Red twice and Right Blue-Green once, one juvenile once, and all the rest unbanded males.
#bellbirds #korimako #nz #SugarWaterFeeder #GardenBirds #birds #Christchurch
We were out shopping at Barrington Mall today and I was surprised to see this big sign saying “Shopping is pointless” next to a photo of a happy woman in a field of flowers.
My first thought was that it’s some surprisingly on point anti-commercialism messaging to see in a mall at Christmas time.
Then I realised that a word was being blocked from view. When I made a few steps to the left, the whole sign reads “Shopping elsewhere is pointless.”
They were so close!
#mall #shopping #sign #nz #Christchurch #Ōtautahi #Christmas
We were out shopping at Barrington Mall today and I was surprised to see this big sign saying “Shopping is pointless” next to a photo of a happy woman in a field of flowers.
My first thought was that it’s some surprisingly on point anti-commercialism messaging to see in a mall at Christmas time.
Then I realised that a word was being blocked from view. When I made a few steps to the left, the whole sign reads “Shopping elsewhere is pointless.”
They were so close!
#mall #shopping #sign #nz #Christchurch #Ōtautahi #Christmas
It's time for a happy story.
As part of the Christchurch "Little Street Art Festival", artist Cameron Hunt put up public signage with a humourous twist.
One sign reads, "This area is slightly haunted but manageable" while another just says, "Don't".
It's time for a happy story.
As part of the Christchurch "Little Street Art Festival", artist Cameron Hunt put up public signage with a humourous twist.
One sign reads, "This area is slightly haunted but manageable" while another just says, "Don't".
Surprised to find these on my lawn this morning in #Christchurch #otautahi #nz
Very unseasonal
Look! Cinnabar moth!
Last summer I was surprised to find cinnabar moth caterpillars feeding on the native pahokoraka, Senecio quadridentatus, in the middle of Christchurch city, NZ. Cinnabar moths were released to control the European pasture weed ragwort back in the 1940s.
I collected four caterpillars and fed them on pahokoraka leaves until they pupated on 16 January. I put them on some scrunched up newsprint in a plastic container and put that outside in a shaded area of our garden. Today, three adult moths emerged.
They're day-flying moths which retain the poisons of their host plants and advertise that to would-be predators with their bright colours,
Hear ye #Christchurch #Otautahi people
Mt Pleasant Pottery Club Christmas market & Student Exhibition
7th December 2025 10am - 2pm
Te Papa Kura Park, Main Road, Redcliffs
Look! Cinnabar moth!
Last summer I was surprised to find cinnabar moth caterpillars feeding on the native pahokoraka, Senecio quadridentatus, in the middle of Christchurch city, NZ. Cinnabar moths were released to control the European pasture weed ragwort back in the 1940s.
I collected four caterpillars and fed them on pahokoraka leaves until they pupated on 16 January. I put them on some scrunched up newsprint in a plastic container and put that outside in a shaded area of our garden. Today, three adult moths emerged.
They're day-flying moths which retain the poisons of their host plants and advertise that to would-be predators with their bright colours,
I spent yesterday at Travis Wetland, Ōruapaeroa, which is a large wetland restoration site in eastern Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ. One of my MSc students, Tommy, is embarking on an invertebrate survey of the wetland, and we spent the day setting up Malaise traps (to catching flying insects) and pitfall traps (to catch invertebrates on the ground).
Tommy is repeating a survey done back in 1995–1996, when the wetland (then mostly wet farmland) was being purchased from a housing developer by the City Council.
We expect a lot to have changed (hopefully mostly for the better) as the vegetation of the wetland is much more diverse and native than it was.
Stay tuned over the summer for insect discoveries.
#entomology #wetland #restoration #InsectSurvey #insects #nz #LincolnUniversityNZ #research
Travis Wetland is a large urban wetland nature reserve. That means it's surrounded by people and their gardens on all sides, so it gets a constant inflow of pests (and pet cats) and weeds.
While working at the wetland yesterday, we found (and pulled out) the first records from the wetland of evergreen buckthorn and raphiolepis. Both are emergent woody weeds that are shade tolerant and make bird dispersed fleshy fruits. They're both still planted in gardens.
If you live near some wild native habitat, keep an eye out for new exotic plants establishing.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/328034270
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/328034276
#weeds #wetland #nz #Christchurch #BiologicalInvasions #iNaturalistNZ
It's opening night! I would love to see some friends in the audience.
This is the most technically ambitious production I've been in, and the most demanding for me personally. It's looking and sounding amazing and I can't wait to share it with our first audience.
https://www.repertory.nz/show/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles/
