benackerley's Favorites

Within a farmland.
Observed during a unitec trip, with @ pjd1.

Coastal (shore of a rock within the lagoon).
Observed during a unitec trip, with @ pjd1.

Coastal (shore of a rock within the lagoon).
Observed during a unitec trip, with @ pjd1.

Observation for the parasitic mites (Ixodidae?):
https://inaturalist.org/observations/239617895

Attracted to lights at night.

Put on this amazing display of outstretched wings and flared tail feathers in response to being mobbed by a raven.

Alpine.

John Child bryophyte and lichen workshop 2023.

Titirangi, Auckland.

Zigzag Track, in Atkinson Park.

Observed during a unitec trip, with @ pjd1.

A very pretty bird I did not recognise. Calmly perched on a flax branch.

Woohoo! An awesome sighting for Coopers Lagoon!
Was hanging around with Pied Stilts, and eventually flew off.

Lake Coolmunda

Single bird, no calls. In an open paddock in Waitoki at 12.30pm.

Endemic species. Seen off the Poor Knights Shelf Area during the Petrel Station Seabirding Tours.

Native Podocarp-broadleaved forest, under a damp decomposing wood.
I didn't expect this when I flipped the piece of wood. Carefully placed back after getting images.

I don't want this one :)

An endangered endemic species of New Zealand. The total population is about 200 birds. Conducted Shore Plover monitoring of 7 banded birds on Motutapu Island with New Zealand DOC.

Digitations on first two segments of antennae

Exquisite Alborn skink located while population monitoring! I have obscured its location considerably.🦎

Photographed a pair at a nest while on The Forty-Fours Motuhara during albatross research.

Leopard Seal attacking and eating juvenile Adelie Penguin

Big flock eating pine nuts from pine cones. Second day in a row.

Sulphur checking out peachy the resident hybrid gala x corella

Continuing bird. Great birding this morning with @islandnaturespotter

with Hawkes Bay tree weta, Hemideina trewicki, a common association in this area.

Absolutely stunning P. h. anatokiensis! Shell size approx. 70 mm. 🐌

in pitfall

I think it's a male, but not too sure. Location obscured

Seen same ight as @euanbrook observation, but is different gecko then his ob

Lakes Skink, but Inat doesn't have it as a separate species, this one appears to be rather melanistic.

Oligosoma aff. chloronoton "West Otago"

Location obscured, new record for this species.
Gravid female.

Seen flying at a distance over Porangahau River. I initially thought it was a kahu, but seemed blacker, with a different wing beat, so I photographed in order to ID later.

Presumably escapee from nearby property

This bird was found on Muriwai Beach then successfully rehabilitated but the NZ Bird Rescue Trust. The identification was confirmed as a juvenile Lesser frigatebird by bill measurements and markings.

Chick, taken with trail camera.

First NZ record - https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Notornis_32_4-1985-pp322-323.pdf

Seen a few years ago on the West Coast.
Had notably less distinct markings than a bar-tailed, and had notably dark underwings.