First time we have seen one of these.
Knarly looking thing, found at the beach beneath driftwood. Far bigger than the Common Earwig seen around suburban areas.
Hundreds of monarch butterflies gathering in Ernle Clark Reserve.
Young Bird / roosting at 5 PM in dark bush. Alerted to this bird by two dog owners when the dogs alerted the owners to the birds presence.
The Morepork / Ruru was about 3 metres from ground level.
Small fly collected as bycatch with Melicope ternata flowers, likely a pollinator
In the food forest of the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua are clusters of these 8-mm diameter fluted bird's nest fungi. They are around the rim of a piece of nursery poplar trunk (genus Populus) that was felled some 2.5 years ago. https://www.facebook.com/SanctuaryCommunityOrganicGarden/photos/a.979825745423892.1073741828.977483038991496/1605244076215386
These photos are of more than one specimen, but they all appeared to be the same species. Some were paused and apparently feeding.
3 mm wide cup fungi growing on fowl manure
Anas Platyrhynchos - Female mallard duck.
The duck is perched on a submerged rock in this pond preening, I lined up the reflections of the foliage of overhead trees (just turning autumnal) to get this effect.
Juvenile South Island Tomtit I believe. Fluttered around us on the Blowhard Bypass track on the way up Mt Richardson. Was quite friendly/curious.
Observed and photographed by Mark Blomfield
Gem nudibranch, Dendrodoris denisoni
Taken 7.15 pm at The Groynes Christchurch. There was a pair of them.
Playing around down the beach this morning.
This Slater (?) decided to walk past.
Very cool cryptic little dude.
Wasn't there a "Beachcombing" project here ?
Or is my grey haired old mind more addled than normal ?
Oblivious to anything else, these two fought.
Mosquito larvae from the "pond" in the backyard
Insectivore
Entoloma hochstetteri
Is it a fish? Is it a slug? Is it a fishy anemone? I do not have a clue what this is!
It is about 30mm long and there were a few of them in the sand - outgoing tide nearly on the turn. Most were buried and only the "fan fin" was showing.
Resting on the wet sand, when the sand collapsed it arched it's face upwards (2nd and third photos) and seem to spawn capsule from somewhere - there are 2 floating in the 4th pic.
Totally hypnotic, by the time my sister-in-law and I carried on the brother had walked 2kms away from us!
Egretta novaehollandiae - White faced heron.
I was lucky enough to have this fellow fly over my head and land in a tree, then having got my attention, fly to a pond and begin wading about. Most of the surface was dull at this hour, but there was a sweet spot, so I waited as he did his rounds skulking through the murk and waited for him to pass through the pools of color from the (just turning) autumnal foliage.