Various shaped nests found in area. I have sent off today 2 adults to be ID
@jacqui-nz highlighted for me these that were found down on the west coast at Karekare and wondered if they had been spotted at Otaipango - Henderson Bay. Seeing as these were spotted on the west coast I figured that the best place to find these were the Tohe - 90 Mile Beach and as I was going there that day, I kept an eye out for them and found them.
The photos that I have taken are mainly of ones still alive. I choose these photos as they highlight different parts of the animal - although somewhat blurry.
They are under 10mm in diameter, usually around 5 - 7mm. I also observed them swimming by closing the bottom and opening it, similar to how a jellyfish swims.
As we do not have an ID yet for this obs with it being a true jellyfish or maybe a Hydrozoa decided to go with Cnidarians initially as that encompases both Hydrozoa and Scyphozoa.
So here are a few more photos @clinton that may help with an ID or a difinitive class, if these in fact are the same that @jacqui-nz highlighted for me :)
Last photo (have to click the view all) shows them as blobs on the beach.
The location name is not accurate - Reason
Male and Female Paradise Shelducks
Kereru eating Karaka berries
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, Auckland 1072, suburb of Saint Johns, University of Auckland Tamaki Campus.
Habitat: Beaten from grasses and weeds at the margin of level 1 unsealed carpark.
Identification: Hemiptarsenus varicornis (Girault, 1913). Female.
Small and beautiful frog found under rock a few metres above stream.
Not sure what type of squid this is.
Hemiparasitic on mountain beech
Kunzea robusta growing with kaikomako and mapou, same as previous obs. labelled kaikomako. On river flats, 5 km inland. The flowers match the Identotron picture of K. robusta.
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, Auckland 0612, suburb of Henderson, 41 Rhinevale Close.
Habitat: In the back garden, at dusk, near some cultivated bromeliads.
Identification: PSYCHODIDAE sp. ST1. Female.
This is the only place I've seen Wiwi growing out of a tree stump, about 4km east of the dunefront.
Many of these arrived with the strong North Easterly wind. About 1cm long. floating on or just below the surface of the water. Some where attached together in a string of 5-6 'eggs'.
Carapace of a camouflage crab
I was taking macro photographs of the various insects landing on the daisies in the garden. When editing them I found that this tiny little guy has the most beautiful feathery wings. I thought I would add photos here.
I have estimated that this little thrip is <2mm long from the tip of the antennae to the end of the abdomen as the flowers are about 60mm diameter with a petal width of 6mm at the widest point. There were lots of them crawling around the daisies. I will try get some more photos but I fear this is probably the best I can do with my current lens set up as they are so small.
Dead rotifer likely Brachionus spp. being scavenged by smaller microorganisms.
Image also showing a heliozoan.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuCZpGViT2E
Young bird
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, Auckland 1010, suburb of Grafton, Symonds St Cemetery/Grafton Gully.
Habitat: On vegetation.
Identification: Felisacus elegantulus (Reuter, 1904). Female.
Fallen branchlets of Kunzea robusta with hemiparasitic dwarf mistletoe. I commonly encounter this here after strong wind. More discussion about this phenomenon at http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/2571983
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, suburb of Saint Johns, University of Auckland Tamaki Campus.
Habitat: Swards of long grass.
Identification: Mymar schwanni Girault, 1912. Female.
Twice I've seen this growing on the underside of the same old log.
Shots 3 and 4 from September last year.
This is in the Y of a branch and trunk on a 5 finger tree.
In the field I thought it was some sort of blue Lichen.
Now I'm not sure, it seems to have something to do with sap as well.
There was a patch on both sides of the Y.
The blue bit in pic 1 & 2 is 10mm long max.
A friend in Hamilton just sent this photo through of a moth on her window.
Only a guess on my behalf, some for of Wasp mimic Hover Fly ???
Found dead on the windowsill.
Have just started playing with coffee grounds to use as potting mix.
Had read on overseas sites that they were getting some colored moulds growing on the grounds.
I hoped to get some.
I'm not disappointed.
This ties up with observation
http://naturewatch.org.nz/identifications/5384707
One of the overseas sites said that the orange ones only grow on espresso grounds.
I don't know what these come from.
Cluster of scaly brown mushrooms growing from old cut stump beside track, probably Mahoe. About 1.5 cm across caps.
Found growing in thick bracken patch. Fluoro green colour.
On dead mingimingi (Leucopogon fasciculatus).
I found this 4mm high fungi in the Pureora Forest Park during Labour Weekend. I have attached a series of photographs as I do wonder if they are all the same fungi at different stages of development. The tan coloured fungi is exactly the same as the white one after it has been exposed to light for a day or so.
Flowering for the first time after 22 years.
Not sure if P. venusta.
Wasp drinking with Backswimmer.
Found these 4 chicks in their elaborately constructed nest (with moss?) in an hydrangea hedge . So not high up.. Less than 1m off the ground. Are they ?blackbirds? Tuis ? (We have a lot of tuis that feed in our garden).
tiny - about 3cm long -yellow frog with a dark band going under its eyes back towards back
.
I don't recall seeing these beetles anywhere else than at Tangimoana. 7-8mm long, living in a very sandy environment, no vegetation within 10s of meters.
Translucent fruiting bodies growing on a fallen log in native bush. About 70 mm across.
Indian Myna found in a hollow rotting fence post, sitting on two blue eggs.
One of five Hedgehogs found in a garden. All about 14cm long. This one was walking around with it's nose to the ground, most of the time.
Van broke down at Broken River so time to do some observing
bottom jaw of some shark species with very strange teeth each 3-4 mm diameter with tiny spines on the edge
Growing beside a main walking track in light shade. 5 stems. Suspect Gastrodia sesamoides. It was as green as shown in the photo no sign of the typical dark brown/purple colouring.
This lichen (if it is indeed one) caught our eye as instead of growing flat against the trunk, it gorws out from the trunk on a kauri trunk.
Acaena inermis, growing on consolidated shingle in stream bed
Single specimen lying on strandline.
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, Warkworth, Pohuehue Falls.
Habitat: Waterfall splash zone.
Identification: Peltigera sp.
several calls heard over the last few days. First time in 30 yr I've heard one in this semi-rural area
A couple of plants growing with Myosotis discolor in the carpark at the old St. James homestead complex
Locality: NEW ZEALAND AK, Auckland 1072, suburb of Saint Johns, Ngahue Reserve.
Habitat: Eucalyptus sp. On leaves.
One female, four males. First photo shows males. Photos 2 and 3 show female.
Not your typical Caladenia lyalii, this one does not have yellow calli, instead red calli . I located 8 plants in all the same within 100m in about half an hour of looking.
In damp open streamside habitats beneath swampy scrub and low forest
Seemed to be busily meeting on the ground.
Multiple angles plus preening behaviour.