The Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China and Mongolia in the South. E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies. The Marsh Fritillary is in decline in Europe and one […]
The Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a brightly coloured arctiid moth, found in Europe and western and central Asia. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control poisonous ragwort, which its larvae feed on. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its […]
Parakeets Red Crowned, Cyanoramphus novaezelandai Yellow Crowned, Cyanoramphus auriceps Audio Clip is a group of parakeet “socialisingAudio Clip is a group of parakeet “socialising” We have two species of parakeet on Stewart Island. Red Crowned and the slightly smaller Yellow Crowned. And in fact neither Iris nor I can ever remember seeing Yellow Crowned anywhere […]
Visiting Skomer Island The island of Skomer is located off the South West coast of Wales. It is one of a chain of islands separated from the Pembrokeshire coast by the waters of Jack Sound. The island is almost 3 square kilometers, and besides being a spectacular place, it’s one of the most accessible seabirds […]
The Rosybill or Rosybill Pochard (Netta peposaca) is a duck with a distinctive red bill on males and a slate-colored bill on females. Though classified as a diving duck, this pochard feeds more like a dabbling duck. The Rosybill is endemic to South America. It is found in Argentina, central Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern […]
This Scott’s Oriole (male) is in molt. Notice that his normally long tail is missing. The lack of a tail did not seem to hinder his flight. Scott’s Orioles are found in the southwestern state and into Mexico. They are common in our area of southern Baja. This shows the difference between the mature male […]
I had a lovely day out on Saturday with a group of friends in a charter yacht on The Strait. The outing had been organised by Alexandra Farrell and we all met up at Tarifa’s port and boarded our vessel the Aroha Rahi for the day and met the skipper Pepe Fernandez. Calm waters meant […]
In 2008 I had the great pleasure of observing and photographing a family of American Oystercatchers from the day after the chicks hatched until three and a half months later. It is difficult to explain how amazing it feels to witness the growth of the chicks over a long period of time, I can tell […]