11. harvest
laser kiwi!!!!!!
#inktober #inktober2026 #inkpen #acrylicink #laserkiwi #kiwi #nzbirds

This morning it was swimming in the creek practice for the little pūtangitangi Deses (still 9!). They'd managed to get the whole clan up a little waterfall even. Might pop back this evening to see if they're back at the pond. #nzbirds

Listen I'm a pūtangitangi fan account for the next little while. Do you blame me?
Seen here, two of the wee Deses try out grazing with ... Results. Ngaire and Lefty coach. The other Deses mill in the background. #nzbirds

10. footsteps
#inktober #inktober2026 #pukeko #nzbirds #acrylicink #inkpen

High density living - Australasian gannet / Tākapu (Morus serrator) style. Murawai, Auckland.

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #gannetcolony #NewZealand

Today we sat down with Ngaire, Lefty and the nine babies (all named Des) for half an hour. I got these 3 minutes of true pūtangitangi whānau ASMR - one clip is muted sorry because you really don't deserve to be subjected to the AI Parkrun songs. But otherwise lots of lovely Ngaire clucks #nzbirds

Okay would we want more pūtangitangi content then..? Here they are having swimming practice when we stopped in this afternoon. Lefty on lifeguard duty up on the bank! #nzbirds

This is one of the illustrations that didn't make it into the final poster project. The alternative version where the bird is a marsh crake, which is a far more rarely seen bird in Central Otago.
#pukeko #nzbirds #sciart #wetland #birdart #wildlife #Aubirds

Here are some more pics from the pūtangitangi maternity ward. #nzbirds
A day old 🥹

Best best news! The pūtangitangi babies have arrived! Ngaire and Lefty are very proud parents, chicks are bold but well behaved little dudes and dudettes. 9x dear little stripeys. #nzbirds
They've still got their egg teeth and they were still all eggy scented when we met them this morning 🥹🥹🥹

I think this might just be my favourite photo of last week's trip to Auckland - a couple of courting red-billed gulls / tarāpunga (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) on Muriwai beach.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds

Tui on Harakeke in Makarora Valley

#newzealand #newzealandbirds #wanaka #makarora #makaroravalley #nzbirds #southislandnz #tui #birdphotography #birds #PhotographersofBlueSky

Brown teal (Anas chlorotis) at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh, Auckland.

#nzbirds #rarebird #brownteal #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand

Silvereye on Kōwhai

#nzbirds 🇳🇿 🪶

Banded rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh, Auckland.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #NZBirds

Painted for a biodiversity Poster. Pāpango/NZ scaup are diving ducks, small but excellent at diving underwater for freshwater invertebrates and plant material to eat.

#biodiversity #sciart #nzbirds #birdart #duck #ducks #wildlifeart #animalart

Didn’t say because I was too sad about my photos being shite, but I loved loved loved visiting Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre today #NZBirds

Since the last tui I made sold to a lovely person in Auckland, I thought it was time to paint another one!

#tui #nzbirds #handmade #teacup #birdart

We frequently carry on down the creek at the moment, to check on Mrs Goose from the park (she seems to have made her way down in search of love and got stranded (insert 'Where the hell is my Husband' here). Yestrday we also found a PENGUIN (who was collected by the colony). And ducklings. #nzbirds

So happy to finally capture some good pictures of a kākā or three! They usually never stop moving! Taken at the Wellington Botanic Gardens 17th September.

#nzbirds #wildlifephotography #newzealand #wellingtonnz