Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 58
Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
We
have been promising a story on our local shag community (cormorants for
northern hemisphere visitors), which is surprisingly various; but it’s the
height of the fledging season and we have been making -but then deciding to remake-
our film as new footage upstages the old. Along with our understanding of
what’s going on.
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| Black Shag- Waikanae River estuary Jan 15 |
So we have posted a couple of images to whet the appetite, both taken at the shag
nursery at the Waikanae estuary, today.
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| Pied Shags on nests Waikanae River estuary Jan 15 |
Meanwhile, and remarkably, for such a public area that is very popular with summer visitors to the beach (and their dogs), we still have eight putangitangi-paradise ducklings down at the
local beach public pond. And they are thriving. Here are some time-lapse
comparisons to show their darkening colour as they head toward adolescence. The parents are
noticeably less fretful now the youngsters are more able to look after themselves.
They spend a lot of time grazing the grass verges which is a major
source of sustenance for them.
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| December 29 |
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| January 3 |
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| January 6 |
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| Jan 15 |
These
ducklings will remain this molted black colour for the next three or four weeks, before
the females and males become apparent when the assume their mature plumage.
What does remain surprising is that despite this public pool having been refilled
in early December, and the ready feed provided by human visitors the common
ducks that used to frequent it have still not returned.
Track we were listening too while posting this Connie Francis from 1958 Stupid Cupid - of which she says -Stupid Cupid, what a smash, it was even a hit title! There was no way it could miss even if the song was bad. There are such things as hit titles and this was one.
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what your putting down
Since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
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