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Mating pair
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Variable Oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor). Not a great shot, but a life bird is a life bird. :-) Endemic to New Zealand. Despite the scientific name, it also occurs in a pied morph with a white belly, and in gradations in between. The pied morph is similar to H. ostralegus (I'm using the scientific name to avoid confusion -- apparently Kiwis call ostralegus the Pied Oystercatcher, but Clemens uses Pied for H. longirostris and calls H. ostralegus the Eurasian Oystercatcher). But side by side they were easy to tell apart by the larger size & build of the former. Guide lists these as uncommon, so I guess we were lucky to find them. Certainly perfect habitat, tho!
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Birds roosting on a breaker walkway at high tide. Unfortunately a tourist attempting to get a close up photo scared them away.
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Birds roosting on a breaker walkway at high tide. Unfortunately a tourist attempting to get a close up photo scared them away.
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Birds roosting on a breaker walkway at high tide. Unfortunately a tourist attempting to get a close up photo scared them away.
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Might have been nesting
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One bird was waiting on the beach at the shoreline. A second bird flew in soon after. They both acted defensive when humans moved into their territory - possibly nesting, or had chick(s)?
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One bird was waiting on the beach at the shoreline. A second bird flew in soon after. They both acted defensive when humans moved into their territory - possibly nesting, or had chick(s)?
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One bird was waiting on the beach at the shoreline. A second bird flew in soon after. They both acted defensive when humans moved into their territory - possibly nesting, or had chick(s)?
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I stayed below high tide line in order to avoid disturbing any nesting birds.
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I stayed below high tide line in order to avoid disturbing any nesting birds.
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I stayed below high tide line in order to avoid disturbing any nesting birds.
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I stayed below high tide line in order to avoid disturbing any nesting birds.
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several at fresh water outlet red billed gulls black backed gulls one godwit shags
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Pair. One feeding, one resting
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