Eastern Rosella

For many years we have known that a pair or two of Eastern Rosellas have sometimes been visiting our Tanekaha tree. There's no mistaking the 'kwink kwink' call and their parrotty-monkey chattering to each other. And the brilliant flash of bright colors looks splendidly exotic as they swoop over the house. But the dense vegetation (and possibly a healthy respect for our cats - now deceased) has precluded a decent look until the other day when a couple came down to the lawn.

They are almost certainly the offspring of original escaped caged birds, brought from Australia. There's mixed reaction to them here as they like to eat orchard fruits. But I think they are lovely.

Trip down the Whanganui River.

It rained a lot. My goodness, did it rain. It started on Boxing Day. The gutters overflowed, the roar pounded on the tin roof and it seemed like it had forever been soggy. My little river rose and rushed oily and thick past the house.

My two sons and thirteen friends had planned the canoe trip down the Whanganui for months and when they arrived at the beginning of the journey the company did not dissuade them, despite the severe weather warning forecast. It was to be a trip they will never forget. Five days of torrential rain and by the last day, the river had come up eight meters (24 feet) and was still rising when they reached the pick-up point at the end. Brown waterfalls gushed like fire hoses from the sides of the gorge and the whirl-pools cast them from left to right without warning. They had to avoid huge logs and debris that were carried along in accumulated masses in the centre of the channel, including chunks of white pumice - floating volcanic rock. They completed each days' sections at almost twice the speed (1.8 x to be precise) and although the first day was relatively uneventful, the final stretch literally went off with a bang - well with many bangs - as the clouds opened even wider, the river was crushed flat by the rain and the thunder boomed and reverberated off the valley sides.

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Epilogue:

The Whanganui River travels though thick forest for the centre part of its journey from the volcanic plateau to the coast. My sons and their friends went from Taumaranui to Pipiriki which is just north of Jerusalem on this map. The river has a very gentle gradient and meanders through a series of huge regular bends. This gentle river was historically an important travel route, enabling both Maori and European to access far into the interior of New Zealand in the early days.

http://www.teara.govt.nz

Image above from: Molloy, L, and Smith, R. (2002) Landforms. The Shaping of New Zealand. Wellington: Craig Potton Publishing.

Eye Candy Day 41

Second Christmas?

Dolphins

Thanks to Daphne, through whom I found this.

Bristle Fly

This tiny, rugby-jerseyed, bristly creature (Trigonospila brevifacies) is a fly I don't think I've ever seen before. It is an Australian introduction, brought over to New Zealand to help control leafroller caterpillars. The female rests on leaves during her quest looking for her prey. When she finds one of the little leafroller caterpillars (that often curl up my orange tree leaves) she lays her eggs on it. Then it's the usual rather gross story: when the maggot hatches it eats the caterpillar. My Andrew Crowe book says that unfortunately we don't know the impact T. brevifacies is having on the harmless native leafroller moth.

You can see why this group of flies is called bristle flies. Maybe it's the insect equivalent of designer stubble. Except on females.

The Corker-lyser Man

When the Christmas wine comes out of the fridge, out of the drawer emerges a frightening figure. Object of my daughter's childhood fears, and invented, aided and abetted by her brothers, this nasty creature comes alive. His face is menacingly blank, he waves his arms up and down, his shoulders are prickly, and his one, shiny, sharp leg, can drill holes in your skin! So, beware, here comes the CORKER-LYSER MAN to get you!