Down by the river.....

A planned sunrise with blipper mpp26 at the beach was changed at the last minute due to a tsunami warning after a 7.1 earthquake rocked the East Cape of the North Island of New Zealand. For those who are unsure where this is it's round Gisborne and was felt throughout the North Island, top of the South Island and some Christchurch areas.

A new plan took place, M came to me and then we went down to the local river, far enough inland to be away from any harm. It was paradise with a lovely view of the mountains of the Puketeraki Range, Ashley River with terns, pied stilts, banded dotterels and wrybills feeding and being territorial which was amusing to watch. There was a distant sunrise which was really quite soft and lasted all of a few seconds. It was very warm 9C and calm, very pleasant with the sound of the river running over river stones, tranquil and fun.

Goodness far too many photos to try and choose from so have put a few up as extra's which I'll later put on flickr as my quota for extras is dwindling fast.

The wrybill is my main blip, the only bird in the world with a curved bill to the right. A small dumpy plover with a black throat band in breeding plumage. They breed on ground in shingle in braided rivers in Canterbury and Otago in South Island. Amazing to have this small bird on my doorstep during breeding season. My blip is a bit busy but shows the curved bill.

After being by the river we took a stroll through a local wetland area where reflections were amazing and various kinds of ducks and 9 ducklings were quite entertaining to watch.

Wonderful morning spent with a lovely blipper, thanks M already looking forward to our next adventure :)

An awesome Friday - enjoy the weekend everyone :)