aunty's Identifications

Low tide between Titirangi Beach & French Bay. A gull was having a go at the left flap when I approached - unsure if it caused the wound or was just exploiting it. Ray was dead & the eyes and body had started drying out. Exposed flesh looked pretty fresh. Shoe pic for scale! Span approximately 45cm.

A sick silvereye in the flock. We bleached and shut down our sugar water feeder after seeing this bird. We'll put it back up in a couple of days. We don't want to encourage the spread of avian diseases.

Like most winter gardens in NZ we have a host of silvereye at the moment taking advantage of the many coprosma berries in our little patch of bush and the sugar water at our bird table. But this is the first time I have observed a silvereye eating a bone or (more acurately) the marrow from the inside of a bone! Access courtesy of the dog.