Louise Thomas
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loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Louise Thomas
@loutheartybirder.bsky.social
310 followers 120 following 290 posts
Keen birder, painter, and writer; nature photography; science writer and editor; artist; New Zealand
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loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Brown teal (Anas chlorotis) at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh, Auckland.

#nzbirds #rarebird #brownteal #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand
A rare brown teal (Anas chlorotis) in preening on a bed of grasswort at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh.
October 8, 2026 at 6:32 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Banded rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh, Auckland.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #NZBirds
Buff-banded rail in a salt marsh.
October 7, 2026 at 2:30 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in Whanganui, New Zealand.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds
Two common myna on a lawn in Whanganui.
September 27, 2026 at 11:25 PM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline.

Canada goose / kuihi (Branta canadensis), Henley Lake, Masterton.

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #CanadaGoose
September 15, 2026 at 7:15 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Mute swan (Cygnus olor) at Henley Lake, Masterton. Doing a stunt spit.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds #birds #swan #muteswan
Mute swan swimming on a lake.
September 14, 2026 at 3:12 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni), Mt Bruce, Masterton. One day I'll get a decent shot of them, sigh.

#nzbirds #NewZealand #kokako #BirdsSeenIn2026 #Birdoftheday (if you take the scientific name for the ABCD theme)
North Island Kokako hidden by branches but still recognizable.
September 9, 2026 at 7:44 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
New Zealand dotterel (Anarhynchus obscurus) blending in with the beach detritus, Waikanae, New Zealand.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #nzdotterel #nzbirds #dotterel #NewZealand
New Zealand dotterel among driftwood on a beach in Waikanae, New Zealand.
September 8, 2026 at 10:07 PM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
North Island Saddleback (Philesturnus rufusater) in Brooklyn, Wellington.

#nzbirds #NewZealand #BirdsSeenIn2026
North Island Saddleback perching in tree.
September 8, 2026 at 8:30 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
An orange-fronted parakeet / kākāriki karaka (Cyanoramphus malherbi) at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. These nationally critical birds are only found in a few beech forests in the South Island now, and a few offshore islands. They are surprisingly small - budgie-sized.

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026
Orange-fronted parakeet eating a leaf.
September 1, 2026 at 4:27 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
The black swans / kakīānau (Cygnus atratus) are getting ready for spring - it's just around the corner, yay!

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #springtime
Nesting black swan
August 25, 2026 at 5:43 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to add yellow-crowned parakeet / Kākāriki (Cyanoramphus auriceps) to my eBird life list. My first time seeing these in the wild, on the loop track around Mt Bruce, New Zealand.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #nzbirds #parakeets
Yellow-crowned parakeet close-up. Yellow-crowned parakeet.
August 18, 2026 at 5:21 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Fernbird / mātātā (Poodytes punctatus) midway between Ration Point and Motukaraka, Pāuatahanui. I love the brownish red background in this area, caused by the shrubby bushes and orangey grasses the fernbirds like to live in.

#nzbirds #fernbird #birds #pāuatahanui #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand
Fernbird peering out from a shrub.
August 5, 2026 at 3:35 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Banded dotterels / pohowera (Anarhynchus bicinctus) at Ration Point, Pauatahanui, New Zealand. Great camouflage.

#NewZealand #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026
Banded dotterel, also known as a double-banded plover, on a stony background.
August 2, 2026 at 11:46 PM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
I decided I like this shot of a Kererū in my backyard so much it's going in the 2027 Calendar. My apologies to the Scaup who was Mr October 2027 until half an hour ago.

#NewZealandpigeon #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026
New Zealand pigeon headshot
August 2, 2026 at 11:42 PM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Did I want to be this close? No, not really. Did I have a choice? No, not really.

I'm not as sprightly as I used to be - getting from a sitting position to retreat isn't always easy - fortunately it was friendly and just curious. Black swan (Cygnus atratus).

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds
Close-up head shot of a black swan.
July 26, 2026 at 3:57 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Little black cormorant / kawau tūī (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) sharing the little wharf at the Waimanu Lagoon, Waikanae, with a bunch of red-billed gulls.

#nzbirds #birding #waikanae #littleblackcormorant #NewZealand
Little black cormorant with his wings open sharing a little wharf at the Waimanu Lagoon, Waikanae, with a bunch of red-billed gulls.
July 22, 2026 at 6:16 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
"Okay, I'm going to have a wee nap now. Wake me in 30."

Outside my kitchen window - Lower Hutt.

#nzbirds #kererū #newzealandpigeon #birding #BirdsSeenIn2026
New Zealand pigeon / kereru falling asleep.
July 19, 2026 at 11:48 PM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Grey duck / pārera (Anas superciliosa). Waimanu Lagoon, Waikanae.

#nzbirds #birding #birdphotography #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand
July 19, 2026 at 5:35 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Bar-tailed godwit / kuaka (Limosa lapponica) having a quick growl at a pied stilt it decided was too close. Today on the Waikanae Spit.

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #godwit
A bar-tailed godwit snaps at a pied stilt on the beach.
July 18, 2026 at 7:56 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Just a simple song thrush (Turdus philomelos). They had just finished belting out a morning composition - extended remix.

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #songthrush
Song thrush perching in tree.
July 8, 2026 at 2:26 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
@robcrank68.bsky.social says today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Orange. How about a kākā (Nestor meridionalis), they're pretty orange if you squint.

#bushparrot #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026
A kaka (bush parrot) perches in a tree, Mt Bruce, New Zealand.
July 7, 2026 at 6:19 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Sometimes you just need a wee nap, especially after a big lunch. Kererū / New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) at the Wellington Botanic Gardens.

#nzbirds #newzealand #kereru #BirdsSeenIn2026
A sleeping New Zealand pigeon perched in a kowhai tree.
July 7, 2026 at 6:04 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #RedBeaks, any bird with Red on its beak. Plenty to choose from in New Zealand. What about one of the world's rarest birds? Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) in Taupo.

#nzbirds #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #Takahē
June 22, 2026 at 3:51 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
A bellbird / korimako (Anthornis melanura) slurping on some tree sap. Taupo. I just thought you guys might be interested in the behaviour.

#nzbirds #birds #bellbird #SeenIn2026 #NewZealand
June 22, 2026 at 3:46 AM
loutheartybirder.bsky.social
@alan678.bsky.social chose #Raptors as the #birdoftheday theme. How about a New Zealand falcon / Kārearea (Falco novaeseelandiae)?

#nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026
New Zealand falcon perched in tree.
June 21, 2026 at 1:25 AM