The Groynes 2
This was my second trip to The Groynes Reserve in the North-west of Christchurch in New Zealand. It is great reserve and is well worth many visits, mainly because you can get so close to the water birds. This is probably because the ducks and such are so used to the continual presence of tourists and they get fed heaps of bread and other stuff which is problematic in itself.
Groynes Birds Video
The main feature in the video is the presence of the chicks in various stages – Eurasian Coots and hybrid ducklings. I also got some decent shots of an Australasian Shoveler, of which I only had some long shots from my trip to the Sinclair Wetlands to the west of Lake Waihola. All in all I was quite satisfied with the day, although there were no new birds.
Creek running through the reserve
To me, these are just creeks that run through the reserve but they are called rivers here in New Zealand. Actually, this is a creek, the The Otukaikino Creek, once the south branch of the Waimakariri River. This trip to the reserve I saw a number of trout, ranging from small ones to reasonable sizes.
Chaffinch
The Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) was introduced to New Zealand around 1862 in the Nelson district and spread to other areas. They feed on insects, fruits and seeds, mainly on the ground.
Ponds at The Groynes
The Groynes Bird list
Black Swan
Chaffinch
Eurasian Coot
Mallard
Paradise Shelduck
Australasian Shoveler
New Zealand Scaup
Blackbird
Silvereye
Song Thrush