Kiwi reader Keith sent a batch of photos which he’ll leave to you to identify. His notes are below:
Here is a collection all taken with my cellphone, I’m going to leave them “silent”. I have no idea what some species are, while others speak for themselves.
They’re all taken around or from my home with my cellphone. Laingholm, Auckland is where i live—in New Zealand. They are spread over time: the large moth on my hand has been passed down through a few phones…
Put your identifications in the comments.
And another NZ photo taken by reader Gary Radice:
This is from a recent trip to New Zealand. We got all excited when we saw this tame little fellow (gal?) in our camp site, thinking it was a kiwi. We were only a little disappointed to find out it was a weka [Gallirallus australis]. But since we had never heard of wekas, that turned out be fun, too.
Interesting set!
Can’t ID any of them but the moth’e eye spots make it look sad, and I’ve never heard of a Weka either, but what a beauty.
I gather the Weka is a flightless rail (about which there was some doing on this site not too long ago) and not a ratite, like the Kiwi.
The Weka’s ancestors flew to NZ, the Kiwi’s walked (unless I’m mistaken).
Terrific photographs. Imagine what this Kiwi person could do with a really good camera!
Thanks for the thumbs up… most are taken this way as a reference to what flora and fauna are on my small bush proberty. There are always things of interest going on and the phone is a handy convenience.
Nice group of pics. That moth with blue eye spots is stunning.
Lots of eye candy in NZ. Thanks for sharing. I think the lizard is some sort of skink.🦎
The moth is Dasypodia selenophora – southern old lady.
Southern old lady: gray hair and blue, blue eyes!
I think it is a copper skink (cyclodina aenea)found only on the North Is.
Beware – wekas are thieves, like magpies!
First looks like a spider’s egg case (do other arachnids or insects have similar habits? Probably.)
The moth makes me look over my shoulder for Hannibal Lecter.