Tom came up with this title, as you can probably tell. I’m going to run with it, much like this young rhino bull did through town… The Bull in the China Shop The rhino-excitement started as soon as we arrived in Sauraha, one of the towns where we stayed on the edge of Chitwan National…
The Gharial: A Critically Endangered Fish Eating Crocodilian
Before setting off to a new location, we always do some basic research into what types of creatures call that place home. We also try to gauge the likelihood of us actually seeing them. There were a few big hitters on the list to see in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, including the one-horned rhino, royal…
Nepal’s First National Park: Chitwan National Park
After exploring Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu, and getting acquainted with the urban macaques, we decided to head south towards the jungle near the border of India. Tom and I enjoy the hustle and bustle of cities and all the culture and history that comes with it, but what we love most is being out in…
Rhesus Macaques of Swayambhunath Stupa, Nepal
The Location Once again, Emma and I made a brief stop-off at a new and exciting location. On this occasion while making the big trip from NZ to the UK, we touched down in Kathmandu, Nepal. Although we met numerous kind and welcoming people, tried an array of scrummy food items, and visited many sacred…
One Night at Mahakirau Forest Estate
Three Archey’s frogs, five Hochstetter’s frogs, three Coromandel striped geckos, and one forest gecko… all seen in less than a 24 hour period! Whenever we visit Sara and Ro out at Mahakirau Forest Estate, we are always spoilt with wildlife encounters.
The Entomological Society of New Zealand’s Photo Competition: ‘Wonder of the Insect World’
Tom and I recently entered a photography competition put on by the Entomological Society of New Zealand. A family friend of ours, knowing our love for wildlife photography, saw it advertised in the local paper and gave us the article. It was only a couple of days before the closing date, so we both chose two…
The Real Shelob – A Freshly Moulted Tunnelweb Spider
Our Encounter Whilst out on bird counts in Pohangina (Manawatu, New Zealand), Emma and I stumbled across a dead tree which was still standing. Being curious ecologists, we peeled back a large piece of bark. Behind the bark was this wonderful tunnelweb spider. Click to zoom in It had just moulted, displaying its cream cephalothorax…
The Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge dromedaria)
Click to zoom in Much like our previous spider post, the spider under the spotlight today (Leucauge dromedaria) is an Australian import that we found on one of our bush walks here in New Zealand. Its common names are ‘Horizontal Orbweb Spider’, ‘Silver Orb Spider’ and ‘Humped Silver Orb Spider’. The first described specimen was misidentified…
Move Over Lucas – Meet the Polkadot Jumping Spider
My Great Uncle, Peter, kindly gifted me a new flash unit as a Christmas present. Despite being desperate to use it, we have been so busy with fieldwork and house renovations that now, several months later, I have only just managed to have my first real play. Meeting the Polkadot Jumping Spider During some downtime…
Mātātā: The New Zealand Fernbird
A Secretive Onlooker While tramping in the Kaweka & Kaimanawa Forest Parks, New Zealand, (see our previous blog post on that adventure here) we came across a curious sound emanating from some scrub within the wetland we were walking through. In between calls, the foliage would shake gently as it made its way to a new vantage…
Tramping in the Kaweka & Kaimanawa Forest Parks, New Zealand
I recently accompanied Emma’s father (Stewart), his friend (David), and David’s avian aversion certified Labrador (Sika) on a four day/three night tramp (AKA ‘hike’ for those not familiar with the New Zealand lingo). Click on any of the photos in this post to get a closer look. Note: Only registered, avian aversion certified hunting dogs, Guide…
Lake of the Blag Shags: A Few Faces From Whanganui’s Virginia Lake
If you are ever in Whanganui (North Island, New Zealand), make sure you take a wander around Virginia Lake. We headed out there for a walk a few weeks ago and took some snaps of the birdlife we saw. We’ll share those photos with you in today’s post along with a few key facts. The…
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