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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 18h

I think this might just be my favourite photo of last week's trip to Auckland - a couple of courting red-billed gulls / tarāpunga (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) on Muriwai beach. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds

Two red-billed gulls circle each other in a courting dance on a sandy beach.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Banded rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis) at the Okoromai Bay Salt Marsh, Auckland. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #NZBirds

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in Whanganui, New Zealand. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline. Canada goose / kuihi (Branta canadensis), Henley Lake, Masterton. #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #CanadaGoose

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) at Henley Lake, Masterton. Doing a stunt spit. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds #birds #swan #muteswan

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

North Island Saddleback (Philesturnus rufusater) in Brooklyn, Wellington. #nzbirds #NewZealand #BirdsSeenIn2026

North Island Saddleback perching in tree.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The black swans / kakīānau (Cygnus atratus) are getting ready for spring - it's just around the corner, yay! #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #springtime

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

"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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Just a simple song thrush (Turdus philomelos). They had just finished belting out a morning composition - extended remix. #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #songthrush

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

@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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

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.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

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

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

@alan678.bsky.social chose #Raptors as the #birdoftheday theme. How about a New Zealand falcon / Kārearea (Falco novaeseelandiae)? #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

#BirdOfTheDay Theme is #Nesting, how could I not post this guy? Pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus), Waikanae, New Zealand. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand

New Zealand pukeko with a piece of nesting material in its beak.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

We tried out the new Petone to Wellington, NZ walkway. Great pathway, and I'm loving the piles of rocks just offshore which have already been discovered by the oystercatchers, gulls, and shags. At the Petone end you are greeted by fantails (Rhipidura fuliginosa). #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand

New Zealand fantail perching on a vertical branch, tail akimbo.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I've provisionally called this oil painting "Moonlighting Mages", but suggestions are welcome. Thanks to my models from Hutt Art. It's nice to go somewhere where you can ask three people to sit around and act like wizards - and they don't bat an eyelid. #oilpainting #wizards #moonlight

Three wizards in the moonlight oil painting.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I've been out and about photographing pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus) lately, a friend has just commissioned a painting of one - to have ready when they get back from Europe at the end of September. Yay! It's not this one, but this would make a great painting too. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #nzbirds #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) looking like a traffic light popsicle. I saw a funny on an insta page: "Don't let anyone talk you out of that quick 30 minute bird watching session. Because that two hours is the most important five hours of your day." #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I find it so difficult to get a decent shot of a welcome swallow / warou (Hirundo neoxena) in flight. I take my hat off to anyone that manages it. As a mere mortal, I wait for them to stop for a wee rest and a stretch on a convenient perch. Pauatahanui. #nzbirds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Every now and then you have to use your birding lens to take a photo of the #moon. I've been waiting for this magnificent orb to become full as it is going to be a prop in my painting. All will be revealed. Does anyone else always see a snail in the dark bits (or maybe that's just the view from NZ)?

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

I thought this grumpy fellow from Hokitika was appropriate for the season. This painting is called "Unimpressed with the hard yard". Happy Easter everyone - I hope this guy didn't drop off too much chocolate.

Painting of rabbit on stony ground by Louise Thomas

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

A house sparrow (Passer domesticus) on a stump with some interesting orange fungus - like popcorn cheetos. With a loophole for fruit, I think this colour is nature's way of saying 'Do not eat'. Riddiford Gardens, Lower Hutt. #housesparrow #birding #NewZeland #BirdsSeenIn2026

House sparrow on stump with orange fungus.

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

A whitehead / pōpokotea (Mohoua albicilla) on the Highbury Fling track in Wellington, yesterday. We counted at least 20 of these birds - the most we have ever seen in one go. #nzbirds #whitehead #NewZealand #wellington #birding #BirdsSeenIn2026

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

A North Island robin / toutouwai (Petroica longipes), on the Highbury Fling track in Wellington, today. So nice to get out birding again. We submitted our first eBird checklist for this month - it is nice to cross a few more species off our checklists. #nzbirds #NewZealand #BirdsSeenIn2026

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

#birdoftheday alt is #green. How about a New Zealand bellbird / korimako (Anthornis melanura)? #birdsseenin2026 #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

A barbary dove (Streptopelia risoria) on a prickly perch at Waitārere Beach. I read with interest that the dove has been introduced several times around NZ, but doesn't survive for long in the wild. The population at the beach must have found a suitable niche. #nzbirds #birdsseenin2026 #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

A work-in-progress phone pic of a couple of delightful cuddling silvereye / tauhou (Zosterops lateralis) in an Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple). Still got the detail to do, but this is the big brush work done. Oil on canvas. #nzbirds #birdsinart #silvereyes #oilpainting #nzartist #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

"The thought before flight" - finished my white-faced heron at the Hutt Estuary. I ended up lengthening the beak - the trade-off with painting freehand rather than tracing a reference: more freedom, but occasionally some wonky proportions. Oil on stretched canvas. #nzbirds #birdart #oilpainting

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

The surprisingly beautiful mahoe stripper moth (Feredayia graminosa). This was on our backdoor the other night - it was like finding an emerald. I haven't got the best lens for this, but I've tried to zoom in so you can see the scales on its wings. An amazing colour. #mahoestrippermoth #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

The #birdoftheday alt theme is #white. What about a whitehead / pōpokotea (Mohoua albicilla) from Masterton, New Zealand? These tiny chaps play host to the long-tail cuckoo. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds #bird

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Two male common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) having an absolute barney on the Wairakei Golf Course. Watching them line each other up eye to eye, daring the other to hop first, was fascinating - the sequence repeated several times, almost choreographed. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #nzbirds

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I think this might be one of my favourite photos from our recent trip to Mount Ruapehu. Might be a strong contender for the 2027 New Zealand Wild Bird Calendar. Silvereye / tauhou (Zosterops lateralis). #BirdsSeenIn2026 #silvereye #nzbirds #bird

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Male tomtit / miromiro (Petroica macrocephala) at Mount Ruapehu. They seemed very plentiful this summer, although I only saw one female. The males were doing their territorial calls and chasing each other about the trees. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NewZealand #bird #tomtit

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Not my normal subject, but I was very taken with this bright green patch of moss on a branch. So beautiful. Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand. #moss #green #lichen #NewZealand

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

A bright pair of yellowhammers / hurukōwhai (Emberiza citrinella) resting on a log at Waitarere Beach. Coincidentally, it also works for #birdoftheday, with the theme #TwoOfAKind. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #nzbirds #NewZealand #birding #birdwatching #yellowhammers #birds

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Louise Thomas @loutheartybirder.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

The extraordinary beautiful feathers of a takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri). The colours of Earth from space. #takahe #feathers #colours #beautiful #birding #birdwatching #nzbirds #NewZealand

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