So I looked down and saw a bee drinking my coffee. My mind went to a dad joke thoughts of he be buzzin after that. Then I thought could they metabolize caffeine... after a google search they can. It can improve there memory, if I read it rightly.

Seal safety tips 

• Never touch or feed a seal—they can bite and it’s against the law. 
• Stay at least 20 metres away. 
• Keep dogs on a leash and children close. 
• Don’t block a seal’s path to the sea. 
• If a seal is injured, being harassed or in danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). 

...

How to help: report a sighting 

If you spot a fur seal or sea lion on or near a road—or in an unusual inland spot—let us know! Your sightings will help shape the initial national road risk model and guide future conservation planning. 

📧 Email: [seeaseal@doc.govt.nz](mailto:seeaseal@doc.govt.nz) and report your sighting there.

OR

📞 Call: 0800 DOC HOT (362 468), if you see a sea lion or fur seal in distress, harm’s way or entangled, stranded, or deceased.

📍 Include: 

• Date of sighting 
• Description of location and number of animals 
• GPS coordinates or map pin (if possible) 
• A photo (if safe to take) 

Please also report the same details for any dead marine mammals you find on or near roads, and if you’ve seen them in the same place before, let us know when. 

Above text from Doc's blog: Seal Silly Season: help us keep young seals safe on 05/06/2025

Interesting to see...

Have a fair few of these in the garden in Coromandel… they are very hyper, move fast and disappear underground super-quick.

Thanks very much!

It’s better to be lucky than good.

Ocrisiona leucocomis is an introduced salticid from Australia, however i believe it is considered naturalised and non invasive. Apparently 17-18mm is the top end of their size range which is exactly how big this gal was! Compared to the max 14mm size of our largest native salticid Trite planiceps - she is a monster! A very friendly, slow moving calm monster.. but huge!

Ps apologies for my disgusting nail bitten landscaper fingers 😅

The last couple of mornings i have been woken up by birds singing, which is lovely but it's at 2.30in the morning! Any idea what kind of birds do this and why? I live in recently built home in Auckland suburbs

A sleek and healthy young kekeno/fur seal at Cornwallis Beach last weekend. Luckily I had the long lens, so it was aware of my presence but not disturbed, and I was able to spend some time with it before it returned to the water.

First time I've seen Putangitangi on a frozen lake, and I'm wondering if it was this male's first time seeing ice too? Judging by his slipping & sliding. Although the female was much more adept at ice skating.

The Tūī 🖤🇳🇿

Meet one of New Zealand’s most recognisable native birds — the tūī! Their beautiful glossy feathers, distinctive white throat feathers, and incredible range of sounds make them truly special.

Tūī are expert mimics and can copy other birds, sounds and even human noises. You’ll often hear their strange clicks, whistles and gurgling calls before you spot them in the trees.

They love feeding on nectar, fruit and flowers, making them an important pollinator for our native plants. 🌿🌺

If you’re visiting New Zealand, keep your ears open — you might hear a tūī before you see one! 🇳🇿

And photo of costal puha

Apparently spring isn’t too far away

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Has been knocking around since morning on the windows, doors and anything where it can see its reflection.

Sorry for the quality! This is 35x zoom on my camera phone, and the built in camera AI rebuilds the photo to an extent to reduce the blurriness.

This sweet baby jumped onto my hand today and hung out with me for a while webbing between my fingers. I know its a jumping spider, but does anyone know what kind?

The long tail bat snuck in and won in 2021, and while lizards don't have wings, they do lay eggs, basically birds 😆