Walking Sophie

Over winter Doug stopped walking Sophie as she had a bad leg but it is a lot better and I have been joining them again for walks which we now take  alongside the Hatea River from Whareora Road to Mair Park.

Twice in the last week we picked up what I now know to be a Giant Dragonfly.  They were both on the path and the first one was the largest but I didn't have my camera with me.  When we lifted it up there was a wasp underneath it and we noticed that the back part of the Dragonfly's body had been eaten away.  It was magnificent with a body the size of my little finger.

The second one we found was smaller and seemed to have less gold but I did get a photo.

Just prior to seeing the Dragonfly we saw a couple of Tui and I managed to get a photo of one (black with a white tuft of feathers under the chin)  Actually the black turns to wonderful multicoloured sheen in sunlight.

Sophie waiting (patiently or otherwise) while we look at the Dragonfly.

I liked this peeling trunk of a young kauri tree.

This is as far as we walk and Sophie has a swim in the river before we return.

During the week Max' son came up to visit his father and after walking along the river we went to the kauri board walk in A.H. Reed Park  and this is a photo him with  Doug beside a much larger kauri tree.

Possums and Tuis

Possum

In its native land the possum is up against dingoes, bush fires and less palatable vegetation. In New Zealand there are no predators and lots of very palatable vegetation. As a result, possums have a huge impact on New Zealand ecosystems.

I have had a possum trap set for a few days under my plum tree with no success.  I use a piece of carrot with Chinese Five Spice as the attractant.  Yesterday afternoon I put more of the spice on the carrot.  Last night I went to bed at about 10.15 and shortly afterwards I heard the trap go off.  (It is a Timms Trap that kills them).

This morning just after 6 a.m. I managed, with some difficulty, to remove the possum from the trap and, as the carrot had not been touched I re-set it leaving it covered during the day.

This afternoon I was sitting on the middle terrace with a friend eating an ice cream when a Tui came down to my "home-made" bird  bath.  It had a great bath throwing water everywhere and wasn't worried about us sitting talking a few feet away.  It flew up into the Puriri tree for a few minutes then back down for another bath.

I then got my camera but before it came back Roger arrived to mow the lawns so I got the washing in and we went indoors.  Hopefully, I will get a chance to take a video some other day.