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Who can count the wealth containedin this moment when the beautyof existence rises up out of the dawn.Can anyone measure thecurrency of the heart,can they quantify love.Would a single a drop of compassiontip the scales againstall the gold in the world.After cruel and heartless actshow many acts of kindness are requiredto rebalance the soul.Words stumble and fall in the faceof these questions. Silence opens the doorto a place where wisdom grows.Pre dawn view of New Plymouth from Paritutu with Rua …

Every day, the extraordinary beauty of this existence opens herself upand gives herself as a giftLet's work together to preserve that gift.We've had a couple of clear fine mid winter days with a new fall of snow on the mountain. Frosty mornings and cold days with Taranaki standing out crisp and clear in the winter sunshine.  I went for a walk along the beach from Bell Block to the Waiongana river mouth at low tide yesterday hoping to find some New Zealand dotterel which have a nesting site …

It was a clear sunny morning today so I headed down to the Waiwhakaio river mouth to see what birds might be about. It turned out to be very much a day for ducks when I spotted a very rare grey duck (parera) as well as a number of grey/mallard hybrids which are also unusual sightings in New Plymouth. There were also a pair of paradise shelduck (putangitangi) on the river which made great photos in the soft dawn light.Pure bred grey ducks are now quite rare due to constant interbreeding with mall …

Here's some photos of some beautiful little silvereye (tauhou) in our garden drinking nectar from the hebe flowers.  The silvereye are frequent visitors to these hebe frequently arriving in a small flock and filing it with movement as they not only feed on the nectar but also pick it clean of insect pests and caterpillars. Silvereye are very versatile little birds with a wide range of diet feeding on nectar, berries, seeds, fruit insects and caterpillars. They've been very successful at ada …

I spent a couple of hours at Lake Mangamahoe earlier this week watching dozens of fantail/piwakawaka hunting insects over the water. Watching them fly and pluck insects off the surface of the lake is just amazing. Getting photographs of them flying over the water is quite a challenge though perseverance pays off. Out of dozens of shots of blurred birds and wings and tails vanishing out of the frame I managed to get a couple of decent shots.Also spotted a dabchick which was just within reach of m …