Riroriro (#Gerygone igata) Grey Warbler sitting quietly on a mossy branch above my head.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/333095878

#birds #Canon #CanonEF #aotearoa #riroriro #iNaturalist

I hear riroriro (NZ grey warblers) singing about Christchurch city (they're *loud* for such tiny birds), but it's rare that I'm lucky enough to see one close up. Today was one of those days.

This juvenile riroriro briefly perched in the hedge outside our home office window. I quickly took these photos through the window glass before it moved on.

(You can tell it's a juvenile because its eye is brown, not red.)

Good luck to it.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/327816952

#birds #nz #Christchurch #Gerygone

Went for a bush walk today and didn’t have too much luck. Was looking for a tomtit, miromiro. When I had my camera out there were no birds. I put it away and a bird appeared. Pulled my camera out and was gone. Put my camera way and immediately 3 birds landed nearby.

This very blurry photo was the best of one of the shots. For some reason this was a long exposure so it’s very blurry.

I think this is a riroriro, not a miromiro. Close enough! Never seen a riroriro this close.

#Canon #CanonEF #bird #birds #Gerygone #avian
Here's a recording of riroriro (grey warbler) song. They're NZ's smallest bird by weight, tied with tītitipounamu (riflemen), but they make a loud and distinctive song. They're quick breeding insectivores that are found in most NZ cities and towns. They're also the host bird for the pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo,) a nest parasite. I hear riroriro more often than I see them.
#Birds #AotearoaNZ #Gerygone #BirdSong
Here are all the piwakawaka (fantails) and riroriro (grey warblers) I saw and heard in 2022, along my standard run routes through Ōtautahi-Christchurch. For both, with very few exceptions, they are where the forest is. They're fast breeding birds that can handle some predation by mammals, but they like dense, tangled forest to feed in and hide in. If we want more of these birds in Ōtautahi, we'll need more forest.
#EcologicalMonitoring #WildCounts #Birds #AotearoaNZ #Gerygone #Rhipidura