This entry is for the birds

New Zealand has some amazing birds.

Oyster catchers.
I love their long orange beaks.

Shags,
that we could see from our kayak in Coromandel

Wax-Eyes
at a bird refuge in Coromandel

Friendly wetas
on the Milford Track














Paradise Ducks
The ladies have white heads and the grooms wear black.








This cheeky kea
was delighted with himself for getting into somebody's garbage. I swear you could hear him chuckling, hamming it up for the camera. These alpine parrots are known for their brilliance and ability to cause havoc.








Hence, the signs that you see in the National Parks on the South Island.....

















Wood Pigeons,
the chubby pigeons with the minuscule heads. How can a bird that fat with a head that small get up on a telephone pole?











Tui!
I love these birds. They are so talkative, and laugh so hard that they start snorting. Apparently, they can learn to hold a conversation in human-speak as well, but I think we get the gist of what they are saying in bird language.

Not dumb enough?

My favorite quote of the day.... :-)

Dave and I are reading a gripping story to Isaac about the early attempts to climb Mount Everest. Last night's chapter included a frightening rescue of some of their porters-- pretty exciting. Well, we were talking about the book afterward, and I told him that maybe he could climb Mount Everest some day. His response?

"No way! I'm not dumb enough!"


I never thought about it that way, but I'll accept it. :-)