Last night was cold. It was drizzling when I left to go kiwi listening at 7pm. On arrival at the listening site there was a very strong wind and the wind chill was bitter. I put Mica into her dog puffer jacket and me into mine – Brrrr! It was hard to hear anything as the tussock was noisy in the wind. There must have been hundreds of frogs near by and were they vocal, with many different types of calls throughout the night.

I sat on a cushion on top of a tarpaulin  – (the ground was very wet after a week or more of rain) and tried to get comfortable. Mica was very excited, she was picking up scents and her noise was ‘to the wind’. She wanted to go kiwi catching! But that wasn’t our objective. I was glad to have a thermos of hot chocolate with me and a dog to cuddle!

Over the course of the night I only heard three male kiwi call. There may have been more but the wind was a hinderance. Still it is a result and hopefully there will be more to hear.

Today the sun has been out … great for those of us who rely on solar for our power. The washing machine has been going all day!

This photo was taken this morning. I’ve noticed the fushia are flowering. So have the tui, and this fellow … a male bellbird.

Well … it’s out in the cold kiwi listening again tonight. I hope it’s not as windy!