Farewell Spit Eco Tours Blog

A thresher shark almost two metres long appeared on the hightide mark halfway along the ocean beach. These sharks are characterised by the long caudal fin which can be up to 50% of the length of the fish. The tail is used to round up it’s prey by slapping the water then to stun the animals it wishes to eat e.g. small fish and squid.

The Gannet colony is about 2km. beyond the Lighthouse and on our last visit to the colony we saw the first chicks of the season.

Also nearby the first Caspian Tern babies were visible. There are about 75 pairs of Caspian Terns nesting on the end of the Spit they mate for life and can be seen all year in the vicinity.

Last week there were many Lions mane jellyfish floating around in Golden Bay.

They were about the size of a dinner plate. On the ocean beach of the Spit today there were several much larger ones.

They were a browny red colour and the same diameter as a car wheel.

I couldn’t help thinking that if they were whales there would have been a small army there to save them, but then its hard to make eye contact with a jellyfish.

As the bus approached the lighthouse at he end of Farewell Spit this evening three Orca cruised past just metres from the shore.

We wonder are they the ones seen in Nelson haven yesterday?

Two baby Banded dotterels have just hatched on the Beachfront in Collingwood.

 This is the second year that Banded Dotterels have nested here and the family looks right at home amongst the driftwood and marram grass thats foreshore.

 This particular patch of shoreline is home to a large number of  oystercatchers both Variable and South Island Pied.

A Sunfish or Mola Mola amost three metres in diameter washed up about 2 kilometers along the beach on the inter-tidal plain. Within a week or so we hope to have a photo of this one on the website. One of these shows up every two or three years.

A first for Elaine occurred today when a Far eastern Curlew flew around her tour bus. These birds come here from the arctic circle to feed during our Summer. they are about the same size as a White faced heron light brown with a downward curved bill.