At the end of The Heads we came to Ocean Beach. I know this may sound silly but it reminded me of some of the fabulous beaches in the Western Isles of Scotland with one very significant difference - it was warm! The other differences were, of course, the flora and fauna of the area.
I have seen Yellowhammers in the area where I live but have never been able to photograph one nor see them in the trees. This one flew into a tree down by the beach but I spotted it and, thanks to the fabulous lens on the Sony, I managed to photograph it. It was a long way off but the photo is good enough to confirm the identification.
I'm fairly certain that this is a Glade Copper (Lycaena feredayi complex) because of its heavy markings although it could be a Common Copper/Pepe Para Riki (Lycaena salustius complex). The problem is that the South Island Common has heavy markings whereas the North Island has much lighter ones. Whatever, I can be certain that it's a Copper.
And who would have expected wild sweet peas in the dunes above the shore?
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