IBATD Scenery

OK, here's some of the scenery I left out of the birding report

 The Remarkables - Queenstown

 2/3 as high as Mt Kosciuszko... straight from sea level - Doubtful Sound

 Cool Mountain - Doubtful Sound

Another Cool Mountain -  Doubtful Sound 2

Two Cool Mountains -  Doubtful Sound 3

 Nugget Point Lighthouse

 Near Franz Joseph

 Franz Joseph Glacier

 More Franz Joseph Glacier

 Mt Tasman (L) and Mt Cook (R)

 Rob Roy Glacier

Why so many New Zealand birds are endangered... lol jokes ;)

OK, here's some of the scenery I left out of the birding report

 The Remarkables - Queenstown

 2/3 as high as Mt Kosciuszko... straight from sea level - Doubtful Sound

 Cool Mountain - Doubtful Sound

Another Cool Mountain -  Doubtful Sound 2

Two Cool Mountains -  Doubtful Sound 3

 Nugget Point Lighthouse

 Near Franz Joseph

 Franz Joseph Glacier

 More Franz Joseph Glacier

 Mt Tasman (L) and Mt Cook (R)

 Rob Roy Glacier

Why so many New Zealand birds are endangered... lol jokes ;)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Haast and Wanaka

Day 13
Drove south to Haast. Normally the beaches here would be great for Fiordland Crested Penguins, but it was the wrong time of year, as it was in Doubtful Sound. We did some walks off the Haast Pass Rd, hoping yet again to see Long-tailed Cuckoo and Yellow-crowned Parakeet. Double dip. By now I had heard Long-tailed  Cuckoos 6 times without seeing them... This was also my last chance for the elusive Blue Duck. Dip. At least I finally got a photo of a Fantail.

Day 14
Had a relaxing day around Wanaka, swimming, eating, shopping, etc. I had an unexpected tick in the form of four CALIFORNIA QUAILS near our lodge. 1 male, 2 females and a baby.

Day 15
Did a four hour walk out to Rob Roy Glacier. This was now my last chance for Parakeet and Cuckoo. 4 hours and two sore feet later, dip and dip. Spent most of the time here getting better photos of birds I'd seen previously, namely Rifleman (the good photo from this day is shown in the Eglinton Valley report).

Day 16
Home. Well, after a long 10 hour transit we got home.

 Male California Quail

 Female California Quail

 "New Zealand" Fantail

Conclusion
New Zealand. Fantastic in thousands of ways. The scenery is spectacular everywhere, (not that I mentioned it much in the report, but it was), and the birds, while sometimes outnumbered by introduced species or confined to predator-free offshore islands, are often amazing just because they are so unique.

Overall, I saw around 40 species and got 29 lifers. In my opinion, a great place to visit, even if you have to limit the birding you do because of the family ;) I think one day I'll have to get back there and find all the birds I missed, namely Fernbird, Blue Duck, Wrybill, Weka, island birds, plus the Parkeet and Cuckoo...

Thanks to;
The Family - for putting up with the birding, however minor it was...
Okarito Kiwi Tours - I have to thank Ian for that fantastic experience!
Birding NZ - for helping me put together all the birding aspects of the trip  :)(http://www.birdingnz.net/)

Day 13
Drove south to Haast. Normally the beaches here would be great for Fiordland Crested Penguins, but it was the wrong time of year, as it was in Doubtful Sound. We did some walks off the Haast Pass Rd, hoping yet again to see Long-tailed Cuckoo and Yellow-crowned Parakeet. Double dip. By now I had heard Long-tailed  Cuckoos 6 times without seeing them... This was also my last chance for the elusive Blue Duck. Dip. At least I finally got a photo of a Fantail.

Day 14
Had a relaxing day around Wanaka, swimming, eating, shopping, etc. I had an unexpected tick in the form of four CALIFORNIA QUAILS near our lodge. 1 male, 2 females and a baby.

Day 15
Did a four hour walk out to Rob Roy Glacier. This was now my last chance for Parakeet and Cuckoo. 4 hours and two sore feet later, dip and dip. Spent most of the time here getting better photos of birds I'd seen previously, namely Rifleman (the good photo from this day is shown in the Eglinton Valley report).

Day 16
Home. Well, after a long 10 hour transit we got home.

 Male California Quail

 Female California Quail

 "New Zealand" Fantail

Conclusion
New Zealand. Fantastic in thousands of ways. The scenery is spectacular everywhere, (not that I mentioned it much in the report, but it was), and the birds, while sometimes outnumbered by introduced species or confined to predator-free offshore islands, are often amazing just because they are so unique.

Overall, I saw around 40 species and got 29 lifers. In my opinion, a great place to visit, even if you have to limit the birding you do because of the family ;) I think one day I'll have to get back there and find all the birds I missed, namely Fernbird, Blue Duck, Wrybill, Weka, island birds, plus the Parkeet and Cuckoo...

Thanks to;
The Family - for putting up with the birding, however minor it was...
Okarito Kiwi Tours - I have to thank Ian for that fantastic experience!
Birding NZ - for helping me put together all the birding aspects of the trip  :)(http://www.birdingnz.net/)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Franz Joseph and Okarito

Day 11
Another driving day. No Blue Ducks, yet again. Thought I saw a Weka on the side of the road, but didn't tick it. Arriving at Lake Manipouri I was given 30 minutes to look for Weka. Not really enough time IMO considering this was the only spot I'd be able to see them... At one point 3 Weka were calling, one within 20m of me, but due to thick undergrowth finding it was impossible. Even so, this was a nice spot with Grey Warblers, Brown Creepers and Bellbirds all showing well.

We arrived at Franz Joseph and went for a short walk up to the glacier. No Long-tailed Cuckoo, yet again. No Yellow-crowned Parakeet, yet again. It was starting to seem like I’d miss those 2 common (or at least reasonably common) birds…

Day 12
The morning was taken up by a guided tour onto Franz Joseph Glacier. This was fantastic, looking at all the ice caves, crevasses, etc, etc. This took up most of the day.

Next came the highlight of the trip. At 6:00, my mum and I headed out to Okarito, to go on Ian's Okarito Kiwi Tours. The Rowi is the worlds rarest Kiwi, with only 350 left in the wild (it used to be a lot lower, around 100). Now, I didn't realise how difficult finding a Kiwi would be until I went on this tour. Ian had a tracker, so he could get the locations of all the birds in the area who were radio tagged. His tour operates on the basis of seeing a Kiwi as it would be naturally, so he doesn't use tapes, and he doesn't let the birds know people are watching them.

The trip started great, as Ian had tracked a Kiwi to just 3m off the path! The group of 8 people sat on the ground and waited... and waited... and waited some more... We could hear him rustling in the bushes 3m away, and we had to sit making no noise so he would come out. I had hay-fever, and since I couldn't blow my nose, or sniff, or make any noise whatsoever, I sat on the ground with my hand holding my nose... After 20 minutes the Kiwi walked away without showing. lol. This shows how difficult it is to observe these birds, when you can not see one that is 3m away from you.

Ian headed back up the path, and quickly found a pair. Everyone stood in a line, listening to more rustling in the bushes, then an OKARITO BROWN KIWI ran across the path in front of us! Wow can they move quick! Less than a minute later, the second Kiwi poked it's head out of the bush and ran across the path too. About an hour later, we got much better views of one them, as it foraged just off the path in some vegetation. The whole time, it didn't know we were there (we observed him with a red torch without making a sound). If anyone is in that area and hasn't done this tour, make sure you do it! Unfortunatley, cameras aren't allowed or you get a hefty fine from DOC, but this is such a great experience you don't need cameras to remember it ;)

 Brown Creeper

 Juvenile Kea

 New Zealand Bellbird

Day 11
Another driving day. No Blue Ducks, yet again. Thought I saw a Weka on the side of the road, but didn't tick it. Arriving at Lake Manipouri I was given 30 minutes to look for Weka. Not really enough time IMO considering this was the only spot I'd be able to see them... At one point 3 Weka were calling, one within 20m of me, but due to thick undergrowth finding it was impossible. Even so, this was a nice spot with Grey Warblers, Brown Creepers and Bellbirds all showing well.

We arrived at Franz Joseph and went for a short walk up to the glacier. No Long-tailed Cuckoo, yet again. No Yellow-crowned Parakeet, yet again. It was starting to seem like I’d miss those 2 common (or at least reasonably common) birds…

Day 12
The morning was taken up by a guided tour onto Franz Joseph Glacier. This was fantastic, looking at all the ice caves, crevasses, etc, etc. This took up most of the day.

Next came the highlight of the trip. At 6:00, my mum and I headed out to Okarito, to go on Ian's Okarito Kiwi Tours. The Rowi is the worlds rarest Kiwi, with only 350 left in the wild (it used to be a lot lower, around 100). Now, I didn't realise how difficult finding a Kiwi would be until I went on this tour. Ian had a tracker, so he could get the locations of all the birds in the area who were radio tagged. His tour operates on the basis of seeing a Kiwi as it would be naturally, so he doesn't use tapes, and he doesn't let the birds know people are watching them.

The trip started great, as Ian had tracked a Kiwi to just 3m off the path! The group of 8 people sat on the ground and waited... and waited... and waited some more... We could hear him rustling in the bushes 3m away, and we had to sit making no noise so he would come out. I had hay-fever, and since I couldn't blow my nose, or sniff, or make any noise whatsoever, I sat on the ground with my hand holding my nose... After 20 minutes the Kiwi walked away without showing. lol. This shows how difficult it is to observe these birds, when you can not see one that is 3m away from you.

Ian headed back up the path, and quickly found a pair. Everyone stood in a line, listening to more rustling in the bushes, then an OKARITO BROWN KIWI ran across the path in front of us! Wow can they move quick! Less than a minute later, the second Kiwi poked it's head out of the bush and ran across the path too. About an hour later, we got much better views of one them, as it foraged just off the path in some vegetation. The whole time, it didn't know we were there (we observed him with a red torch without making a sound). If anyone is in that area and hasn't done this tour, make sure you do it! Unfortunatley, cameras aren't allowed or you get a hefty fine from DOC, but this is such a great experience you don't need cameras to remember it ;)

 Brown Creeper

 Juvenile Kea

 New Zealand Bellbird

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Mt Cook and Arthur's Pass

Day 9
While my sister was horse riding, I was driven out to Shag Point. No lifers, but I got much closer views of Spotted Shags, and there were a few NZ Fur Seals around.

After a long drive inland, we started to get into Black Stilt Habitat. Looking at every braided river we passed, I couldn’t spot any. Since we were pushed for time today, I was allowed to pick one spot to go and look for the Stilts. I chose the river area behind Glentanner Airport, which is meant to be quite reliable and it was just off the road we had to travel on to get to Mt Cook. After ticking a tame COMMON PHEASENT at the office and getting permission to enter, I headed down, checked out the promising sign that warned people about nesting Black Stilts in the area, I walked through the gate and…

If you remember I said at the very beginning of the trip report, we arrived in Queenstown just after the massive amount of rain? Throughout the trip we had noticed the odd flooded river, or lake with a tree growing 10m out into the water, showing it was flooded. Well, as it happened, my one and only Black Stilt location was also flooded, and to get anywhere near where the stilts were, I would have had to swim. Well, that’s a big dip :(

We kept going (stopping ever now and then to scan the area next to the road for stilts, but the combination of rain and no scope meant we didn’t see any), and arrived at our accommodation in Mt Cook. Maybe as a consolation for dipping on the stilt, a New Zealand Falcon had decided to wait out the rain on our roof. As it was raining, I took a few shots and went inside before I broke the camera. When it stopped raining we went out on a walk, where I finally ticked GREY WARBLER.

Day 10
Driving day. The only birding I got in was checking every (and I mean every) river we went over for Blue Duck. No cigar… We arrived at Arthur’s Pass late, where I had been hoping to sit outside at night and listen for Great Spotted Kiwi (not expecting to see one). Due to the rain and wind, I didn’t go outside at all after we’d unpacked the car.

 Common Pheasant

Grey Warbler

 New Zealand Falcon

 Spotted Shags 

Day 9
While my sister was horse riding, I was driven out to Shag Point. No lifers, but I got much closer views of Spotted Shags, and there were a few NZ Fur Seals around.

After a long drive inland, we started to get into Black Stilt Habitat. Looking at every braided river we passed, I couldn’t spot any. Since we were pushed for time today, I was allowed to pick one spot to go and look for the Stilts. I chose the river area behind Glentanner Airport, which is meant to be quite reliable and it was just off the road we had to travel on to get to Mt Cook. After ticking a tame COMMON PHEASENT at the office and getting permission to enter, I headed down, checked out the promising sign that warned people about nesting Black Stilts in the area, I walked through the gate and…

If you remember I said at the very beginning of the trip report, we arrived in Queenstown just after the massive amount of rain? Throughout the trip we had noticed the odd flooded river, or lake with a tree growing 10m out into the water, showing it was flooded. Well, as it happened, my one and only Black Stilt location was also flooded, and to get anywhere near where the stilts were, I would have had to swim. Well, that’s a big dip :(

We kept going (stopping ever now and then to scan the area next to the road for stilts, but the combination of rain and no scope meant we didn’t see any), and arrived at our accommodation in Mt Cook. Maybe as a consolation for dipping on the stilt, a New Zealand Falcon had decided to wait out the rain on our roof. As it was raining, I took a few shots and went inside before I broke the camera. When it stopped raining we went out on a walk, where I finally ticked GREY WARBLER.

Day 10
Driving day. The only birding I got in was checking every (and I mean every) river we went over for Blue Duck. No cigar… We arrived at Arthur’s Pass late, where I had been hoping to sit outside at night and listen for Great Spotted Kiwi (not expecting to see one). Due to the rain and wind, I didn’t go outside at all after we’d unpacked the car.

 Common Pheasant

Grey Warbler

 New Zealand Falcon

 Spotted Shags 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Nugget Point and Dunedin

Day 6
Short drive to Nugget Point. Ticked SPOTTED SHAG and got fantastic views of a YEPenguin on the side of the road. NZ Fur Seals were also around, plus a large breeding colony of the rare Spoonbill, normally a rubbish-bird for me, having them in my backyard an all ;)

Day 7
Dunedin. A short stop at Sinclair Wetlands produced no Fernbird, but a large flock a CANADA GEESE kept me entertained. Late that evening we headed to Tairo Head, the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world, in this case the Northern ROYAL ALBATROSS. This was a great opportunity to get shots without the pitching of a boat, despite the cloudy conditions.

As a bonus, a large nesting colony of STEWART ISLAND SHAGS were below the albatross viewing hide.   

Day 8
Relaxing day. While shopping in Dunedin I found a brochure on the Black Stilt Visitor Hide we were visiting the next day... and realised the birds there were captive, not wild. Oops! Spent a frantic 30 minutes with my IPod and Maccas free WiFi getting some locations for this critically endangered wader.

 Northern Royal Albatross

 Stewart Island Shag nesting colony

Close-up Yellow-eyed Penguin from the car hide

Day 6
Short drive to Nugget Point. Ticked SPOTTED SHAG and got fantastic views of a YEPenguin on the side of the road. NZ Fur Seals were also around, plus a large breeding colony of the rare Spoonbill, normally a rubbish-bird for me, having them in my backyard an all ;)

Day 7
Dunedin. A short stop at Sinclair Wetlands produced no Fernbird, but a large flock a CANADA GEESE kept me entertained. Late that evening we headed to Tairo Head, the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world, in this case the Northern ROYAL ALBATROSS. This was a great opportunity to get shots without the pitching of a boat, despite the cloudy conditions.

As a bonus, a large nesting colony of STEWART ISLAND SHAGS were below the albatross viewing hide.   

Day 8
Relaxing day. While shopping in Dunedin I found a brochure on the Black Stilt Visitor Hide we were visiting the next day... and realised the birds there were captive, not wild. Oops! Spent a frantic 30 minutes with my IPod and Maccas free WiFi getting some locations for this critically endangered wader.

 Northern Royal Albatross

 Stewart Island Shag nesting colony

Close-up Yellow-eyed Penguin from the car hide

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Doubtful Sound and South Coast

Day 4
Woke to the sound of a Long-tailed Cuckoo (didn't see it), year ticked a Wood Pigeon and saw a REDPOLL. We caught a boat across Lake Manapouri, and went for our overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound with Deep Cove. This was a fantastic experience, only marred by the lack of birds.

If the trip was 1 month earlier or 1 month later, there would have been Fiordland Crested Penguins everywhere. However, being the 31st of December there were none around, all it at sea, closer to Australia then where I was... A spot of fishing caught many fish plus a shark! Crayfish were brought up in pots, and fireworks marked the end of 2010, with my year list totalled at 440 (441 if you include the NZ Fantail).

Day 5
Fantastic weather, great views and Kelp Gulls woke me up. Our guide had a go at finding Blue Ducks but of course we didn't, a trend to continue for the rest of the trip despite looking in every mountain stream we drove over. Briefly saw a NEW ZEALAND FALCON flying over.

After a while on the road (and after ticking SOUTH ISLAND PIED OYSTERCATER) we arrived at Slope Point, the southern most point of the NZ mainland. Stewart Island was tantalisingly close, but unfortunately we wouldn't be going there. YELLOWHAMMERS were in abundance, and a walk down to the Petrified Forest to looks at fossils yielded a couple of YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS, my third target bird ticked. What amazing birds these are, though painful to watch people walk right up to and disturb the rarest penguins in the world (despite the DOC signs). I know most birders would say there are some times where they get a little bit too far into a birds comfort zone (me included) but this was still agonising to watch. Also spotted some WHITE-FRONTED TERNS flying around, which I still have to see in Aus.

Bottle-nosed Dolphin

 Crayfish

 School Shark

 Yellow-eyed Penguin

Yellow-eyed Penguin and Chicks

Day 4
Woke to the sound of a Long-tailed Cuckoo (didn't see it), year ticked a Wood Pigeon and saw a REDPOLL. We caught a boat across Lake Manapouri, and went for our overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound with Deep Cove. This was a fantastic experience, only marred by the lack of birds.

If the trip was 1 month earlier or 1 month later, there would have been Fiordland Crested Penguins everywhere. However, being the 31st of December there were none around, all it at sea, closer to Australia then where I was... A spot of fishing caught many fish plus a shark! Crayfish were brought up in pots, and fireworks marked the end of 2010, with my year list totalled at 440 (441 if you include the NZ Fantail).

Day 5
Fantastic weather, great views and Kelp Gulls woke me up. Our guide had a go at finding Blue Ducks but of course we didn't, a trend to continue for the rest of the trip despite looking in every mountain stream we drove over. Briefly saw a NEW ZEALAND FALCON flying over.

After a while on the road (and after ticking SOUTH ISLAND PIED OYSTERCATER) we arrived at Slope Point, the southern most point of the NZ mainland. Stewart Island was tantalisingly close, but unfortunately we wouldn't be going there. YELLOWHAMMERS were in abundance, and a walk down to the Petrified Forest to looks at fossils yielded a couple of YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS, my third target bird ticked. What amazing birds these are, though painful to watch people walk right up to and disturb the rarest penguins in the world (despite the DOC signs). I know most birders would say there are some times where they get a little bit too far into a birds comfort zone (me included) but this was still agonising to watch. Also spotted some WHITE-FRONTED TERNS flying around, which I still have to see in Aus.

Bottle-nosed Dolphin

 Crayfish

 School Shark

 Yellow-eyed Penguin

Yellow-eyed Penguin and Chicks

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Milford Sound

Day 3
Played another birding card and got the family up and moving before 9:00. We were headed towards one of the big tourist attractions of NZ, Milford Sound. Of course, being a birder I wasn't looking at the scenery, rather looking for a bird up in the mountains on the way in, the Rockwren, one of my main targets for the trip.

Getting up early didn't help, as it was raining when we got there, and the chance of finding a thornbill-sized bird in a boulder field while you can't hear it's high pitched call is pretty slim... I did meet another birder there, Angus from Cairns, who had been there for a while without finding the wren.

Down at Milford Sound, I ticked NEW ZEALAND BELLBIRD and year ticked Variable Oystercatcher. Angus left before us to try for Rockwren again. We headed back up into the mountains after 30 minutes or so, and I ticked another target, the KEA.

Back at the Rockwren site, it had stopped raining, but I couldn't see Angus so I went off in search of the bird. After 10 minutes I heard a single high-pitched tweet. I strained my ears and after a few seconds heard it again. I scrambled over rocks towards the call ad found Angus packing away his camera, then pointing to a rock, from under which a stunning ROCKWREN appeared! While admiring its beauty, the male came out and immediately all my attention was diverted. In Angus's words "like a little pitta". So true!

Angus went off to where I said the Yellowheads were, and I decided to try my luck at seeing a Blue Duck. After 30 minutes of driving along beside rapids, trying to spot a blue-grey duck among blue-grey stones I gave up, although an obliging pair of Paradise Shelducks showed well. The rest of the day was spent driving.

 Female Rockwren

 Kea

 Male Rockwren

Paradise Shelduck

Rockwren Habitat

Day 3
Played another birding card and got the family up and moving before 9:00. We were headed towards one of the big tourist attractions of NZ, Milford Sound. Of course, being a birder I wasn't looking at the scenery, rather looking for a bird up in the mountains on the way in, the Rockwren, one of my main targets for the trip.

Getting up early didn't help, as it was raining when we got there, and the chance of finding a thornbill-sized bird in a boulder field while you can't hear it's high pitched call is pretty slim... I did meet another birder there, Angus from Cairns, who had been there for a while without finding the wren.

Down at Milford Sound, I ticked NEW ZEALAND BELLBIRD and year ticked Variable Oystercatcher. Angus left before us to try for Rockwren again. We headed back up into the mountains after 30 minutes or so, and I ticked another target, the KEA.

Back at the Rockwren site, it had stopped raining, but I couldn't see Angus so I went off in search of the bird. After 10 minutes I heard a single high-pitched tweet. I strained my ears and after a few seconds heard it again. I scrambled over rocks towards the call ad found Angus packing away his camera, then pointing to a rock, from under which a stunning ROCKWREN appeared! While admiring its beauty, the male came out and immediately all my attention was diverted. In Angus's words "like a little pitta". So true!

Angus went off to where I said the Yellowheads were, and I decided to try my luck at seeing a Blue Duck. After 30 minutes of driving along beside rapids, trying to spot a blue-grey duck among blue-grey stones I gave up, although an obliging pair of Paradise Shelducks showed well. The rest of the day was spent driving.

 Female Rockwren

 Kea

 Male Rockwren

Paradise Shelduck

Rockwren Habitat

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Eglinton Valley

Day 2
The day started well, with a short walk through a forest producing NEW ZEALAND FANTAIL (still classified as a Grey Fantail, but I'm pretty sure it will be split soon), and a pair of BROWN CREEPERS came down from he canopy with a bit of pishing.

This was followed by a Long Drive...

Arriving in the Eglinton Valley, I added Tui to my year list (saw these on the North Island a few years ago before my birding obsession kicked in) and spotted some PARADISE SHELDUCKS and BLACK-FRONTED TERNS in a nearby paddock.

Everything before this point had not really been birding, just incidental ticks. I now played one of my limited birding cards and got the family to do a 30 minute nature walk at Lake Gunn. A NEW ZEALAND ROBIN showed nicely, and a male TOMTIT flew around us catching insects. A small group of RIFLEMAN entertained me, and a Kaka (another North Island tick) flew overhead. Unfortunately, no Yellow-crowned Parakeets.

Getting back to our lodge, I was chatting to the owner about the birds around the area when he said casually "oh, and there's a pair of Yellowheads nesting just up that path there". I was stunned for a few seconds (as Yellowheads are extremely hard to find I hadn't expected to see one in the trip). I thanked him and walked up the path, to be almost instantly rewarded with great view of a pair of Yellowheads feeding in the lower canopy! Amazing birds and my cr#p photo doesn't do them any justice.

 New Zealand Robin

 Rifleman

 Tui

 Tomtit

Yellowhead

Day 2
The day started well, with a short walk through a forest producing NEW ZEALAND FANTAIL (still classified as a Grey Fantail, but I'm pretty sure it will be split soon), and a pair of BROWN CREEPERS came down from he canopy with a bit of pishing.

This was followed by a Long Drive...

Arriving in the Eglinton Valley, I added Tui to my year list (saw these on the North Island a few years ago before my birding obsession kicked in) and spotted some PARADISE SHELDUCKS and BLACK-FRONTED TERNS in a nearby paddock.

Everything before this point had not really been birding, just incidental ticks. I now played one of my limited birding cards and got the family to do a 30 minute nature walk at Lake Gunn. A NEW ZEALAND ROBIN showed nicely, and a male TOMTIT flew around us catching insects. A small group of RIFLEMAN entertained me, and a Kaka (another North Island tick) flew overhead. Unfortunately, no Yellow-crowned Parakeets.

Getting back to our lodge, I was chatting to the owner about the birds around the area when he said casually "oh, and there's a pair of Yellowheads nesting just up that path there". I was stunned for a few seconds (as Yellowheads are extremely hard to find I hadn't expected to see one in the trip). I thanked him and walked up the path, to be almost instantly rewarded with great view of a pair of Yellowheads feeding in the lower canopy! Amazing birds and my cr#p photo doesn't do them any justice.

 New Zealand Robin

 Rifleman

 Tui

 Tomtit

Yellowhead

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

IBATD Queenstown

Incidental Birding Across the Ditch (IBATD)

Straight after Christmas, my family and I were off across the ditch to the South Island of New Zealand. The holiday was originally planned to involve almost no birding, but I managed to fit it in here and there without too much difficulty ;)

Day 1
Arriving in Queenstown, the first bird I saw was a Masked Lapwing. Not a very interesting first bird. Everything was soaked, due to a very heavy rainfall throughout the South Island, but it had stopped about 2 hours before we arrived.

On to the accommodation, surprisingly right next to the Queenstown Gardens... How convenient! A pair of CHAFFINCHES were the first lifer of the trip, even though they're introduced. My first native bird was next, about 7 NEW-ZEALAND SCAUPS sitting on the lake, along with a familiar face, two Great-crested Grebes. SONG THRUSH and DUNNOCK were ticked quickly, after which I got onto my second native lifer, a BLACK-BILLED GULL, or rather 50 of them scavenging around the jetty. It's always satisfying to tick a pest bird that let's you get within inches of it.

NZ Scaup

Chaffinch

Black-billed Gull

Incidental Birding Across the Ditch (IBATD)

Straight after Christmas, my family and I were off across the ditch to the South Island of New Zealand. The holiday was originally planned to involve almost no birding, but I managed to fit it in here and there without too much difficulty ;)

Day 1
Arriving in Queenstown, the first bird I saw was a Masked Lapwing. Not a very interesting first bird. Everything was soaked, due to a very heavy rainfall throughout the South Island, but it had stopped about 2 hours before we arrived.

On to the accommodation, surprisingly right next to the Queenstown Gardens... How convenient! A pair of CHAFFINCHES were the first lifer of the trip, even though they're introduced. My first native bird was next, about 7 NEW-ZEALAND SCAUPS sitting on the lake, along with a familiar face, two Great-crested Grebes. SONG THRUSH and DUNNOCK were ticked quickly, after which I got onto my second native lifer, a BLACK-BILLED GULL, or rather 50 of them scavenging around the jetty. It's always satisfying to tick a pest bird that let's you get within inches of it.

NZ Scaup

Chaffinch

Black-billed Gull

reade more... Résuméabuiyad