Gooday BA
My wife, daughter and I just returned from a three week family visit and birding trip through New Zealand. Briefly, we landed in Christchurch for Christmas with family, travelled down east coast to Stewart Island, then up west coast via Milford Sound to Picton. Crossed over to Wellington, on the North Island and drove directly to Tirri Tirri Matangi Island via Taupo, then down to Miranda Bird Observatory, then across to Ruatiti and back down to Wellington, crossed the Cook Strait again over to Picton driving down the east coast to Christchurch via Kaikoura. While seeing a nice cross section of the country Judy and I saw about 102 bird species including 35 endemics plus lots of natives and lots of introductions. Drove around in a cheap small 1300cc hired vehicle, it was great, camped where we could and Motelled where necessary. Very heavy rain along the west coast north of Milford Sound moved us along quickly.
The list below shows the endemics we saw and mainly the first location at which we saw them. Big dips for me were the Rock Wren and Long-tailed Cuckoo. We did not try for the Orange-fronted Parakeet. While we went on a couple of pelagic trips it appears that our visit was not the right time for many of the pelagic species. If anyone has available to send me a recording of the Rock Wrens call that would be fantastic. Will be going back in about two years time.
Greg Little
Paradise Shelduck
Christchurch
South Island Oystercatcher
Christchurch & on way to Arthurs Pass
Black-fronted Tern
on way to Arthurs Pass
Kea
Otira Gorge, Arthurs Pass
Rifleman
Devils Punchbowl Falls, Arthurs Pass
Tomtit
Devils Punchbowl Falls, Arthurs Pass
New Zealand Scaup
Ferry, Rd, Christchurch
Spotted Shag
Sumner, Whitehead Cliffs, Christchurch
New Zealand Bellbird
Riccarton Bush, Christchurch, & Ulva Island
Yellow-eyed Penguin
Oamaru
Bronze (Stewart Is) Shag
Oamaru & Stewart Island
New Zealand Pigeon
Herbert
Tui
south of Owaka, Ulva Island
Variable Oystercatcher
Ulva Island, Stewart Island
Weka
Ulva Island, off Stewart Island
New Zealand Kaka
Stewart Island
New Zealand Robin
Ulva Island, off Stewart Island
Brown Creeper (Pipipi)
Ulva Island, off Stewart Island
Southern Brown Kiwi
Ulva Island off Stewart Island
Yellow-fronted Parakeet
Ulva Island off Stewart Island
Yellowhead
Ulva Island off Stewart Island
Fernbird
Okarito
New Zealand Falcon
at Rainbow Beach just sth of Te Anau
Takahe
Tirri Tirri Matangi Island
Wrybill
Miranda Bird Observatory, Miranda
Whitehead
Tirri Tirri Matangi Island
New Zealand Grebe (Dabchick)
Lake Okereka & Lake Taupo
Red-breasted (NZ) Dotterel
mudflats at Maketu
Blue Duck
Ruatiti Domain
Red-billed Gull
Christchurch
Black-billed Gull
on way to Arthurs Pass
Gray Gerygone
Sinclair Wetland
Saddleback
Ulva Island off Stewart Island
Stitchbird
Tirri Tirri Matangi Island
Kokako
Tirri Tirri Matangi Island
Greg Little – Principal Consultant
General Flora and Fauna
PO Box 526
Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia
Ph 02 49556609
Fx 02 49556671
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