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Trip Report New Zealand 2004 Simon Plat, Maaike Poppinga |
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Most of the following is based on my own experience and things I learned while preparing the trip and on the way. This list and the mentioned spots are by no means complete but I tried to give some of the most productive spots. To have a more complete picture you can use Chambers Locality guide (see Books and maps) or the soon to be published new where to watch birds book (you best mail Brent Stephenson for the most recent update on when this book is available).
Birds with an * are endemic species, birds with a b are endemic breeding species. Birds without Latin and Dutch names were not seen by me but are added to be a bit more complete. Introduced species (by human) are excluded.
*Brown Kiwi: Best spots on North Island are Aroha Island in the Bay of Islands and Trounson Park, also in the north. On Stewart Island the Brown Kiwi is almost guaranteed when joining a kiwi trip with Phillip Smith (03 219 1144). The South Island birds are more difficult but I have no experience with them.
*Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii, Kleine Grijze Kiwi - Vulnerable): The most accessible option is Tiritiri Matangi where it is relatively common and can be heard and sometimes seen during the night. Also possible on Kapiti Island.
*Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haastii, Grote Grijze Kiwi - Vulnerable): there are two accessible spots, both on South Island, north of Greymouth. I tried my luck at Bullocks Creek, just north of Punakaiki, driving to the end of the track (6 km) and walking from there into the forest. In my impression it is rather difficult to actually see a bird here since it is impossible to penetrate the forest (potholes) and the tracks are noisy due to pebbles. The second spot is at the Heaphy Track north of Karamea but I don't have more details.
bFiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, Fjordland Kuifpinguin - Vulnerable): In spring easily encountered during a commercial trip in one of the Sounds in Fjordlands. Also possible on Stewart Island.
bYellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes, Geeloogpinguïn - Endangered): Easily found on several known locations along the south east coast of South Island, for example just south of Oamaru. Excursions to breeding sites are organised on the Otago peninsula near Dunedin.
*New Zealand Grebe (Poliocephalus rufopectus, Nieuwzeelandfuut - Vulnerable): Only found on North Island. We found four birds at Strakers Pond near Waiwera (north of Auckland) but they should be possible in the larger lakes in the centre of North Island, for example the south of Lake Taupo is a good spot.
Albatrosses (Diomedea, Thalassarche): albatrosses are guaranteed on almost any trip to New Zealand, even if you're not that happy with boats. Especially at coastal spots on the south eastern parts of South Island and on Stewart Island they can be seen (and identified) from ashore. But best thing to do is an excursion with Kaikoura Albatross Encounter in Kaikoura. Also the ferries Wellington-Picton and to Stewart Island are good for albatrosses. The Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi, Noordelijke Koningsalbatross - Endangered) colony on the Otago peninsula near Dunedin is worth a visit.
bBlack Petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni, Zwarte Stormvogel - Vulnerable): Normally only encountered on a pelagic in the Auckland region. We saw a few at our Whitianga pelagic and they are also seen on Hauraki Gulf pelagics.
bWestland Petrel (Procellaria westlandica, Westlandstormvogel - Vulnerable): nearly guaranteed on a Kaikoura pelagic, also possible from the Wellington-Picton ferry. The breeding colonies around Punakaiki can be visited.
Cooks Petrel/bPycrofts Petrel: hard to separate! Best bet is to join a Hauraki Gulf pelagic (Auckland) with a professional group like Pterodroma Pelagics. Both species can be seen on Hauraki Gulf pelagics. Best option for Pycroft is to arrange a pelagic from Whitianga to Red Mercury Island where they breed. Cooks can also be seen on a Stewart Island pelagic.
bBuller's Shearwater (Puffinus bulleri, Bullers Pijlstormvogel - Vulnerable): fairly common, especially on pelagics around Auckland (Hauraki Gulf or Whitianga), also seen from Tiritiri Matangi during a storm. Can also be seen from Kaikoura pelagics.
bFluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia, Vlinderpijlstormvogel): by far the most common seabird of our trip. Seen in numbers on several pelagics and also from the coast. Hard to miss.
bHutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni, Huttons Pijlstormvogel - Endangered): best place is a Kaikoura pelagic where it is almost guaranteed.
*Rough-faced (King) Shag (Phalacrocorax carunculatus, Wrattenaalscholver - Vulnerable): the only option is to arrange a trip into the Queen Charlotte Sound (South Island). We had a great afternoon trip with Dolphin Watch Ecotours.
*Bronzed/Stewart Island Shag (Phalacrocorax chalconotus, Stewart Island Aalscholver - Vulnerable): easily found on coastal locations from Oamaru southward and on Stewart Island.
*Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus, Gevlekte Aalscholver): very common on coastal South Island, can also be found on North Island.
*Brown Teal (Anas aucklandica, Aucklandtaling - Vulnerable): best place to find this species is on Tiritiri Matangi (reintroduced) when staying overnight. Also on some coastal locations north of Auckland.
*New Zealand Scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae, Nieuwzeelandse Toppereend): fairly common diving duck, found easily on the big North Island lakes like Lake Taupo. Also on lakes in the highlands of South Island.
*Blue Duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus, Blauwe Eend - Vulnerable): probably the most accessible spot is in the Ruatiti domain, south west of Taupo. Follow highway number 4 and turn into the Ruatiti road just north of Raetihi and south of Tohunga Junction. Follow this road for 17 km. Here the road crosses the river. We saw a family from this bridge. The river back for about 4 km should also be good. Other options are rivers in the Tongariro NP area south of Taupo and on South Island they are seen along rivers in the Fjordlands area (for example along the Milford Sound road after passing the Homer Tunnel).
*Paradise Shelduck (Tadorna variegata, Paradijscasarca): very common all over both islands, mostly couples but sometimes in good numbers.
*New Zealand Falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae, Nieuwzeelandse Valk - Near threatened): difficult to find on North Island, where the greater Pureora area is a good spot. More easily seen on South Island, for example in the Highlands near Mount Cook and near Glenorchie/Queenstown.
*Weka (Gallirallus australis, Weka - Vulnerable): there are several spots to find this bird. Ulva Island (Stewart Island) is probably the only one that pretty much guarantees finding it. Also in Fjordlands and along the northern part of the west coast of South Island. On North Island it can be seen on Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf, even without entering the island (from a boat).
*Takahe (Porphyrio mantelli, Takahe - Endangered): the only relevant option to find Takahe is to visit Tiritiri Matangi or Kapiti Island, both North Island. On Tiri it is easy to find.
Spotless Crake (Porzana tabuensis, Pacifisch Porseleinhoen): not an endemic, yet often a target anyway. We found a bird in the small pool along the Wharf road on Tiritiri Matangi.
*South Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi, Nieuwzeelandse Bonte Scholekster)/*Variable Oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor, Nieuwzeelandse Zwarte Scholekster): both oystercatchers are easily found, Variable mostly in coastal areas and S.I. also inland, but they do occur together.
*Black Stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae, Zwarte Steltkluut - Critical): Black Stilts only breed in the highlands in central South Island, mostly around Twizel. During the non-breeding season they can be found in other areas. Best option is north of Lake Pukaki (north of Twizel), behind the Glentanner Park Scenic Flights airfield. In this delta post breeding birds congregate. Be aware that also hybrids are around. This spot is also good for Black-fronted Tern, Wrybill and Double-banded Plover.
*Wrybill (Anarhynchus frontalis, Scheefsnavelplevier - Vulnerable): not uncommon in their breeding area: the large rivers in the centre of South Island. I found several while searching for Black Stilt north of Lake Pukaki. There was also a good flock of about 40 birds present at Miranda (Taramaire River Mouth).
*Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus, Dubbelbandplevier): common on South Island along rivers as well as on beaches. A bit harder to find on North Island (we didn't see them on North Island).
*New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus, Rosse Plevier - Vulnerable): only found on North Island. Miranda is probably the best spot to find this bird. They breed near "The Hide". They can also be found north of Auckland. The Stewart Island population is hard to find during breeding season.
Shore Plover: this extremely rare bird is apart from the Chatham
Island group only possible on a small islet, called the Beehive in the Hauraki
Gulf. At present there is only one (!) bird present so check the most recent
information! Pelagics in the Hauraki Gulf mostly visit Beehive to tick this
species.
NEWSFLASH (28-7-2005): I'm sorry to report that the Shore Plovers (apparently
2 males) are removed from Beehive by DOC members for reasons that I'm not able
to follow. This means that from this date Shore Plover is about impossible to
see in New Zealand.
*Black-billed Gull (Larus bulleri, Zwartsnavelmeeuw - Vulnerable): a big colony of this species breeds near "The Hide" in Miranda. Black-billed Gulls are also easy to find on South Island where they are the most common gulls inland.
*Black-fronted Tern (Sterna albostriata, Nieuwzeelandse Sterm - Endangered): Black-fronted Terns are best to be found in the fast riverbeds in the centre of South Island. The river mouth north of Lake Pukaki is very good as is the bridge over the river just north of Omarama, south of Twizel. But they can be found in other spots too, mostly on South Island.
*New Zealand Pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, Nieuwzeelandse Duif - Near threatened): still relatively easy to find in most major forests in New Zealand. Islands like Tiritiri Matangi and Stewart Island are great spots to find them, but they normally won't elude a travelling birder.
*Yellow-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus auriceps, Geelvoorhoordkarakiri - Near threatened): the best spot on North Island to find them is Pureora Forest, though we didn't get them there. On South Island you can look for them in the mountains. The area around the Lake Silvian Trail (north of Glenorchy/Queenstown) is a reliable spot. They can be found on Ulva Island (Stewart Island) but they can be hard there.
Red-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae, Roodvoorhoofdkarakiri): very common on Tiritiri Matangi (reintroduced) and probable on other spots on the mainland too. Ulva Island (Stewart Island) is also a good spot to find them.
*New Zealand Kaka (Nestor meridionalis, Kaka - Vulnerable): luckily these beautiful parrots are noisy enough to attract attention. We found them on several spots. The North Island form can easily be found in Pureora Forest, around the watchtower. The South Island form is common on Stewart Island and is also present in the mountain forests of South Island.
*Kea (Nestor notabilis, Kea - Vulnerable): the most famous spot for Kea is the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound. Here they climb tourist cars for fun and can do serious damage to those cars. They also can be found near the restaurant in Milford Sound and we heard them on other locations like in Haast and at the Fox Glacier.
Kakapo: once on the brink of extinction this bird is now recovering well with a total of (exactly) 86 birds. This bird is still about impossible to twitch. To visit their breeding island you should sign in for a voluntary job for at least 2 weeks and then wait for about two years before it's your turn! See the Kakapo recovery programme for more info.
bLong-tailed Koel (Eudynamys taitensis, Langstaartkoël): a difficult bird to get the eyes on. We only heard two different birds at Pureora Forest, both didn't want to show. They can be found all over New Zealand in the good season (summer).
*Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris, Geweervogel): should be possible in most forests on both North and South Island. We found a North Island bird in Pureora Forest (seen from the watchtower) and South Island birds on Ulva Island and at the Lake Silvian Trail.
*Rock Wren (Xenicus gilviventris, Rotswinterkoning - Near threatened): best accessible site still is the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound. The birds are found along the nature trail that starts at the car park, but they can be hard to find without means to lure them in. A way to lure them is with making squeaking sounds with polystyrene on glass.
*New Zealand Fernbird (Megalurus punctatus, Varengrasvogel): for me this was one of the hardest birds to get, most probably due to the bad weather with strong winds. There are a lot of spots where this bird can be found. Among the best are the southern part of Lake Taupo (North Island) and on South Island Sinclair Wetlands south of Dunedin (South Island).
*New Zealand Robin (Petroica australis, Nieuwzeelandvliegenvanger): to some extent easily found in most native forests. Be aware that the forms of North and South Island may be split in the future. The North Island form is common on Tiritiri Matangi (introduced) and also in Pureora Forest. The South Island form is common around the Fjordlands (e.g. in Milford Sound). The Stewart Island form is common on Ulva Island.
*Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala, Maori-vliegenvanger): this charming little bird is relatively common in native vegetation. It has only recently been introduced to Tiritiri Matangi where it is hard to find, but while travelling both North and South Island you should come across a few. Also this one might be split into a South Island and a North Island species.
*Grey Gerygone (Gerygone igata, Maori-mangrovezanger): one of the most common endemics, found nearly everywhere.
*Whitehead (Mohoua albicilla, Popokatea): another charming warbler, found only on North Island. Common on Tiritiri Matangi (reintroduced) and also found in Pureora Forest. Probably still present in most of the North Island native forests.
*Pipipi/Brown Creeper (Mohoua novaeseelandiae, Finschia): only found on South and Stewart Island. On Ulva Island (Stewart Island) it is common and easy to find. Might be more difficult on South Island but I found several (by their call) on the Lake Silvian Trail and also on the way to Milford Sound.
*Yellowhead (Mohoua ochrocephala, Mohua - Vulnerable): a tricky bird to find. Possible on Ulva Island (Stewart Island, reintroduced) but hard to find on mainland South Island where it is rapidly declining. Lake Silvian Trail, close to Lake Silvian appears to be a good spot.
*New Zealand Bellbird (Anthornis melanura, Maori-belhoningvogel): still fairly common and easily found on both islands. For example very common on Tiritiri Matangi.
*Stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta, Geelbandhoningeter - Vulnerable): fairly common on Tiritiri Matangi and also Kapiti Island but extinct on the mainland.
*Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, Toei): very common almost all over its range. Easily found on Tiritiri Matangi and Stewart Island.
*Kokako (Callaeas cinerea, Kokako - Endangered): one of the greatest birds and target to all birdwatchers this one can be hard to find. It is found on Tiritiri Matangi (introduced), along the Wattle track, where it crosses the Wattle Road. Also a chance in Pureora Forest but you need up to date information on the best spot to find them. Another good spot seems to be Boundary Stream Mainland Island, between Wairoa and Napier in the Hawke's Bay region.
*Saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus, Zadelrugspreeuw - Near threatened): this beautiful and noisy bird is easy on Tiritiri Matangi where it is hard to miss. Also found on Kapiti Island, Motuaro Island (in the Queen Charlotte Sound) and Ulva Island (Stewart Island).
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