After a night spent in a really rather foul hostel, I headed down to the shore of Lake Wakatipu and then on to the Queenstown Gardens the next morning. The endemic New Zealand Scaup, along with Black-billed (another endemic) and Kelp Gulls were additions to my challenge total, all seen in the centre of town.
Kelp Gull in Queenstown. This species is very common in South America, southern Africa and New Zealand, but is bizarrely a very scarce bird in Australia!
The endangered Black-billed Gull was very common around Queenstown
New Zealand Scaups were abundant on Lake Wakatipu
Other waterbirds seen around the lake included numerous manky Mallard hybrids, with the ugly combination of the genes of pure Mallards and farm ducks producing some truly foul specimens, while several Pacific Black Duck-Mallard crosses were also present. I couldn't identify any 'pure' individuals of either species! Little Pied Cormorants and Eurasian Coots were also common, while several stunning 'Australasian' Great Crested Grebes were also on the lake.
The resplendent 'Australasian' Great Crested Grebe (of subspecies australis)
It is certainly fair to say that the birdlife in this area (as indeed in much of New Zealand) has a very European feel, thanks to numerous introductions by settlers in the 19th Century. In the Queenstown Gardens, an abundance of Common Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Dunnocks crept about the undergrowth, while Common Chaffinches, European Greenfinches, European Goldfinches and Common Redpolls (ironically an addition to my challenge total!) chirped from the trees, along with Common Starlings and House Sparrows, both of which were also present in high numbers.
It was very nice to find some endemic native passerines in the gardens as well, with the magnificent Tui, the world's largest Honeyeater species (and perhaps the bird with the most varied voicebox) and stunningly-tuneful New Zealand Bellbird, both common. Several Grey Gerygones were also seen, while one of New Zealand's few native but not endemic songbirds, the Silvereye, was very common indeed. On a small pool in the middle of the gardens, it was very nice to see this stunning pair of Paradise Shelducks, yet another bird found only in this country.
Male Paradise Shelduck
Female Paradise Shelduck. This species is one of the very few native birds to have benefited from the arrival of Europeans, with much of the country's forest converted into pasture and farmland, along with numerous small ponds being created nationwide. It is now a very common sight indeed across the country.
In the afternoon, I walked into Queenstown Hill Recreational Reserve. It was nice to find some more native bird species in the forest on the walk up, not least several Pipipis (also known as Brown Creepers), a member of the Mohoua family, which consists of three species and is endemic to New Zealand. Numerous Silvereyes, Grey Gerygones and New Zealand Bellbirds, along with usual assortment of European introductions, were also seen. After climbing up through the forest, I reached an open. moorland-like area, which allowed great views over the surrounding breathtaking wilderness. It was very strange to find another invasive species up here, an American introduction this time, in the form of the California Quail. Approximately 20 of this stunning little bird, originally introduced to the country for shooting, were strolling around the top of the hill, with their loud calling echoing for miles around the surrounding valleys.
A magnificent bird, the California Quail.
Another non-native, the Eurasian Skylark, was producing its fantastic melodic call overhead. More pleasing, however, was finding another endemic, with at least five New Zealand Pipits present.
New Zealand Pipit, now commonly deemed to be species in its own right after being split from its Australian relative
Breathtaking view of Queenstown and the surrounding countryside
I ended the day on 597 for my challenge, though having found most of Queenstown's regular species, I suspected it may take a while to find the final three to reach my target.
I spent the next searching for work around Queenstown, as I had intended to stay in the town for a couple of months before touring the rest of the country. After being offered some casual labour work, I decided to pull out due to tax complications, and instead decided to spend my remaining savings travelling north through the country. I had one final night pre-booked in Queenstown and so I used the next day to walk into the nearby Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve. Once again, European birds were omnipresent, along with the common natives seen two days' previously. However, there was a little more diversity here to the native birdlife. A New Zealand Fantail, another endemic, became bird number 598 for my challenge, and it was shortly followed by a magnificent Tomtit, a member of the Australasian Robins family, and once again, a species only found in New Zealand. I was now on 599, one short of my target! I spent the remainder of the walk up the hill contemplating what number 600 would be- perhaps a Kea or New Zealand Falcon at the top? Sadly that didn't happen... Perhaps a surprise South Island Robin in the forest? No again... And then I flushed a bird I had completely forgotten about from the path- a New Zealand Pigeon (called the Kereru in Maori). The bird landed nearby, allowing me to take a photograph. Clearly, with two months' remaining, I had set my target too low, but it was amazing to reflect on how much has happened since I saw my first bird of the challenge, a Carrion Crow, at school in Sherborne just after finishing my final exam on June 17th this year. Since then, I have visited Pompeii and Herculaneum; undertaken a truly life-changing bus trip from San Francisco to New York, not only seeing some of the world's most extraordinary sights (such as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Washington, D.C.), but also opening my eyes to a truly amazing country where I hope to spend a considerable amount of time in the future; I have also visited Kenya's amazing Kakamega Forest; relocated to Brisbane in Australia and explored the remarkable surrounding wild areas; explored the mind-blowing Queensland coast and now travelling up through New Zealand. What a fantastic time!!
Number 598, the New Zealand Fantail
And number 600, a stunning species by which to reach my target, the New Zealand Pigeon
The next day, I caught a bus to nearby Wanaka. The journey produced some great birds, with South Island Oystercatchers and Swamp Harriers (a bird that, like the Paradise Shelduck has benefited from European arrival in NZ) a very regular sight by the roadside, while Masked Lapwing and Australian Magpie (yet another introduction!) were also firsts for the trip. A walk around Lake Wanaka produced exactly the same birds as in Queenstown, besides a Yellowhammer, one more European species!
I hoped to find some Alpine species the following day in the mountains surrounding Wanaka. Sadly, strong winds and rain made birding very difficult and I had to make do with this stunning Common Redpoll as the day's highlight:
Breeding-plumage Common Redpoll near Wanaka.
On the 20th November, I continued north, up to the township of Franz Josef, situated within the magnificent Westland Tai Poutini National Park, next to the world-famous Franz Josef Glacier. On the way, I passed through the incredible Mount Aspiring National Park and the Haast Pass. I will definitely be returning here when I have a car and tent!
It was very pleasing indeed to have five Kea fly over me late in the evening as I walked to the supermarket, it is certainly a good town when Kea are present and Feral Pigeons aren't!
The next morning, I walked up into the nearby forest. I came upon this sign on the way:
I really wish I could travel back in time! It is so sad to imagine what New Zealand would have been all those centuries ago, with the remaining wildlife present a mere remnant of what was once here. The Haast's Eagle in particular, with its three-metre wingspan, must have been a truly extraordinary sight to behold.
Despite the majority of the area's mind-blowing birdlife having become extinct, there are still some pleasing birds to find in the area. Another Kea flew over me as I approached the forest, while a stunning New Zealand Falcon soared overhead.
The stunning forest of Westland Tai Poutini National Park
Even here, in this extremely remote forest, European introductions were present, with Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock and Common Chaffinch all seen, though native passerines were reassuringly common, most especially Tuis, New Zealand Bellbirds, Grey Gerygones, Silvereyes and Tomtits.
One of the most iconic birds of New Zealand, the stunning Tui
One of New Zealand's many magnificent endemic birds, the Tomtit
Other native birds seen included Pipipi, New Zealand Fantail, New Zealand Pigeon and Welcome Swallow. The biggest surprise, however, was finding three Shining Bronze-Cuckoos, a new bird for me in New Zealand, though one that I have seen on numerous occasions in Australia.
A brilliant little bird, the Shining Bronze-Cuckoo. It is one of only four passerines native to New Zealand that breeds both here and in mainland Australia, with the others being the Silvereye, the Welcome Swallow and the Sacred Kingfisher.
I also heard a Long-tailed Cuckoo calling, though frustratingly I was unable to see it, as this endemic would have been a lifer for me!
Lake Wombat in Westland Tai Poutini. It really feels like some mysterious endemic waterbirds should be found here, though sadly most have been hunted to extinction, and two Pacific Black Ducks were all I could find!
The following, I undertook the arduous ten-hour journey up to Nelson at the northern tip of the South Island. On the way, it was pleasing to stop off at Paparoa National Park, where a very brief walk produced brief views of the extraordinary Weka, a 60cm-long, flightless Rail, unsurprisingly endemic to NZ! On top of that, several Spotted Shags flew past and, at the amazing Pancake Rocks, a great number of nesting White-fronted Terns (along with several Variable Oystercatchers) were seen.
Red-billed Gulls are abundant around New Zealand's coast. This bird was previously considered a true species, but is now lumped with Australia's Silver Gull.
White-fronted Tern at the Pancake Rocks
More extraordinary New Zealand scenery!
I spent the following day exploring the very nice little city of Nelson, before moving on to Kaikoura on the 24th. Sadly I had to miss exploring the Abel Tasman National Park. Again, this is something to do next time!
A walk around Kaikoura in the afternoon produced one more addition to my challenge total and to my New Zealand list, with an Australasian Shoveler swimming around just behind the beach. An evening Little Penguin-search was in vain, though seeing this breeding-plumaged Double-banded Plover made the walk worthwhile! A Great Cormorant was also a first for the trip.
Double-banded Plover in Kaikoura
Kaikoura is world-renowned for its pelagic seabird trips, and I was fortunate enough to head out on one the next morning. It was truly extraordinary, just as it had nine years' ago when I last did it. After travelling no more than three miles offshore, the captain put some rather foul-looking meat into the water, and the birds started to appear. I will let the photographs speak for themselves!
The first tubenose seen, a Salvin's Albatross!
The first bird to come to the meat, a Cape Petrel. This species appeared virtually immediately on the food, allowing it to get a feed before the larger birds bullied them away.
Southern Royal Albatrosses, a lifer for me, with the background mountains showing just how remarkkably close to the shore these birds come at Kaikoura!
Gibson's Wandering Albatross (officially an Antipodean Albatross, but I'm not such a fan of this name!). With its extraordinarily elegant flight and unbelievable three-and-a-half-metre wingspan (the largest of any bird), this incredible vulnerable species is undoubtedly my favourite bird in the world. What a great privilege it was to see it so close!
Its immense size compared to the Cape Petrels (approximately as large as Feral Pigeons) can be seen here
New Zealand White-capped Albatross, possibly a future split from the Shy Albatross
Northern Giant Petrel. These really are beasts.
Dark morph Northern Giant Petrel
New Zealand White-capped Albatross
A typical back-of-the-boat shot, with Cape Petrels, two Northern Giant Petrels, a Salvin's Albatross and a Gibson's Wandering Albatross all in shot.
Salvin's Albatross flanked by two Northern Giant Petrels
I definitely would avoid making the Gibson's Wandering Albatross angry...
New Zealand White-capped Albatross. What a stunning bird!
Salvin's (left) and New Zealand White-capped Albatrosses
Two Gibson's Wandering Albatrosses, along with a Salvin's Albatross, three Northern Giant Petrels and two Cape Petrels
Salvin's (right) and New Zealand White-capped Albatrosses and a Northern Giant Petrel
Not a bad view from the back of the boat!
Northern Royal Albatross
Northern Royal Albatross
Westland Petrel
Great-winged (also known as Grey-faced) Petrek
The only Buller's Shearwater of the trip. What amazing wings!
Westland Petrel.
Gibson's Wandering Albatross next to a Cape Petrel
White-chinned Petrel. These are very similar to the Westland Petrels, though the lack of black on the bill tip is the key to their identification!
Things got messy once the remaining meat was thrown out into the water.
Hutton's Shearwater
It was truly one of the best mornings of my life! The final totals were approximately as follows:
Gibson's Wandering Albatross- 6
Northern Royal Albatross- 4
Southern Royal Albatross- 3
Salvin's Albatross- 15
New Zealand White-capped Albatross- 5
Northern Giant Petrel- 25
Cape Petrel- 35
White-chinned Petrel- 2
Westland Petrel- 20
Buller's Shearwater- 1
Short-tailed Shearwater- 1
Hutton's Shearwater- 15
Australasian Gannet- 1
Red-billed Gull- LOADS
Kelp Gull- LOADS
Tern species- 4
Caspian Tern- 3
What a trip!
Sadly it was time to leave Kaikoura the next day and to head up to Picton. I had planned to do a birding trip the following morning, however with a poor weather forecast, I changed trip and instead did a wildlife-watching one on the afternoon of the 26th. Cruising into Marlborough Sounds, I was very pleased to nearly immediately spot a Little Penguin on the surface of the water. This one of approximately four of the world's smallest Penguin species that I saw in the Sound themselves. Our first stop was at a Spotted Shag colony, where we enjoyed fantastic views of this New Zealand endemic.
Spotted Shags in Queen Charlotte Sound
A little further out, the Sound was swarming with Fluttering Shearwaters. Hundreds of these fantastic birds, once harvested for meat, were buzzing just above the surface of the water, while numerous Australasian Gannets flew about rather less gracefully, piercing the ocean with incredible speed and power, before reappearing at the surface with a bill full of fish.
The next stop was by some rocks, home to one of the rarest seabirds in the world. This was the New Zealand King Shag, a bird only found in Marlborough Sounds with a worldwide population of approximately 650. Thankfully, two were present on these rocks, a fantastic lifer for me.
New Zealand King Shag, a truly rare bird found nowhere else in the world.
We soon came upon a large pod of dolphins, which showed extraordinarily well, with several Dusky Dolphins coming right up to the boat and leaping up out of the water. That was trumped, however, by the sight of a Hector's Dolphin, New Zealand's only endemic cetacean and an endangered species with a rapidly-declining population of approximately 7000, just next to the boat. It was an absolutely amazing creature to see, and at only 1.4 metres long, a true midget of the marine mammals. Sadly the strong swell combined with my excitement to ensure my photography of these creatures was truly awful! Not long later, several New Zealand Fur Seals were seen very well just next to a Salmon farm.
Our next stop was Belmine Island, though sadly this non-specialist-birding trip didn't allow me the opportunity to get off the boat and search the island for the critically endangered Malherbe's Parakeet, which has been reintroduced to the predator-free island. I shall have to come back!
Variable Oystercatcher. A nice bird, but not quite as exciting as a Malherbe's Parakeet...
The final stop was Motuara Island, another predator-free island that has been used to build up populations of several native New Zealand passerines. Two each of New Zealand Falcon and New Zealand Pigeon flew overhead as we approached, and the birdsong was truly amazing. Thankfully, we were able to walk around this bird-paradise island and it was great to see some of the country's magnificent birds thriving here. New Zealand Bellbirds, Tuis, Grey Gerygones and South Island Robins were truly abundant, the latter originating from four birds brought here some time ago from Stewart Island, growing to a population of at least 600!
South Island Robin on Motuara Island. Though completely wild, these birds are extraordinarily tame, at one point landing on someone's shoe!
New Zealand Pigeon on Motuara Island
It was also fantastic to see several South Island Stitchbirds, a bird quite literally saved from extinction by translocating individuals. Once common across the South Island, predation from introduced Rats, Mustelids and Cats drove them to extinction on the mainland. They quickly became restricted to Big South Cape Island near Stewart Island, though when Muttonbird-harvesters arrived on the island in 1963, they inadvertently brought Rats with them. Though this marked the end of two species' worldwide existence- the South Island Snipe and Bush Wren, New Zealand's Department of Conservation worked rapidly to save the South Island Saddleback, capturing 36 individuals and transferring them to various islands that were still predator-free. Today, over 700 individuals exist. I felt incredibly lucky to see at least five of them.
On top of these extraordinary birds, I was extremely pleased to see two Yellow-crowned Parakeets on two occasions. Again, this bird was once common across both islands, though introduced predators rapidly reduced its range. Amazingly, it has been able to cling on in some parts of both islands, though to ensure the security of its future, several were brought to Motuara Island and other predator-free islands. There is now a healthy population of these birds here, and as they are now fully self-sustaining, it counted as a lifer for me.
Besides the aforementioned native passerines, Motuara Island has also been used to build up numbers of the rarest Kiwi species, the Okarito Brown Kiwi. Sadly none were to be seen today, as the Department of Conservation transfers all chicks born back down south to Westland every year. The island has been covered with nest boxes, supposedly for use by the Kiwis. Amusingly, Little Penguins took over every single box before the Kiwis were brought back to island. Consequently, this has created an extraordinary opportunity to see these birds up close, and I enjoyed views down to several inches with a number of this very special bird.
Little Penguin on Motuara Island in a Kiwi nest box. What a special creature.
This marked the end of my second amazing trip in as many days. A complete washout in Picton has at least given me the opportunity to update my blog, and I am heading over to the North Island by ferry tomorrow!
