Royal Albatross Centre Guided Walk

After a great day driving through The Catlins, we made our way back to Taiaroa Head in time for our booked guided walk through the Royal Albatross Centre.

We had deliberately booked the last tour of the day as, in addition to giving most of the rest of the day to do other things, we anticipated that there would be more activity with albatross returning to roost in the early evening.

Even from the car park it was obvious we'd made a good decision as there were several birds flying around overhead.

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/8000

The Centre has an observatory built on the cliff top within the colony

Royal Albatross Centre Observatory, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
(photographed from the boat on the Monarch Cruise yesterday)
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @200mm ISO 400, f/6.3 1/1000

so you can get up close (and nearly personal) with nesting birds.

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/200

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/160

Even though sunset was still a few hours away, the cloudy conditions made for low light, which was just one of the challenges facing us. The tours are limited to a small number of people so that everyone can get a spot at the window but the action was coming thick and fast, with birds flying past the windows every few seconds, so once I had a good spot I was reluctant to move. One of the reasons why this site is suitable for albatross is that it almost always has high winds and this evening was no exception, which meant the birds were flying at incredible speeds. When you are standing at cliffside lookouts watching albatross flying offshore there are few indicators by which it is possible to judge their speed but when they fly past you only a few metres away...

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

So, fast moving birds, low light, cramped conditions and shooting through glass was challenging. The following shots (all from one sequence) demonstrate the auto-focus problems. I thought I had a lock on the bird but once I lost it, the camera tracked back and forth between the background and the glass...

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/640

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/1250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/2500

We spent about 40 minutes in the observatory but it was over way too quickly. It's almost impossible to convey the feeling of standing (albeit inside a building) within a colony of these majestic birds but here's a few of my feeble attempts:

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/500

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/500

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/3200

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/320

Oh, and to top it off...sunset

Sunset from Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @35mm, ISO 1600, f/4 1/4000

Penguin Place

Penguin Place is a privately owned and operated reserve on the Otago Peninsula dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin. We were advised that the last tour of the day provided the chance of seeing the most penguins so we took the advice. The tour begins with a short bus ride from the harbour side to the ocean side of the peninsula. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Dark clouds and rain arrived just as the walking part of the tour began.

Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 19mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/320

However, it seems that penguins don't mind the rain. We spotted our first penguin, emerging from the waves onto the beach below us before we had even reached the formal viewing areas.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/250

Once you get into the colony itself you you can hear the penguins calling and shuffling around in the grass to and from their nests. We were lucky enough to come across this individual only a few metres away from the path. 

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/3.5 1/800

Heavy cloud and rain made for low light so I bumped up the ISO to give a fast enough shutter speed to hand hold and freeze the action of the penguins. There are several hides along the path that provide views of nest boxes, some of which had penguins 'at home'.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f3.5 1/800

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/3.5 1/800

In the main nesting area, a maze of trenches has been dug and covered over allowing close-up viewing of nesting sites and the ability to move around in the colony with minimal disruption to the birds and with a little protection from the rain.

Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 16 mm, ISO 1600, f/3.5 1/100

It wasn't long before we came across this family where the female (we couldn't tell the difference but the guide know most of the birds individually) had just returned from the sea.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/8 1/200

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/5.6 1/640

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/500

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/2500

We stayed watching these birds for about 30 minutes until the male called loudly

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/8 1/1600

apparently signalling his departure. We followed him along his way to the beach

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/4 1/1600

and watched as he swam out to sea.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/4 1/4000

Brighton Beach

After dropping a friend at the airport (which is a 25 minute drive SW of Dunedin) we had some time to kill before our Penguin Place booking so took the scenic route back via the coast. We found a beautiful little place called Brighton.

Brighton Beach, Otago, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @24mm, ISO 400, f/5 1/2500

We took a short walk around this small inlet. There was not much in bird life (probably due to the number of people and dogs cavorting around the beach) but we did find a pair of Variable Oystercatchers doing some cavorting of their own.

Variable Oystercatcher, Brighton Beach, Otago, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1000

Variable Oystercatcher, Brighton Beach, Otago, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1000

Otago Peninsula Wildlife Cruise

We took a wildlife cruise with Monarch Wildlife Cruises this morning. We had booked online overnight after checking the weather prediction was for clear skies and light winds in the morning - not the best for albatross but good for general photography. The first tour of the day is also scheduled to go for longer than the others so we expected to get further out to sea enabling sighting of more seabirds. The cruise departs from a small dock in a sheltered bay in Otago Harbour a few km south of Taiaroa Head. We arrived there early so took the chance to revisit the lookouts at Taiaroa Head to see if we could get better views (and photographs) of the Spotted Shags seen on our previous visit on Sunday afternoon.

Spotted Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6 1/3200

Spotted Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/7.1 1/500

Spotted Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, ISO 400, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, f/2.8 1/1600

Spotted Shag, Tairoa Head, Otago Peninsula
Pentax K-3, ISO 400, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), f/7.1 1/500

We also spotted a New Zealand Fur Seal frolicking in the water just off shore (the water surface is indicative of how calm it was - nothing like the 50+ kmh winds of Sunday).

NZ Fur Seal, off Tairoa Head, Otago Peninsula
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), f/8 1/640

NZ Fur Seal, off Tairoa Head, Otago Peninsula
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), f/5.6 1/1000

...and then there were two...

NZ Fur Seal, off Tairoa Head, Otago Peninsula
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), f/5.6 1/2500

Back at the Monarch Cruise office, Jo was negotiating a deal to combine the morning cruise with an evening visit to the Penguin Place (more on that in the next post) while I was more interested in the Little Shags and White-Fronted Tern on the dock outside.

The Little Shag is the same species (Phalacrocorax melanaluecos) as the Little Pied Cormorant in Australia but the New Zealanders have dropped the 'Pied' from the name as this species in NZ is highly variable in colouration, with some birds having white faces and fronts, similar to the Australian birds, while others have only white faces and some have only a small patch of white under the chin.

Little Shag, Otago Harbour, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/11 1/320

Little Shag, Otago Harbour, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/11 1/400

Little Shag, Otago Harbour, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/11 1/320

Little Shag, Otago Harbour, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/3200

The White-fronted Tern is a native of New Zealand and breeds in spring and summer all around the coast and several offshore islands. It is seen in Australia in winter but I have never seen it in breeding plumage in Australia so it was great to see so many looking resplendent in their black caps while were were in NZ.

White-fronted Tern, Otago Harbour, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

The first birding opportunity on the cruise is the colony of Stewart Island Shags on the sheltered side of Taiaroa Head.

Stewart Island Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/1000

This species is also variable in plumage with a pied phase (black with white front and white 'stripe' on upper wings) and a bronze phase (all dark brown-black).

Stewart Island Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/1600

Stewart Island Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/1250

The cruise provides great views of the lighthouse perched on top of Taiaroa Head

Taiaroa Head Lighthouse, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 80-200mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/6.3 1/800

and the white heads of Northern Royal Albatross can be seen on nesting sites in the protected colony.

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, SIgma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/1600

New Zealand Fur Seals were easily found basking on the rocks all around base of the cliffs

New Zealand Fur Seal, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/640

and the Spotted Shags nesting on the cliffs could be seen from a different angle,

Spotted Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/400

with some flying close past the boat.

Spotted Shag, Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/1/5000

Once further out to sea, we spotted a small flock of Sooty Shearwaters resting on the water.

Sooty Shearwater, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/6400

Sooty Shearwater, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/3200

as well as a Northern Giant Petrel and Cape Petrel (I can't quite bring myself to use the local common name of Cape Pigeon) taking turns trying to feed from a dead bird in the water.

Cape Petrel, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/3200

Northern Giant Petrel, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4 1/6400

We spotted a fishing boat returning to port with a train of seabirds following it, so we headed closer to see what we could find.

Off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/6400

First to arrive at our boat was a Southern Royal Albatross, first circling the boat,

Southern Royal Albatross, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/6400

then landing in our wake,

Southern Royal Albatross, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/4000

soon to be joined by several White-capped Albatross, a score or more Cape Petrels and a Northern Giant Petrel.

White-capped Albatross, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/8000

White-capped Albatross, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/3200

Cape Petrel, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/6400

Cape Petrel, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/8000

White-capped Albatross, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/4000

Northern Giant Petrel, off Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/4000

We, of course, wanted to stay much longer but, all too soon, the cruise had to head back for port.

Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/3.5 1/4000