Two weeks in New Zealand

My wife and I are nearing the end of two and a half fantastic weeks in New Zealand. We were initially in Dunedin for a conference, after which we drove more than 2500 km on the South Island, covering most of the east and north coast from Curio Bay in the very south to Farewell Spit in the far north west, staying in Dunedin, Akaroa, Kaikoura and Picton and then crossing Cook Strait by ferry to Wellington on the North Island.

Of the 326 species listed in Robertson and Heather (see full reference below), 66 species are pelagic, 47 species are migratory waders and, of the remaining species, 41 have been introduced from Europe, Asia, Australia or North America and many more are rare or uncommon vagrants from Australia or the tropical Pacific. This leaves less than 90 species native or endemic to New Zealand and many of these occur only on small outlying islands. However, what it lacks in diversity, NZ avifauna makes up for in quantity, accessibility and uniqueness so it is a great place to go birding.

While we have not been deliberately twitching, we've taken organised wildlife encounters and cruises and visited key wildlife locations wherever we could along the way and managed to sight 79 bird species (all common names taken from Hugh Robertson and Barrie Heather, The Hand Guide to the Birds of New Zealand, revised edition, Penguin Books, 2005):

• Little Spotted Kiwi
• New Zealand Dabchick
• Royal Albatross (Southern and Northern races)
• Wandering Albatross
• Shy Mollymawk (= Shy Albatross: NZ White-capped and Salvin's subspecies)
• Northern Giant Petrel
• Sooty Shearwater
• Fluttering Shearwater
• Hutton's Shearwater
• White-chinned Petrel
• Westland Petrel
• Cape Pigeon (= Cape Petrel)
• Yellow-eyed Penguin
• Blue Penguin (= Little Penguin)
• Australasian Gannet
• Black Shag (= Great Cormorant)
• Pied Shag (= Pied Cormorant)
• Little Black Shag (= Little Black Cormorant)
• Little Shag (= Little Pied Cormorant)
• Spotted Shag
• King Shag
• Stewart Island Shag
• White-faced Heron
• Royal Spoonbill
• Black Swan
• Canada Goose
• Feral Goose
• Paradise Shelduck
• Mallard
• Grey Duck (= Pacific Black Duck)
• Grey Teal
• Brown Teal
• New Zealand Scaup
• Australasian Harrier (= Swamp Harrier)
• California Quail
• Weka
• Marsh Crake (= Baillon's Crake)
• Takahe
• Pukeko (= Purple Swamphen)
• Pied Oystercatcher
• Variable Oystercatcher
• Spur-winged Plover (= Masked Lapwing)
• Pied Stilt (= Black-winged Stilt)
• Banded Dotterel (= Double-banded Plover)
• Turnstone (= Ruddy Turnstone)
• Bar-tailed Godwit
• Black-backed Gull (= Kelp Gull)
• Red-billed Gull (= Silver Gull)
• Black-billed Gull
• Caspian Tern
• White-fronted Tern
• New Zealand Pigeon
• Rock Pigeon
• Kaka
• Yellow-crowned Parakeet
• Red-crowned Parakeet
• Kingfisher (= Sacred Kingfisher)
• Welcome Swallow
• Silvereye
• Grey Warbler
• Blackbird (= Common Blackbird)
• Song Thrush
• Skylark (= Eurasian Skylark)
• New Zealand Pipit
• Fantail
• Tomtit
• New Zealand Robin
• Tui
• Stitchbird
• Bellbird
• Saddleback
• House Sparrow
• Chaffinch
• Red Poll
• Goldfinch (= European Goldfinch)
• Greenfinch
• Yellowhammer
• Starling (= Common Starling)
• Australian Magpie

as well as one species, Morepork, heard but not seen.

I took over 5000 photographs on this trip so it's taken a while to process them but here they are:

23 Nov   Royal Albatross Centre on Otago Peninsula
27 Nov   Otago Peninsula Wildlife Cruise
               Brighton Beach
               Penguin Place
28 Nov   The Catlins
               Royal Albatross Centre Guided Walk
30 Nov   Coast Up Close Wildlife Cruise
1 Dec     Drive to Kaikoura
2 Dec     Albatross Encounter
              Whale Watch
3 Dec    Drive to Picton
              Queen Charlotte Drive
4 Dec    Drive to Farewell Spit
5 Dec    Motuara Island and Queen Charlotte Sound
              Picton harbourfront
6 Dec    Zealandia
9 Dec    Zealandia at night

Zealandia at Night

The lure of seeing a kiwi tempted us into a night tour at Zealandia. There is a reintroduced population of Little Spotted Kiwi in the Sanctuary and while the tour does not guarantee seeing one, the 2.5 hour guided walk through the Sanctuary would have been well worth the cost and time without a kiwi BUT we did see one!

Little Spotted Kiwi, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 51200, f/2.8 1/6

It was dark and raining and with only the red torch light to get focus and expose the shot, this was the best I could manage shooting at ISO 51200 (where would we be without modern electronics?) at 1/6th of a second. 

Not a bad one to tick off as our last and 79th species in our two weeks in New Zealand.

Zealandia

Our last stop in New Zealand was Wellington. I had two days of work to prepare for but we managed to squeeze in a trip to Zealandia today, a place I've wanted to visit for years but despite being in Wellington many times over the last few years I had never managed to get there.

Zealandia is an eco-restoration project on 250 hectares of land around two now disused reservoirs in Karori, a suburb of Wellington. Relying on water collected right on the major fault line running through Wellington was deemed to be a less than sensible idea and when new reservoirs were constructed the land was acquired by the Karori Sanctuary Trust in the early 1990s to re-establish a pre-human ecosystem. The land was fenced and predators systematically removed. In the 20 years since its inception, the sanctuary has created viable populations of a range of threatened species of birds that are now re-establishing themselves in the Wellington area.

Zealandia, Karori, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 16mm, ISO 400, f/11 1/400

Zealandia, Karori, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 400, f/11 1/400

Almost immediately inside the gate we heard Tui calling loudly and a few hundred metres along the track found two in the open.

Tui, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
ISO 800, f/4 1/1600

Tui, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
ISO 800, f/2.8 1/2000

There are three species of shags roosting in various locations around the lower reservoir, including nesting Pied Shags (=Pied Cormorant) within easy viewing.

Pied Shag, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/5.6 1/1250

Pied Shag, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/5.6 1/800

New Zealand Scaup are also breeding.

New Zealand Scaup, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4 1/1600

One of the reasons for coming to Zealandia was to see a Takahe. These giant gallinules are highly endangered and very difficult to find in the wild. Zealandia has a pair and we managed to find this one at one of its feeders.

Takahe, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/5.6 1/1250

The Brown Teal is one of the rarest ducks in New Zealand. They are normally nocturnal but can easily be seen around several bird feeding areas in the Sanctuary.

Brown Teal, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1000, f/2.8 1/640

The Kaka was another target for the day. These large forest parrots were extinct in the Wellington area but have now re-established since the population was introduced into Zealandia. They could be heard flying throughout the forest and seen at a distance flying over the tree-tops but it was quite a while before I found one close enough to photograph, albeit through branches and in very dark conditions.

Kaka, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 3200, f/5.6 1/500

A little further on we came across the Kaka feeding area where food is provided for the birds so we got some much better portraits of these majestic birds. Supplementary food is provided for several re-introduced species as there is insufficient habitat to sustain a viable population size just within the sanctuary. As traditional food trees are being planted and mature in surrounding areas, it is hoped that eventually this supplementary feeding can stop.

Kaka, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 3200, f/5.6 1/1000

Kaka, Zealandiai, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 400, f/3.2 1/1000

The Red-crowned Parakeet is another re-introduced bird to the Sanctuary and is now thriving.

Red-crowned Parakeet, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1000, f/2.8 1/1000

Red-crowned Parakeet, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1000, f/2.8 1/125

I spotted this New Zealand Dabchick on the upper reservoir, as I was crossing the dam wall. There was no way to get any closer but I later learned that this bird had only been recorded for the first time in the Sanctuary a few days before so it was especially pleasing to have come across it.

New Zealand Dabchick, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/2.8 1/5000

The Stitchbird (or Hihi) is a small honeyeater-like bird and another re-introduction that seems to be thriving. They are a real challenge to photograph because, like many small passerines, they are almost constantly on the move and most frequently found among forest under storey.

Stitchbird (male), Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/200

Stitchbird (male), Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/100

The last planned stop was to find a Tuatara. There is a wild (re-introduced) population of these amazing reptiles in the Sanctuary but they can be more easily seen in the enclosed research area next to the main track. We were not disappointed.

Tuatara (juvenile), Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 122.5mm, ISO 3200, f/5.6 1/100

Tuatara (juvenile), Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 3200, f/4 1/400

The adults in the research area are all marked with beads to enable easy individual identification.

Tuatara, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 122.5mm, ISO 3200, f/5.6 1/320

On our way back to the visitor centre and exit, we checked on the Pied Shags again and found this one calling loudly,

Pied Shag, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 640, f/2.8 1/500

another preening itself

Pied Shag, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 640, f/4.5 1/80

and another supervising bath-time.

Pied Shag, Zealandia, Wellington NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 107.5mm, ISO 640, f/2.8 1/400

Picton Harbourfront

For two weeks I had been commenting (Jo would say ad nauseum) that we had not seen any Black-billed Gulls. The guide books told us they are common, we were looking in the right places but everywhere we went we only saw Red-billed Gulls (= Silver Gulls) and Black-backed Gulls (= Kelp Gulls). I was beginning to despair that the Black-billed Gull was a myth until after lunch today when we were walking along the Picton harbourfront, we were almost tripping over them...

Black-billed Gull, Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1000

Black-billed Gull, Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

There was also a family of Paradise Shelduck seemingly unperturbed as people walked past only metres away from them.

Paradise Shelduck (female), Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140mm, ISO 400, f/4 1/1000

Paradise Shelduck (male), Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 122.5mm, ISO 400, f/4 1/640

Paradise Shelduck, Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/500

Motuara Island and Queen Charlotte Sound

Motuara Island, at the mouth of Queen Charlotte Sound, is managed as a bird sanctuary by the NZ Department of Conservation. It is accessible by several boat tours. We chose Beachcomber Cruises, which also does the 'mail run' dropping off and picking up walkers doing sections of the Queen Charlotte Track so you spend more time on Queen Charlotte Sound after the pick up at Moruara Island.

Tracker, Beachcomber Cruises, Picton, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, ISO 400, f/4 1/80

There is a single walking track that winds around the island up to the summit

Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
ISO 1600, f/8 1/400

affording spectacular views of Queen Charlotte Sound, Cook Strait and the North Island.

View from summit lookout, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35mm
ISO 1600, f/8 1/4000 (stitched panorama)

Two of the three species of birds I really wanted to see were easily found: Saddlebacks could be heard calling almost everywhere along the first half of the track to the summit but were always hidden in dense vegetation so were impossible to photograph. New Zealand Robins, on the other hand, were much easier to see. They displayed the typical assertive behaviour of robins, displaying their whereabouts in full view. The first one we found taking a bath in a small pond by the edge of the track - a bit bedraggled but it cooperated nicely for a portrait.

New Zealand Robin, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/200

The next was foraging on the track and allowed me to get very close (not quite as bedraggled but still wet from the rain...).

New Zealand Robin, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

The third target was the Yellow-crowned Parakeet, several of which I heard chattering to each other high in the trees near the summit but they remained elusive. As I was about to give up and go in search for another location, I tried imitating (poorly) their chatter and almost immediately, one bird flashed past and landed in a dense shrub just next to me. My first instinct was to focus and shoot, not knowing how long I would have...of course, the deep shadow and relatively bright grey background resulted in a distinctly parrotish silhouette but not a great shot.

Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/320

I adjusted the exposure 3 stops and clicked off another two frames before the bird flew off, apparently no longer fooled by my feeble imitations of it and its friends. 1/30th of a second is not ideal for hand-holding a long lens but it was the best I could do quickly. These still needed a bit of work in Lightroom but I'm very happy I managed to call the bird in and get a recognisable record of the encounter.

Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/30

Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Motuara Island, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/30

We were picked up a after an all too short 90 minutes on the island and took the 'mail run' trip back to Picton dropping off and picking up passengers at several stops along the way. At the first stop at Ship Cove, I spotted several Weka on the beach near the jetty and the skipper said we had a few minutes so I went to investigate.

Photographing Weka, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
(photo courtesy of Joanne Smissen)

Weka are large rails but they behave more like turnstones, picking up and flipping over pebbles on the beach looking for invertebrates.

Weka, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/2000

Weka, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/5.6 1/800

Weka, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/5.6 1/640

Even the juveniles are adept at rock rolling. 

Weka, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/5.6 1/1000

Several flocks of Australasian Gannets were seen as we cruised back up Queen Charlotte Sound.

Australasian Gannet, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4 1/3200

However, the one species I was really keen to see was the King Shag. There are only a few hundred of these birds remaining and they are only found around Queen Charlotte Sound and some small islands in Cook Strait. I asked the skipper if he knew where any were and his promise to find some was kept. He even stopped the boat for about ten minutes to let me get some shots.

King Shag, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4 1/2500

King Shag, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4 1/2500

King Shag, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4 1/8000

Drive to Farewell Spit

Today we decided to get up to the far north of the South Island and check out the Marlborough wine country, Abel Tasman National Park, Golden Bay and Farewell Spit.

A long day of driving with not much birding but Jo did manage to find a 'field of gulls' just as we were leaving Picton. There was nowhere nearby to park so I dropped Jo off and came back to pick her up a few minutes later. She did well capturing the scene with her pocket compact camera!

Black-backed Gull, Picton, Marlborough NZ
(photos courtesy of Joanne Smissen)

Gulls seem to fill the corvid ecological niche in New Zealand. They are commonly found in agricultural land feeding on pastures and in crops as well as their more traditional and expected locations around the coast.

On the drive around Golden Bay we stopped at Milnthorpe Park, just south of Collingwood, for a look at the sand flats at low tide. There were plenty of birds out at the water's edge but as this was approximately a kilometre away and with storms approaching we opted not to hike out onto the sand flats. The heat haze did make for some interesting long-distance photographs of oystercatchers.

South Island Pied Oystercatcher, Milnthorpe Park, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

including another pair of Variable Oystercatchers with chicks.

Variable Oystercatcher, Milnthorpe Park, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1250

Back at the car park, a Song Thrush sat for a few seconds on a well-placed rock.

Song Thrush, Milnthorpe Park, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1000

When we finally made it to Farewell Spit it was foggy and raining so no great views of the spit but I did manage a few shots of the beach in the storm

Farewell Spit, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm, ISO 400, f/9 1/640

Farewell Spit, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm, ISO 400, f/9 1/800

and my other passion in photography...ambiguous signs...

Farewell Spit, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

The stormy weather did provide some great views as we drove back up the Takaka Valley. For landscape photography, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad weather-proofing.

Takaka Valley, Tasman NZ
Pentax K-3, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 85 mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/1000