Advice and questions: Visiting New Zealand June to early August (1 Viewer)

[Mysticete]

Back in New Zealand after 2 week in Australia (and ~50 lifers).

Been at the Auckland Museum the last two days...added many "new" birds to the trip list, although all were introduced species I had seen previously, mostly in the Auckland Domain and the walk to and from there to my hostel.

Got done way earlier than expected, now figuring out how to get down near Mangere and if there are any other good options before I head to tiritiri matangi on saturday

 

[Chlidonias]

for Mangere (if you don't have a car) there are buses that run past Creamery Road regularly from the central city and then its just maybe five minutes walk to the car-park by the crater lake. Do you know where to go when you get there? (i.e. the shell banks where the dotterels and wrybills will be).

The Whale Safari boat might get you some seabirds (I'm guessing you've probably already seen common dolphins and Bryde's whales).

There are buses up to Wenderholm Regional Park but you won't see anything there that's new.

Unfortunately there's no way to get to Miranda by public transport, potentially you could hire a car for the day.

A trip to Rangitoto (the volcano in the harbour) won't get you any new birds but it might be interesting otherwise.

 

[MJB]

Unfortunately there's no way to get to Miranda by public transport, potentially you could hire a car for the day.

Chlidonias,
I'm sure Mysticete will understand, but to Americans, it's 'rent' a car - to 'hire' a car suggests you have a driver as well. I've cocked -up several conversations or e-mail dialogues by making this error!:-O
MJB
PS Miranda was magic when I visited many years ago.

 

[Mysticete]

no I understand...I figured out a while ago that hire = rent

Today is a catch up on crap and errand day

I am leaning toward doing one of the whale watches...Brydes whale would not only be a lifer, but it's a pretty difficult to get whale in North America. What sort of sea birds are most likely on one of these trips. The website mentioned little blue penguins and gannets, but also used the helpful phrase "shearwaters and albatrosses" which kind of covers a lot.

Mangere is gettable by bus so that might be another day. I found an article in this:

http://www.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MNT-News-nov-10.pdf

Which seems to give some advice and a map of the area.

I am a bit nervous about renting a car, if only because I have never driven on the other side of the road before, and Auckland seems like a big enough city that learning with traffic might not be the funnest experience. I hate driving stateside, so if I can hit up a place without driving, all the better

 

[Chlidonias]

no I understand...I figured out a while ago that hire = rent

Today is a catch up on crap and errand day

I am leaning toward doing one of the whale watches...Brydes whale would not only be a lifer, but it's a pretty difficult to get whale in North America. What sort of sea birds are most likely on one of these trips. The website mentioned little blue penguins and gannets, but also used the helpful phrase "shearwaters and albatrosses" which kind of covers a lot.

Mangere is gettable by bus so that might be another day. I found an article in this:

http://www.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MNT-News-nov-10.pdf

Which seems to give some advice and a map of the area.

I am a bit nervous about renting a car, if only because I have never driven on the other side of the road before, and Auckland seems like a big enough city that learning with traffic might not be the funnest experience. I hate driving stateside, so if I can hit up a place without driving, all the better

apparently they see Bryde's whales a lot on that trip. I've been on it twice: the first trip saw no cetaceans at all (they give you a free return trip valid for all eternity if that happens), and the second trip just common dolphins (but LOTS of them). Its not really a seabird boat so you have to do most of your own spotting and identification. Flesh-footed, fluttering and Buller's shearwaters are particularly common, also grey-faced petrels and common diving petrels. Black petrels nest in the area and you might see them as well (I didn't, although the tricks of the light regularly made me think other shearwaters were black enough to be them). I haven't seen albatrosses from that boat but they are round there as well (not sure which species).

 

[Chlidonias]

with the map of Mangere on your link, the numbers you want to pay attention to are 4,5,6,8 and 9. The NZ dotterels and wrybills will be on the shellbank numbered 6 (this is attached to the shore, with a fence between you and the roost site); at low tide the wrybills should be over the mud-flats nearby. Black-fronted dotterels may be seen along the canal (8). NZ dabchicks are in the pool labelled 9 at the end of the causeway; there is currently one male Australian little grebe on that pool as well.

I was there in May and there was a pair of little terns and a little egret around here as well (around the shellbank/lagoon areas).

Creamery Road is just at the right edge of the map next to the P (for "parking") under the number 7 (the crater lake/Mangere Lagoon). Find a larger map of the area (e.g. on google maps) to find the streets just out from Creamery Road and then go to the Auckland bus site (MAXX) to find a bus number which goes closest and where it leaves from in the city.

You can walk all along the shore between the shellbanks to the causeway and along that to the pool where the dabchicks are.

 

[Mysticete]

Went on the Discover NZ whale and dolphin safari. Dipped on Bryde's Whale , even though they had 4 on Tuesday. We generally didn't go out as far as they normally do due to waves.

We did get good numbers of Common Dolphins, and I got two lifers. Good looks at White-fronted Tern and Fluttering Shearwater. Other birds seen were gannets (lots), little penguins (a few scattered individuals), Pied Cormorant, and Silver and Kelp Gulls. I also had a distant and dark heavy built Procellariform, but didn't get good enough looks to ID it.

Tomorrow I hit up Mangere

 

[Chlidonias]

Went on the Discover NZ whale and dolphin safari. Dipped on Bryde's Whale , even though they had 4 on Tuesday. We generally didn't go out as far as they normally do due to waves.

that's a shame. I still haven't seen one either. I do know someone who has seen them on every single trip he has done with that boat, so I guess it's just a matter of being unlucky.

 

[Mysticete]

hit up the Mangere area, specifically the causeway and the shoreline behind Ambury Park

Overall great birding...added 5 species to my lifelist: South Island Oystercatcher, New Zealand Plover/Dotterel, Wrybill, Sacred Kingfisher, and New Zealand Dabchick/Grebe.

Beyond those birds, I also had many new trip birds, including Black Swan, Australasian Shoveler, Canada Goose, White-headed Stilt, White-faced Heron, Royal Spoonbill, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-fronted Dotterel, Eurasian Skylark, and Redpoll. Also had two Little Egrets and a Australasian Grebe.

Getting there is a bit of a work...from near the city it's about a $12 roundtrip busride, and long waits for transfers meant It probably took something like 4 hours roundtrip, forcing me to cut out visiting the Kiwi Esplanade. I think I did pretty well overall. Would have been nice to get Double-banded Plover and Black-billed Gull, but oh well.

Right now a bit exhausted...might add more details later

 

[Chlidonias]

very good work. I didn't realise you hadn't seen sacred kingfisher before, otherwise I would have made mention of it. When I was up there in May they were literally every few dozen metres along the shoreline. The further south you go the less common the kingfishers are, and because I'm a South Islander I had never seen so many all in one place before.

You should be able to get the banded dotterel (double-banded dotterel) around Dunedin pretty easily (somewhere round the peninsula), or at Kaikoura when you get there. They are common all over the country.

 

[Mysticete]

Back from Tiritiri Matangi...

Well...I gave it my best shot...but no luck with Kiwi. Searched 4 hours after dark and a hour before sunrise. Heard plenty...so I guess it goes in the "heard only" purgatory

Worst part is when I got back I found out someone had one out in the open at a spot I had checked several times that night...arrghh

Spent this morning focusing on the Kokako...and got several great views! Would not have been happy to return to Auckland having missed both birds.

Also picked up, unexpectantly, a Morepork before dawn, and had a Common Diving Petrel from the ferry over. Saw plenty of Stitchbirds and the Takahe at the lighthouse were quite cooperative. It was very interesting to see them feeding alongside there smaller swamphen cousins...have to wonder how they view their burlier cousins

Surprisingly, didn't see a single Rifleman or Tomtit. Have both birds from the South Island. Didn't really make a go at Fernbird, so dipped on that. the best area appeared to be the wetland area, and the ridge road leading there was a muddy morass.

I fly back to Dunedin tomorrow...will probably do Otago Peninsula this weekend or next. Kaikoura sound increasingly like it won't happen...budget is running low....Australia and New Zealand are not cheap places to travel

 

[Chlidonias]

well done with kokako - not always the easiest bird to find. The kiwi can be a bit sneaky as well unfortunately. Morepork are pretty common on Tiritiri, and there's one on the Wattle Track who tends to perch in the open during the day (I saw him in May this year and September last year). There aren't many riflemen on the island, you need to be in specific places to find them (I have never seen them there). There aren't any tomtits on Tiritiri at all. Fernbirds are found (literally) everywhere, just tricky to get good looks at.

Real shame if you can't get to Kaikoura!!

 

[Mysticete]

Interesting note on the Tomtit...the park literature mentioned a reintroduction in 2006, and has them on the bird section of the website...I guess the intro didn't take. I know they use to be in Zealandia, but the Zealandia says they were extirpated due to competition with the Robin. Wonder if that is why the intro failed

Glad I went to Orokonui as well as the other refuges, what with the Rifleman and Tomtit I saw there

 

[Chlidonias]

there are some other places where tomtits vanished after robins were introduced as well. The Tiritiri tomtits just all disappeared. Some were seen back where they had come from on the mainland though (i.e. they flew back home) but I don't think anyone knows exactly what happened to the rest. Now Tiritiri only gets vagrant individuals, same as with kaka.

 

[Frogfish]

Another vote for Kaikoura by hook or by crook !

We were there in Feb/Mar and it is simply an amazing place, the Albatross trip is superb and Gary Melville (the skipper and bird expert) is superb at IDing the species. I had 23 Lifers on one trip including 7 Albatross species (Gary kindly gives everyone a tick list at the end of the trip). There was also a huge pod of Dusky dolphins around the boat and of course seals on the rocks. An absolute must-do !

Excellent steak dinners for $14 in the largest pub (forget the name) on the main road keeps the human management costs down too !

 

[Mysticete]

So after two weeks of not much birding but a lot of research, I was able to yesterday visit the Otago Peninsula. On the plus side, a lab mate let a group of us borrow a car. On the negative side, the group consisted of no birders, as well as not wanting/not able to spend much money besides gas.

At any rate, we headed up the peninsula, seeing some shorebirds on the way, although mostly stilts and oystercatchers. We visited Taiaroa Head, and upon getting out of the car immediately had a Northern Royal Albatross swoop over. Unfortunately, despite spending an hour around the head, that would be the sole good and brief look we got of them.

Walking down to Pilot Beach yielded good and close views of New Zealand Fur Seal, and more pictures of Variable Oystercatcher. I also had several flyby Stewart Island and Spotted Shag, with better views of the latter along the cliffside on the viewing platform on the other side of point. Looking out to sea at this latter location also netted me a gannet as well as my lifer Shy (White-capped) Albatross. Unfortunately, there was barely any wind and sea conditions were calm, which I suspect didn't help with seawatching or fly over Royals.

Our next stop was to Allan's Beach. There are some good wetlands on the way which had shovelers, but the beach was cloaked with fog and we didn't see anything, and sea lions were absent. We finally ended the day at Sandfly Bay, with awesome looks of New Zealand Falcon on the way (much better than my lifer view, as this bird was perched on a roadside fence).

Had good sightings of Sea Lions here, many of which were fighting. Went up to the Hide but despite a 3 hour wait we never saw any Yellow-eyed Penguins. I suspect we got there a bit late, as we probably didn't get into the hide until almost 4. Either that, or the Hide wasn't a reliable place for the penguins anymore.

Thinking of doing another trip this Saturday or Sunday for penguins, maybe a guided tour. That will be the last weekend in New Zealand, before heading home to Michigan.

 

[Mysticete]

Did a tour with Elm Wildlife Tours to the Otago Peninsula today. Main purpose was to get Penguins...on the Otago Peninsula many (all?) of the best spots are on private property and require access via a tour or a steep admission price. The tour was $95, and factoring in the home pick-up and car dropoff didn't seem such a bad deal.

I was picked up around 1:00 from my living place, and after picking up a small family of Indonesian tourists, we were off to the Peninsula. Along the way we stopped at a small wetland, for Swans and White Herons (Egrets). Apparently 7 birds of the latter species had show up some time ago, and are otherwise quite rare for the area. I spotted one egret, which was a new addition to the New Zealand trip list for me.

Next stop was the Albatross Visitor Center on Taiaroa Head. Like last time, there was very little wind, and while the family went into the pay portion to see the albatross chicks, I scanned from the nearby viewpoint. Right away had excellent views (far better than last time) of a Northern Royal flying along the cliffs. Overall had three sightings of probably the same bird, who the guide suspected was probably trying to find some lift to get back onto the headland. Sea-watching otherwise was a bust. The visitor center (AND BATHROOMS) are free to access on the first Sunday of each month, so I was able to visit. Not a bad exhibit, but not worth the admission price probably. ALso it boggles my mind that you would charge people to go into your gift shop...seems a poor business strategy.

Anyway, after this we headed to the private conservation area Elm Wildlife tours operates. Involved some steep walks, but not nearly as bad as the trip back up from Sandfly Bay.

Sea lions were common on the beach, as well as along the trail in the tussocks. Pretty much they were all sleeping, but of note was a single female. Apparently there are only something like 15 female sea lions around Otago, far far fewer than the males.

Yellow-eyed Penguins were ridiculously easy here, with our first pair on the walk down, and a large number sitting up a hillside near the lower hide. Great views. On the walk back we observed another penguin from maybe 10 feet from the trail. Overall, if you are visiting, it's probably worth it to check out a private viewing site if Yellow-eyed Penguin is a key target.

Last stop was a overlook/hide which was placed above a fur seal rookery. Plenty of females with pups, and great looks.

Overall and enjoyable day. Probably my last bit of birding before heading back to the states, although I will be on a field trip to look at some fossil vertebrates on Tuesday, so who knows what I might still see?

 

[Mysticete]

Well...back in the states, and Yellow-eyed Penguin was the last new bird for New Zealand. on the locality field trip there was a possibility of New Zealand Pipit (and Hector's Dolphin), but we dipped on these.

The following is a list of 77 bird species were seen over the course of my trip in New Zealand (I have left off the Australian birds), with the places I saw them. Obviously missed quite a bit, especially in the way of seabirds and kiwis, and still need many of the South Island birds, but I thought I did well for a nonbirding trip.

Little Spotted Kiwi (Heard only): Tiritiri Matangi island...would have seen with more nights on the island
Brown Teal: Zealandia and Tiritiri Matangi, but seen best in Zealandia
Mallard
Australian Shoveler: The endemic NZ form was noted in the Mangere area
New Zealand Scaup: Zealandia
Canada Goose: Mangere
Black Swan: Mangere area as well as the Otago Peninsula
Paradise Shelduck: Common pretty much everywhere
Brown Quail: Tiritiri Matangi island (native birds seen in Australia)
New Zealand Grebe: Mangere area
Australasian Grebe: Mangere area
New Zealand Pigeon: Common in Dunedin and most places
Rock Pigeon: urban areas, but also cliffside regions on the South Island
Spotted Dove: Mangere area
Eurasian Coot: Mangere area
Takahe: "Ambassador" birds were on view at Zealandia and Orokonui Wildlife Sanctuary; more "countable" birds seen on Tiritiri Matangi
Purple Swamphen: Common in rural areas and on Tiritiri Matangi
Little Penguin: a few birds briefly seen from the Auckland whale watch and ferry to Tiritiri Matangi
Yellow-eyed Penguins: Good views on the Elm Wildlife tour of the Otago Peninsula
Northern Royal Albatross: Good views from Taiaroa Head
Shy (white-capped) Albatross: distantly seen at sea from Taiaroa Head
Fluttering Shearwater: Common seabird from the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi and the Auckland Whale watches
Common Diving Petrel: A few seen from the Tiritiri Matangi Ferry
Australian Gannet: one seen from Taiaroa Head and also common on boats out of Auckland
Bronze/Stewart Island Shag: Seen around Taiaroa Head, in flight
Little Pied Cormorant: common
Great Cormorant
Spotted Shag: Good views of birds on Taiaroa Head
Little Black Cormorant: a few scattered birds on the North Island
Australian Pied Cormorant: seen near Tiritiri Matangi and at Zealandia
Royal Spoonbill: common around Mangere
White-faced Heron: common
White Heron/Great Egret: a single vagrant bird on the Otago Peninsula
Little Egret: a couple of birds at Mangere
South Island Oystercatcher: Large flocks at Mangere, a few isolated birds on the Otago Peninsula
Variable Oystercatcher: common around most coastal areas
White-headed Stilt: common on the Otago Peninsula and Mangere
Wrybill: large flocks present in Mangere
New Zealand Plover: scattered birds in Mangere
Black-fronted Dotterel: a few birds in freshwater areas of Mangere
Masked Lapwing: common around rural areas
Red-billed Gull: common in urban areas
Kelp Gull: common in urban areas
White-fronted Tern: out to sea from Auckland
Caspian Tern: Mangere
Bar-tailed Godwit: Mangere
Swamp Harrier: common in rural areas
Morepork: Tiritiri Matangi
Sacred Kingfisher: Mangere area
New Zealand Falcon: Orokonui and Otago Peninsula
New Zealand Kaka: Zealandia, poor views at Orokonui
Eastern Rosella: a few birds in Auckland and Dunedin
Red-crowned Parakeet: Tiritiri Matangi and Zealandia
Rifleman: Orokonui ecosanctuary
Gray Gerygone/Warbler: Zealandia
New Zealand Bellbird: Tiritiri Matangi, Zealandia, Orokonui, Dunedin suburbs
Tui: Common
North Island Kokako: Tiritiri Matangi
North Island Saddleback: Tiritiri Matangi, Zealandia
Stitchbird: common on Tiritiri Matangi
Pipipi/Brown Creeper: Orokonui
Whitehead: Zealandia and Tiritiri Matangi
Australian Magpie: rural areas outside of Dunedin
New Zealand Fantail: common
New Zealand Robin: Zealandia and Tiritiri Matangi
Tomtit: Orokonui
Eurasian Skylark: Mangere area and Otago Peninsula
Welcome Swallow: common
Silvereye: common
Common Blackbird: common
Song Thrush: irregularly seen around gardens in urban areas
House Sparrow
Common Redpoll (Lesser form): Mangere area
European Goldfinch: common
European Greenfinch: less common than above, Dunedin and Auckland
Common Chaffinch: common
Yellowhammer: common in large grassy areas