tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32506022572678225192024-03-06T20:42:00.251+13:00B1RDER: The birding blog of Eco-Vista | Brent StephensonThis is the blog of Eco-Vista | Brent Stephenson, a wildlife photographer, guide, and birder based near Napier, New Zealand. His wildlife, landscape, and people images can be discovered at his portfolio website.Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.comBlogger382125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-71422902782961434782020-02-24T17:09:00.001+13:002020-02-24T17:09:07.387+13:00Day twenty-one - homeward<br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">Out the door early again this morning, and another cool morning but beautiful clear sky. As we headed north the sun was just peaking over the mountains, and the first rays of light hitting Mt Cook (Aoraki) which was completely clear. Stunning views of the peak in the morning alpenglow. A quick photo stop was necessary!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We continued on, grabbing some lunch on the way, Fairlie Bakehouse it was. And then on towards Christchurch. We made a short stop to see what shorebirds were around at a location just south of Christchurch. A nice chance to stretch the legs a little and enjoy the sunshine, before everyone was dropped at their respective locations. We checked for the recently reported tree martin, but amongst all the welcome swallows there were only….well more welcome swallows! Ah well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We dropped off around the city, and then the airport, saying our good-byes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 32; new for the trip = 0; total for the trip to date = 154<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpenglow</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-65228238649061070372020-02-23T21:44:00.003+13:002020-02-24T17:02:14.734+13:00Day twenty - stilts in sunshine<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">On the road and heading inland. There was an almost clear blue sky, and the temps were a little cooler, but signalled a beautiful day. As we headed inland there was a bit of fog and low cloud around, but it was pretty clear this was going to burn off. We all had eyes peeled and were excited for our last day in the Mackenzie Basin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We made a quick stop for coffee along the way, and carried on. Our first stop was to look for the introduced chukar, but the views weren’t half bad. And the sun was shining beautifully with no wind, so what could be better. We checked out a few spots, but no chukar, and enjoyed the scenery, and then headed to another spot. This was our first location to look for black stilt, our main target for the day. And bingo, as we pulled up we spotted one, and then another two flew in shortly after. Awesome! We spent a good couple of hours enjoying this spot, with everyone spending time photographing this rare endemic. There were other things of interest around, including a rare bumblebee (<i>Bombus ruderatus</i>) which was all black, and even an escaped hind red deer with fawn. A few waterfowl around as well, so plenty to enjoy in the sunshine, including our lunch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then decided to head off, and checked out another location, but the water levels were very high and there were no black stilts. But the scenery was stunning. So we headed into the mountains, all the time keeping eyes peeled for a falcon. We enjoyed spectacular views of Mount Cook (Aoraki), as were many other people. We then headed to our last location for the day to look for Baillon’s crake. Although the habitat looked perfect – and it is – they are there! We didn’t manage to see any. We spent a good bit of time walking and scanning, but nothing. Oh well, can’t win them all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed to our accommodation, checked in, and then had a superb last dinner. We looked at the birds of the trip, with Okarito kiwi storming ahead as the top bird of the trip, well ahead of some other very worthy opponents! It has been an awesome tour, we’ve seen almost all of our targets, and had a great amount of fun. We have been lucky with weather, on the whole, and many stories to tell!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 37 inc 1 heard (grey warbler); new for the trip = 1; total for the trip to date = 154<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Black stilt x8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stilting</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy birders!</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-62664717687597497802020-02-22T21:19:00.001+13:002020-02-22T21:19:43.323+13:00Day nineteen - shagadelic<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">We all headed to the ferry terminal early, boarding and enjoying the sunshine as we cruised out of Halfmoon Bay. Not too far out we had a glimpse of Fiordland crested penguin, and then the first sooty shearwaters as we got into open water. We only had a few white-capped albatross on the crossing, and nothing like the day before. A few Foveaux shags, a couple of common diving petrels, and then two Cook’s petrels. As we got close to Bluff a couple of Buller’s albatross made passes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">WE docked in Bluff, grabbed bags, repacked the van and off we headed. A couple of quick stops yielded a lot of waterfowl, but no chestnut-breasted shelducks. Oh well! Coffee, fuel and onwards, we needed to put a few kilometres behind us, today is a big travel day. We grabbed some lunch late morning, and then ate it at a bay, overlooking the shoreline. Hoping for an ever more elusive penguin. And bingo – contrary to the advice of a very ‘helpful’ tourist – there was a penguin coming ashore in the middle of the day. It came ashore and stood there preening for about fifteen minutes, giving us all a great view, before it decided to head on up the beach and into the shrubbery. What a great bird!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided that was about as good as it got, and slowly made our way north towards Dunedin, then a quick café stop on the coast, before cruising to a spot to see Otago shag. We had awesome views of the late-breeding stage of this bird, with large almost fledged juveniles. There were a few spotted shags around as well, and some nice close white-fronted terns also. Lots of things going on to take photos of, so we spent a bit of time just enjoying the spectacle. Not a bad day with six species of shags in one day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed on, checked in to the accommodation, and then a great dinner in town. An early night, for tomorrow is the big day…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 51 inc 1 heard (dunnock); new for the trip = 1; total for the trip to date = 153<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Yellow-eyed penguin x8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star of the day...</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-59650457705149763422020-02-22T21:02:00.002+13:002020-02-22T21:02:08.850+13:00Day eighteen - windy windy<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">The weather was looking pretty good for a pelagic, so everyone was smiles as we left the dock. We were lucky enough to have Ty as our Skipper and Matt Jones joined us as ‘Chum-meister’ extraordinaire. We headed out in sunshine, our first stop to find a Fiordland crested penguin…and that was probably the easiest thing we did all day! Straight on to three birds in a cave out and around the coast, and then another two at another spot nearby. Really nice views of these great crested penguins, and some pictures added to the collection. We then headed off towards some islands to see if we could find another penguin…and spotted one on the way in the sea, but as we turned the boat it disappeared, and despite searching for 10 minutes or so, it was never refound! Damn! But a Buller’s albatross – the first of the trip – landed nearby and was a nice consolation, and several white-capped albatross came in to join it. An excellent start!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We checked the shoreline of some of the islands, but no penguiny shapes, although lots of fur seals and a few wekas were spotted. Tomtit and bellbird were heard in the forest and a Northern giant petrel was feeding on something in the waves crashing on the shore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on our way, spotting a couple of brown skua, and they came in for a look at the boat and us, as did more white-capped and Buller’s albatross. We decided to continue on, with a fairly calm sea, just a slight NE swell. We soon started to pick up good numbers of sooty shearwaters, passing several large rafts of these birds feeding on the surface, and then a few common diving petrels as well. Nice to finally get these little guys, as we had failed to find them at other pelagic locations on the trip thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We got out to our chumming location and started with a bit of salmon burley in the water and some cod frames, and before long good numbers of white-capped albatross, with a few Salvin’s, Buller’s and Southern Royal albatross were at the back of the boat. The wind was almost nothing, but after about 30 minutes started to pick up a little. We started seeing Cook’s petrels, and these made good passes of the boat, with a fairly constant trickle of birds passing by. A call went up for mottled petrel, and two distant birds showed, but not as well as we would have liked. Then a storm-petrel appeared, nice! A grey-backed storm-petrel, and before long a second bird, then a third, and we probably had up to five, along with a few white-faced storm-petrels as well. The surprise of the morning however, was a subantarctic little shearwater which whizzed in and out, showing reasonably well to those looking that way. A white-chinned petrel came in and circled the boat for a bit as well, but by then it was starting to get really windy, and the predominant swell from the NE was starting to be added to by the swell and wind from the west. So it was getting a little uncomfortable. We decided that is was safest to head in to shelter and see if it dropped off a bit later, in which case we could come back out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We bumped slowly in towards the island, directly into the ever increasing chop. In the shelter of the island we checked out a number of bays and beaches, looking for penguins, but coming up blank. The scenery was stunning though, and the little beaches and coves a pleasure to cruise. We also picked up some Hooker’s sea lions lazing on beaches, nice to see this marine mammal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We cruised slowly along the coast, and the wind was still blowing over 35 knots, whipping up the water in places. We poked our nose a little out from the island and did a bit more chumming, bringing in a good number of albatross, but just the smaller white-capped, Buller’s and Salvin’s. Great light and beautiful views of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then decided to continue along the coast, checking out a couple more beaches. More sea lions, a white-tailed deer, but no penguins! We headed back in to Oban in the late afternoon, checked out a few Foveaux shags, and docked. It was definitely beer o’clock, and then dinner. After dinner some of us headed back out to look for long-tailed bats, and had pretty nice views of one very close to us, so well worth it! A kiwi calling in the distance was a nice end to our wonderful day on Stewart Island!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 48; new for the trip = 5; total for the trip to date = 152<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Buller’s albatross x4, common diving petrel x3, grey-backed storm-petrel x1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way out</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-33822569930727540662020-02-20T23:58:00.001+13:002020-02-20T23:58:04.742+13:00Day seventeen - the last kiwi<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up and away and off towards Bluff. The light and scenery was beautiful as we headed east and then down towards Bluff Ferry Terminal. We made a quick stop in Winton on the way, and then through to an estuary stop near Invercargill. The light made things tough, it was actually shining in Invercargill, so we shouldn’t complain. But it made the birds tough to scan. We found a good selection of waterfowl, and there were also godwit, oystercatchers, a lot of Royal spoonbill scattered over the mud flats. A nice chance to stretch the legs before getting to the ferry terminal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We unloaded bags, set them ready for the ferry, and boarded around 1100. The weather was pretty nice, too nice for seabirds apparently! On the crossing we had a couple of white-capped albatross, maybe 30 sooty shearwaters, and then towards Stewart Island we had three fairy prions. Nice to finally pick that one up! We also had two fly over brown skua during the trip, which was interesting, and a bunch of Foveaux shags on a rock as we got close to Halfmoon, with another skua. A single penguin that had to be a yellow-eyed was spotted in the water and then three Fiordland crested penguins on the shore near the wharf. Nice one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We arrived, grabbed bags and then checked in to the accommodation. We had lunch and then jumped on our water taxi to head to Ulva. But our skipper Chris had other plans and forced us to enjoy awesome close views of Fiordland crested penguins on the way! Thanks Chris! Beaut views of these guys as they neared the finish of their moult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">On Ulva we started with some awesome views of yellowhead, then parakeets – both yellow-crowned and red-crowned seemed super abundant today. We heard rifleman in a few places, and saddleback, but nothing close. We carried on, hoping for a kaka, as we needed to get some good looks. Lots of weka around and robin of course. We had awesome close encounters with a friendly weka on a beach, and then back in to the forest. And finally got our kaka, a nice close pair of birds that showed relatively well. More parakeets, more robins, more yellowhead. We also got some nice close brown creeper, a noisy little youngster amongst them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We checked out another beach, but no sea lions, although we did find a small group of white-fronted terns feeding just offshore, with at least five penguins below them. Nice one! We got some views of rifleman, and then a brief glimpse of a saddleback, and then it was time to head to the wharf for our pick up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed back to Oban, a nice white-capped albatross on the way…more of them to come! A rest, a beer and then dinner. We wandered out to look for long-tailed bats, but the odd spot of rain and cooler conditions seemed to keep them away. A tantalising glimpse was all that was had. But we headed out for kiwi with our good friend Matt, and although a few spots of rain we had beautiful views of three kiwi and a very small chick. All busily feeding out for all to see. Incredible views of this enigmatic endemic, topping of our very successful run of four kiwi on the tour! Everyone slept well dreaming of chubby happy kiwi!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 58 inc 3 heard (morepork, tomtit and dunnock); new for the trip = 5; total for the trip to date = 147<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to Ulva</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Livar and the weka</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo photo</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-1143972627105031142020-02-19T20:44:00.003+13:002020-02-19T20:44:48.200+13:00Day sixteen - bob, bob, robin...<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up early and off. We passed over the Crown Range, looking very moody with low cloud and some spots of rain. Queenstown was its usual mad self, with ques of traffic and too many people. We skirted past and had stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and then stopped for a coffee break at Garston.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We were making good time and continued on our way, grabbing some lunch at Miles Better Pies in Te Anau…oh man are they ever! Lamb and mint is a stunner. Back on the road towards Milford Sound, passing the little blockade where they check they we haven’t been on another planet and not heard the road is closed through to Milford Sound, yep, all good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">The sun was actually shining and beautiful views of the lake and Fiordland as we entered the Eglinton Valley. We made a couple of photo stops along the way, and then continued through the valley. We were still on the look out for falcon, seeing a good number of harriers along the way. We drove through to a beautiful forest spot and had lunch, listening to the forest. We finished up and then started a walk. Within a minute or two we had a very very confiding robin feeding beside us. This was our first decent view of a South Island robin, and so much welcome, and as usual there were a lot of photos taken. We spent some time with it before moving on and finding a number of rifleman. They were hear all over the place, and we got to see more than our fair share! A lot of juvenile birds, as well as adults and nice and low and great views. A few fantails, tomtits and grey warbler. But really the stars of the show were the mosses. The beech forest was just dripping with mosses, filmy ferns and ferns. Just gorgeous to see, and lovely to walk through this ancient landscape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We finished up our walk again with the confiding robin, he really thought Jan was his new best friend! We left him behind and as the road was well and truly closed we unfortunately had to head back towards Te Anau. We made a couple of stops along the way, and managed excellent views of brown creeper, which had somehow, evaded good looks until now. Nice to get good views of these great little birds. We also attracted a bunch of other birds including a robin, male tomtit, fantails and a grey warbler. A nice collection of things. A few more photo stops and then a stop at Lake Te Anau, where we found a group of NZ scaup, and a juvenile great crested grebe with an adult. We spent a bit of time getting photos of these birds, nice light and nice conditions, so everyone was happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then headed to our accommodations, had a bit of a chance to relax, and then a great dinner. Another great day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 36; new for the trip = 0; total for the trip to date = 142<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> South Island robin x6, brown creeper x2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dodgy characters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rifleman again in the lens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan meets his new best friend</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-48675943852746651932020-02-18T21:12:00.000+13:002020-02-18T21:12:40.304+13:00Day fifteen - up and over<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Still a little soggy this morning, but with images of Okarito kiwi still fresh in our minds all was right in the World! We headed to a nearby site where we did a short walk through beautiful forest. Mosses and ferns were in abundance, as were tomtits and a few NZ pigeons. We got to a view point that still has a spectacular vista, but the view of the glacier is now a little underwhelming, with hardly a hint of the glacier visible in the misty cloud. Even if it had been clear, the glacier has receded at a frightening pace and is almost not visible from the location any more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We wandered back down, and headed south. Beautiful forest and views, a little light drizzle, and still on the lookout for falcon. There were a lot of ‘stick-birds’ and even more New Zealand pigeon sitting up in the tops of trees. But no falcon. We made a few scenic stops and then a stop to stretch the legs and spend a little time scanning. Wonderful forest to explore a little as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then carried on south, along the coast, making a few quick scenic stops. And then a coffee stop, before we stopped for lunch in a beautiful location in land. We had more great tomtit, grey warbler, and a few flying pigeons, and a delicious lunch. And then a short drive to our main stop of the day, a beautiful patch of very mossy beech forest. The forest was actually quite alive with birds, and before long we had tomtit, great rifleman, and then heard in the distance yellowhead. We made our way down the trail closer to them and all got views of them feeding in the canopy. There was a small family group with at least a few adults and some begging juveniles from this season. So great to see it had been a productive season for them. There were also about 10+ yellow-crowned parakeets with them, and these showed really well, plus the odd brown creeper, which did not show as well. We had a good number of fantails, grey warbler, and more rifleman, so it was a really busy forest. The shutters were definitely clicking and to be honest the birds didn’t stand a chance! More nice close rifleman and everyone was happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on inland, through more spectacular scenery, watching it change dramatically from temperate rainforest to dry open grassland almost before our eyes. Beautiful lakes and stunning scenery as we came in to Wanaka, our home for the night. We checked in to the accommodation, and then went for a great dinner down near the lake. Another great day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 36; new for the trip = 2; total for the trip to date = 142<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Yellowhead x 8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the mist</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birds didn't stand a chance!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Focussed</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-11575247961649305342020-02-17T22:55:00.001+13:002020-02-17T22:55:04.792+13:00Day fourteen - kiwi takes the cake<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Well it rained, and rained, and rained. All night! It let off a little as we woke and started to get ready for the day, but was still cloudy and pretty damp outside. So, we had a leisurely breakfast and then got on the road. Arthur’s Pass was still socked in with weather and the drizzle was still happening. We checked out a few locations and couldn’t find any kea. Then at one spot we heard a call, and spotted it spiralling in the misty rain, only to disappear out of view. We searched for it, but to no avail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided to head on and grab a coffee, and just then spotted two very wet and bedraggled birds beside the road! We jumped out and they entertained us for a good few minutes. Lots of pictures taken, even in the rain, and some managed underwing shots as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided that the rain was not going to clear any time soon, so we headed on. As we got close to the West Coast, the rain eased. But it was really humid and warm following the passing of the cyclone. And there was a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. We checked out a sewage ponds, lots of waterfowl, but nothing different visible. We stopped in Hokitika for lunch in a café, did a little shopping, and took our time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">As we continued down the coast all eyes were peeled for falcon. But only NZ pigeons were spied perched in trees like falcons. Stunning forest and scenery on the way down the coast, and amazing effects of the landslides and damage to the roads from the storms in late November. Thankfully the road was open, and we got through to Okarito without any real delays. We did a little walk, seeing tomtit and South Island robin, and then through to Okarito where we met up with Fiona from <a href="http://okaritokiwitours.co.nz/" target="_blank">Okarito Kiwi Tours</a>. She gave us a run down on plans for the evening, before we headed off and did a little more birding. We eventually managed to get great views of a couple of fernbird, so well worth it, before heading to our accommodation in Franz Josef. A bit of a rest and then amazing dinner at King Tiger in Franz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then headed out to meet up with Cassidy from <a href="http://okaritokiwitours.co.nz/" target="_blank">Okarito Kiwi Tours</a>. We met and went through the plan of attack, some strategies to get us in the right place at the right time, and a few questions and answers. It was then time to get into place and get started. We were all in position and well before dark Cassidy let us know that the bird we were hoping to see was already awake and moving around. A bit later the mosquitoes started to buzz in our ears, but every now and then we could hear a sound from the bird as it moved and fed. It was gradually getting darker, so we were really focussing. A bit later Cassidy decided we needed to adjust our position a bit, and so we headed to a slightly different position, and it was definitely a good move. A bit later we could hear him rustling in the ferns, and then he let rip with about 12 calls right in front of us! Spine tingling! We waited and he seemed to be moving right towards us, and then popped out right in front of us. He quickly walked along the edge of the ferns, literally feet away from us, for all to see, then ducked back in to the ferns. We waited in case he came out again, and then realised there was another bird somewhere in the ferns just below us also. Possibly, his four year old son Beau. He didn’t show, and we decided that we had had such a great interaction, that we should just let him get on with his evening. What an awesome outcome. A big thanks to Cassidy and the Okarito Kiwi Tours Team for another great night in the forest!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 46 inc 1 heard (morepork); new for the trip = 3; total for the trip to date = 140<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Kea x8 (although this was done before the kiwi evening…I suspect some will change their minds...)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wakey wake, there's Moa outside!</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-55477922969075856712020-02-16T20:17:00.003+13:002020-02-16T20:17:48.314+13:00Day thirteen - soggy<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Up and on the road relatively early after a beautiful sunrise. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We headed to a location for a spectacular view of the mountains and coastline, and then headed south along the very scenic coast road.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We made a couple of quick stops to scan the sea, and luckily found a reef egret (thanks to the keen eyes of Sarah) as we waited for a traffic light at road works!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Nice one.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">We made a short stop and leg stretch at a little pond, seeing lots of waterfowl, including NZ scaup, shoveler, grey teal, and coot. But no Cape Barren geese evident in the area. Carrying on we made another stop at an estuary, scanning the area. But the tide was high and still coming in, so we adjusted plans and went to a local river. We managed to find a small post-breeding flock of black-fronted terns roosting on the riverbed, and had awesome opportunities for flight photography as they fished over a small rapid just metres away. Very nice to see all the plumages from near breeding plumage to non-breeding adult, and juveniles. They really are stunning little terns and great to get such nice close views.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on, turning inland, with a few spots of rain on the way. It started to get windy and the effects of the cyclone about to hit the west coast around Fiordland were clearly starting to have an effect. We stopped and had lunch in a beautiful location overlooking mountains and fields, scanning the skies for raptors. No raptors, but a delicious lunch anyway!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on up towards the Pass and the rain really started in earnest. As we got closer to Arthur’s Pass Village it really started to come down as expected. We slowly drove through the village keeping a keen eye for kea, but nothing seen. And then to another spot where we hoped to find one. We sat in the van in the rain for a bit – a couple of brave souls ventured into the rain for a few minutes. But no kea seen! No kea with any sense would be caught out in this weather!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">So, we headed back down a little and went for a walk in beautiful mossy beech forest. Lovely forest, even in the wet, and we managed a few tomtit and rifleman, but nothing else much. We headed through to the accommodations, checked in and rested up. The rain fell even harder, and harder, and harder…. It just might rain itself out by the morning…oh hang on, this is the West Coast of New Zealand!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 36; new for the trip = 10; total for the trip to date = 76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Black-fronted tern x5, rifleman x2, tomtit x1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of Kaikoura</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soggy gang</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-42098282343831651602020-02-15T20:59:00.002+13:002020-02-15T20:59:49.211+13:00Day twelve - alberts<br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">A cloudy and breezy morning as we looked out to sea from the end of the Peninsula. A few NZ fur seals were around, and we found some ruddy turnstones, banded dotterels and a few variable and South Island oystercatcher to enjoy. We headed around to another spot and found little pied and pied cormorants, and found a (VERY) distant yellow-eyed penguin. It was up on the rocks and apparently had come ashore to start moulting. It was clearly an adult, but a long long way off, so definitely a ‘Better Views Desired’ bird!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed to South Bay and boarded our boat with skipper Gazza. We headed around to try and spot the penguin, but couldn’t find it, so off out to sea we went. It wasn’t long and we had a few Cape petrels and Northern giant petrels following us. We headed out to one of the spots and hauled up and put the chum in the water. Within seconds there were a couple of NZ wandering albatross on the water at the back of the boat, several North giant petrels, Cape petrels, and then a Westland petrel was spotted on the water also. There was a good stiff breeze blowing and in the end we had about 7-8 NZ wandering albatross, at least two Southern Royal albatross, and a few Salvin’s albatross also. Several more Westland petrels came in for a look, and then a single white-chinned petrel. Several Buller’s shearwaters made passes, as did a few sooty shearwaters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided to move to a different spot, and put the chum out again. This time much the same, but we did get a single flesh-footed shearwater, and a single Northern Royal albatross which circled the boat several times! Perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We had great looks at everything, and even some Hutton’s shearwaters passing by were coming close enough to get a good look. We decided to head back in, passing Barney’s Rock where there were huge numbers of kelp and red-billed gulls, a few spotted shags, and some lazy fur seals. Cutting back along the coast it was a little bumpy, but not too bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Back in port we grabbed lunch, and then checked in for our afternoon activities. Some of us opted for dusky dolphin watching, whilst others went for another go at albatross. The afternoon was a good one with lots of nice dusky dolphin action and some more good bird action. Nothing new, but always worth a second go! A lovely dinner and then a quick drive for little owl. And boom! Better than last night, no drizzle and three little owls seen, so happy campers heading to bed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 44; new for the trip = 9; total for the trip to date = 134<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Served on a platter</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-69303800623902345092020-02-14T21:07:00.003+13:002020-02-14T21:07:49.486+13:00Day eleven - a different kind off green<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up and packed the van and walked down to the Picton Marina. It was looking like a beautiful morning, and as we headed out on the boat from Picton it sure was! A little cloud, but relatively calm conditions. And within a few minutes these conditions had allowed us to spot a small maternal pod of bottlenose dolphins. We had fantastic views of them as they came right in to the boat, turning over on their backs to look up at us. It was a case of who was watching who! We cruised with them for a little bit, admiring their movement through the water, and then left them to the day, as we continued to head northwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We enjoyed the scenery of Queen Charlotte Sound as we cruised, and then spied an Arctic skua which tracked parallel with us for a little while allowing some nice photographs to be taken. A few feeding fluttering shearwaters, spotted shags and white-fronted terns were also found, and we spent a little time with these before again moving on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed into a couple of small bays, looking for the smallest oceanic dolphin in the World, the endemic Hector’s dolphin. The very calm conditions were in our favour, but the first bay held no dolphins, and as we started to turn and head back out of the second we had a little splash as two Hector’s sped in towards us. Nice one! We had lovely views of this enigmatic little dolphin that came in to investigate us and then gave a great show around the boat. The shutters clicked and more memory card space bit the dust!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">After a good few minutes with these guys we decided that the time was right to head off and look for some King shags. And the time was certainly right! Rounding a point we spotted a good number of birds up on a slope. There were several small groups of juveniles on the outer part of the group, containing at least 35 adults. All in all we counted 54 birds, which is probably a record for this location in recent years, certainly for one of our tours. There were some really stunning adults showing beaut blue eye rings and yellow-orange caruncles and glossy plumage, and we had great views. Again, the cameras were clicking!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then carried on, and decided it was time for land, so headed into a little bay to land. We landed and headed into the forest, after spending a little time with the weka of course! There was a lot going on, with fantails, South Island saddlebacks, grey warbler and a tomtit all being seen within a few minutes of landing. Bellbird, tui and NZ pigeon were also around and making noise. We headed to a spot where we had previously had luck with the rare and sometimes difficult orange-fronted parakeet. There were more calls from saddleback, a black morph fantail which was very nice, and more weka. And then a snatch of parakeet call. We waited and watched, and next minute a bird flew right in to full view, landed on a dead branch in the open and sat there for about 25 seconds. Long enough for everyone to get great views and everyone to snap some pictures. It then turned and disappeared into the trees and never looked back. We did hear the odd call over the next 45 minutes, and a brief view of three flying past was had by Cele, but that was it for the parakeet! Pretty happy though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided to get back on the boat and use the extra time to head slowly back towards Picton and make stops with anything we liked the look of. So, we had tea and coffee as we slowly made our way back. We spent some time at a spotted shag roost, getting really nice close views of them, and then found some more Arctic skua and fluttering shearwaters which we spent a little time with. And then a preening confiding little penguin. So, all in all a great morning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We made a quick bakery stop and then headed south, through Blenheim and to a sewage treatment facility where we went for a quick walk. We found a male cirl bunting feeding two fledglings which was pretty nice, and a lot of black swan, mallards, scaup and Royal spoonbill. But no glossy ibis, oh well!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Further south with made another stop and found good numbers of banded dotterel, a single pectoral sandpiper and a single red-necked stint, as well as a small flock of black-fronted terns. The heat haze was terrible, but we had reasonable views of all of these birds, before continuing south. Next stop another wetland area where a hoary-headed grebe swam out right in front of us, and then an adult great crested grebe continuously fed a juvenile right in front of us. Nice!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We made a short stop on the coast for the hundreds of NZ fur seals, small pups still nursing with mum on the rocks. The sea looked pretty good for tomorrows pelagic, so here’s hoping! We checked in to the accommodation, had an awesome fish and chip dinner on the lawn (blue cod!!!), and then did a short drive on dusk for little owl. Unfortunately, the drizzle started and seemed to dampen the spirits of an owl thinking of posing on a fence post for us. But, what a great day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 61; new for the trip = 8; total for the trip to date = 123<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> King shag x2, hoary-headed grebe x1, orange-fronted parakeet x4, weka x1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay! Dolphins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang!</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-84967267020732760102020-02-13T21:40:00.001+13:002020-02-13T21:40:11.018+13:00Day ten - Strait to the South<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">A relaxed morning, we met a little later, packed the van and headed south. A quick stop at a wetland area on the way saw a few birds, but nothing new. With a cool breeze and cloudy conditions everyone opted to have a quick stop in Wellington. So we headed south and had a bit of time at the excellent Te Papa National Museum of NZ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">It was then time to head for the ferry, where we checked in and waited. A couple of spotted shags flew past, so a new trip bird and lifer. From the ferry we spotted a few fluttering shearwaters in the distance, and a large flock of kelp gulls in all sorts of plumages. Feeding and flying around. As we headed out of Wellington Harbour, we had an Arctic skua and a lot more white-fronted terns and fluttering shearwaters feeding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">There was a strong wind blowing, but the sea was pretty flat. As we got out into the Cook Strait a little we started to see more fluttering shearwaters whipping past the ship. The odd all dark bird also zipped past, mainly looking like flesh-footed shearwaters. A bit further on and we had our first albatross – hooray for Morten! He had now joined a cult of higher mortals…. It was a white-capped albatross, and as we continued along we saw another five or six. One was reasonably close, so our first albatross under the belt! We also had a single Cook’s petrel fly past, but nothing else of note. A little quiet even with the very strong wind blowing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">As we came in to Tory Channel it was sunny and the wind dropped. More fluttering shearwaters, spotted shags and gulls feeding in places, and a New Zealand fur seal was seen swimming also. We had beautiful views of the sounds, and then turned into Queen Charlotte Sound, with a single King shag seen flying shortly thereafter. We enjoyed the sail, arriving into Picton and then heading straight to the accommodation to have a bit of a rest before dinner. A beautiful meal and then off to bed…what will tomorrow bring!?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 42; new for the trip = 3; total for the trip to date = 115<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> White-capped albatross x8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anxiously looking for albatross</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello South Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2bFxJ1xRVd0yR4IBeYxQIiZvryjAdy8UFKDq-xiv_EDywgFZjATzaHsKc7X9XCdmPOQFfBBeCtvtNojYZwLlANfROzWUv7f-hlkL-LOIUsT_oWsFLdPuMgKNG1Z373ymr8qxYGL72v4/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2bFxJ1xRVd0yR4IBeYxQIiZvryjAdy8UFKDq-xiv_EDywgFZjATzaHsKc7X9XCdmPOQFfBBeCtvtNojYZwLlANfROzWUv7f-hlkL-LOIUsT_oWsFLdPuMgKNG1Z373ymr8qxYGL72v4/s640/IMG_1988.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The post 'albatross' celebration</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-7370419455858023552020-02-12T20:58:00.001+13:002020-02-12T20:58:16.676+13:00Day nine - bittern by wrybill<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">It was a super early start, packing bags into the van in the dark… But as it turns out, it was worth it! We drove a short distance to a wetland area, sneaking in to take a look. There were a lot of waterfowl around, and scanning the edges it looked like our target was not about. But after a few minutes, bingo! Australasian bittern! We got into position, setup the scopes and had awesome views of a bird moving back and forth along a thickly grassed edge, pausing every now and then to catch a small fish. Amazing views of this often incredibly difficult bird, and we were able to watch it for about 25 minutes as it went about its business. Black swan, grey teal, shoveler, mallard, and even a Canada goose or two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then checked out another location and found a couple of banded dotterel and at least five black-fronted dotterel. This lovely little shorebird really is quite beautiful, and always nice to find.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Jumping in the van we headed off to a viewpoint with expansive views out over Hawkes Bay. And the best part was we were almost alone at such an early hour. Well except for the incredibly confiding New Zealand pipit that is. Great views of them as well and the shutters were clicking as per usual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then made a quick morning tea stop at Brent’s parents place on the way through to Foxton on the west coast of the North Island. Keeping eyes peeled along the way, there was not a lot of birdy interest, but some nice scenery. We got to a large estuary and the tide was pretty high, and almost at its peak. We walk in to an area to watch the shorebirds gathered, with a small flock of bar-tailed godwit and red knot, two Pacific golden plover, and about 25 wrybill in evidence. We really wanted some nice photo opportunities with the wrybill, so waited patiently. The tide peaked, and then started to drop. An errant white-faced heron put up the flock, and we relocated to where the wrybill ended up settling. Waiting a bit longer we eventually had beautiful close views of these great little shorebirds. Super nice images were taken as the shutters clicked away!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then had a few hours of rest in the afternoon to recuperate after the early morning. And a lovely dinner at a local restaurant. An early night to recharge the batteries!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 46 inc 1 heard (Dunnock); new for the trip = 2; total for the trip to date = 112<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Australasian bittern x6, wrybill x2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shorebird action</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-42159440522482276172020-02-12T05:05:00.001+13:002020-02-12T05:05:44.317+13:00Day eight - squawking falcons!<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up early and off to look for bittern. Not an easy bird in New Zealand. And they proved that this morning. After a bit of driving and an hour standing and watching we had nothing to show for it. Except some coot, a few fleeting fernbird, and a lovely vista!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed off and checked out some locations for blue duck and had really nice views of a male and female with a large juvenile from this season. We watched them feeding along the edge of the river and the juvenile diving and feeding. We wandered along the river a bit spotting a few other introduced bits and pieces, including a California quail and youngsters, a dunnock, and yellowhammer. It was a super nice sunny morning, and just lovely to be out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed back to the accommodation, packed the van, grabbed lunch and then got on the road. After a bit we stopped and found an area literally bristling with fernbird. We had good views of about 4-5 birds, and the gang managed a few photos as well. There were certainly some juvenile birds around, and perhaps this was helping with them being so visible this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on, beautiful views out over Lake Taupo, and looking back to the mountains. Then on towards the East Coast. Stunning scenery, and then a lot of pine forest, but back into the native and mountainous sheep farming country. We wound our way into the hills and finally came to a forest where we had a lovely lunch enjoying the native forest surrounding us, and then went for a walk. It was relatively quiet in the forest, being pretty warm and near the middle of the day. But we heard tui and bellbird chiming away, got whitehead and grey warbler, and several robins. And then a snatch of juvenile falcon call… Hmmmm, that sounded close. We searched and search. The beech trees just above us had to be hiding them, but it was almost impossible to see up where we though the intermittent calls were coming from. And then finally after about half an hour of searching, a fluttering of wings and enough to locate where they were. In the end, two juvenile falcons in the top of a beech tree. We had them in the scope and pretty good views, even better when they turned to face us, but still high and not really able to be photographed. Then the one moved to another tree, allowing much better photos and views. What a little stunner. Every now and then, possibly as an adult was glimpsed the juveniles would call, and finally we had two birds flying and circling over us, with an adult and at least one of the chicks flying! Perfect. What an awesome encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided to head on, walking through more beautiful forest and then back to the carpark. We headed on towards the coast, and made a stop in Napier to look for one of the long staying plumed-whistling ducks. We found it after a bit, getting lovely views. And some really nice observations of little pied cormorants and all of the various plumages, from juveniles with no white, through to full white-breasted morphs. And as if perfectly placed, two little black cormorants for comparison!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then did a little tour of Napier, looking at the beautiful Art Deco architecture, before checking in to the accommodation. Another lovely dinner, another great day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 57 inc 1 heard (spotless crake, whitehead, tomtit); new for the trip = 5; total for the trip to date = 110</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The happy falconers!</td></tr>
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<br />Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-56763115333252066802020-02-10T21:12:00.002+13:002020-02-10T21:12:57.730+13:00Day seven - crazy cuckoos<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So, it was an early start, the moon was still up and the sun not quite, as we left Whitianga. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We had a few kilometres ahead of us, and so it was prudent to get on the road early.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A nice quick run through to Matamata (Hobbiton) for a bakery stop, and then on towards the target for the day, a large tract of forest.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">We made really good time and pulled into a carpark for a bathroom stop, only to hear a couple of long-tailed cuckoos calling nearby. We made our way towards them and they were really getting excited. We glimpsed them flying between the tall emergent trees, seemingly chasing each other, and then got amazing views of them as they flew directly over us. In the end there had to be about 6-7 birds flying around, landing in the tall emergent trees, often in view, calling and then repeatedly flying. Amazing! It seems at this time of year if you strike it right, they are flocking up and getting all worked up, perhaps before they start to migrate northwards in small groups. Whatever, they were putting on an incredible show!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">As well as this there were yellow-crowned parakeets flying around the trees, landing and giving brief views as the called and scurried through the branches. A couple of kaka did fly overs, and then we found a male tomtit, a North Island robin, and a small group of rifleman that showed briefly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We moved on to a different location and did a short walk. We found several groups of whitehead, a nice view of a kaka prising off bark, and then some nice views of yellow-crowned parakeets. Nice to see the beautiful green plumage and the yellow forehead. Lots of huge emergent rimu, totara, matai and kahikatea trees, and the ferns and mosses were pretty special as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">WE then carried on to another location, pausing to watch for falcon, but no luck, and then a short walk through more lovely forest. A robin, a few fantails, but the forest was getting pretty quiet in the heat of the day. So, we carried on and decided to head through to Turangi early. A beautiful drive through more lovely native forest, and a few pigeon and tui see as we drove, another brief in flight long-tailed cuckoo, and then spectacular views of the three central North Island volcanoes – Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngaruhoe, and Mt Ruapehu – all visible in the sunshine!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed to spot on the Tongariro River, and bingo, a pair of blue ducks sitting on the river bank, taking a nap. We got nice views of the pair, and a few photos, with the male occasionally waking up to look around. Really nice to find these at the first stop, and of course we wanted more, so made another two stops…and found nothing. Ah well, glad to have them under the belt and will try again in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">It was definitely beer o’clock as we checked in to the Motel, had a drink, dinner and celebrated another awesome day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 36; new for the trip = 10; total for the trip to date = 76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Long-tailed cuckoo x7, blue duck x1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A walk in the woods</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-26716590390998156072020-02-09T22:33:00.001+13:002020-02-09T22:33:44.564+13:00Day six - Cookilaria spectacular<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">We were up and out the door early and back to Miranda. The light was beautiful and the waders were all gathered. We met up with a few local birders at one of the hides and started to scan the wader flock in front of one of the hides. There were several thousand bar-tailed godwits, red knot, and over a thousand wrybill, so a lot to search through. But we again managed to find a few sharp-tailed sandpipers, the broad-billed sandpiper and a Hudsonian godwit – thanks David Thomas! We enjoyed the beautiful light and the great birds and then decided to head back to pack the van. On the way three Far Eastern curlew flew over and out of sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We packed the van and then headed off towards Whitianga. After a coffee stop we made a quick stop at another wetland site. There was a good number of pied stilts and a few South Island oystercatchers, barwits and wrybill. But nothing out of the ordinary. A swamp harrier plucking a juvenile pied stilt was a gory testament to these birds hunting ability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on, driving over the beautiful Coromandel Range, with stunning sunshine and beautiful forest. The views out over the ocean once across showed that we should be up for an excellent afternoon. We made it to Whitianga, checked in to the accommodation, had a quick lunch and then joined our boat for an afternoon on the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed straight out of Mercury Bay, seeing a couple of little penguins on the way, a few gannets, and then the first fluttering shearwaters. A bit further out we started to see the first Buller’s shearwaters, then a few flesh-footed shearwaters. But the conditions were spectacular, flat seas and light breezes. A brief glimpse of common dolphins on the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We got out to our chumming location, and after passing a few small groups of birds, we stopped in a location with no birds at all. But let’s see what happens…. We started to put chum in the water, and there was nothing in sight. Very light breezes, that seemed to change direction continuously. But then a Buller’s shearwater arrived, then another, and before too long a few more birds. The first Cookilaria petrel came through, probably a Cook’s, the next maybe a Pycroft’s…. Black petrels showed up, then flesh-footed shearwaters, and the odd white-faced storm-petrel. With more Cookilaria petrels coming past, many of them seem to be Pycroft’s, some giving quite nice views. With Hadoram Shirihai on the trip, it was fun to compare the consensus, and almost always we were on the same page. We also had several short-tailed shearwaters and a sooty shearwater come in to the chum and show themselves really well, and a single fly-by little shearwater. Finally, towards the end of our chumming session we had a New Zealand storm-petrel arrive and show really well, and then a mako shark arrived and put on a good show as well. Over the course of the afternoon we had 25+ Pycroft’s and about 10 Cook’s, plus a few others that were not positively ID’d. So, an absolutely awesome afternoon with some great birds, some great learning, and in beautiful conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed towards port, with a few more Cookilaria on the way, and as we got closer a nice dark morph Arctic skua. Pizza for dinner and another excellent day was done!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 57; new for the trip = 6; total for the trip to date = 97<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Hudsonian godwit x1, Pycroft’s petrel x?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for action</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-83838715772330547222020-02-08T21:42:00.000+13:002020-02-08T21:42:46.152+13:00Day five - shorebirds<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Up and enjoyed breakfast with the sound of birdsong out the window. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We all headed out to various parts of the island to see what we could find, and everyone had success of some sort – with kokako, Takahe, and rifleman being found out and about the place.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">After cleaning the Bunkhouse and packing, we then wandered down to the wharf and caught out water taxi to head back to Gulf Harbour. From the wharf we spotted a New Zealand eagle ray, but the boat ride back to Gulf Harbour was surprisingly free of birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We loaded the van and headed off southwards, quick stop to grab lunch and then we checked out an estuarine area. There was a lot of waterfowl around – thousands of black swans, mallards, but our first grey teal, and some more Pacific black duck and Paradise shelduck. Quite a few pied and little pied cormorants, and our first black-billed gulls also.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We had lunch and scanned the waterfowl, and then continued our way south towards Miranda. We checked in to our accommodation, had a bit of a rest and reorganised our gear, and headed out to the Stilt Ponds to watch the waders coming in. Our timing was perfect, and as we arrived the first red knot and barwits settled down on the mud in front of us. We watched as more and more birds came in, finding a leucistic South Island oystercatcher in the gathering flock – very cool looking bird. Also a bunch of Pacific golden plover and some more black-billed gulls. Flocks of wrybill were flying past us and heading across to the Stilt Pond so we ended up heading across there. There was probably close to 2000 wrybill there and searching amongst them we managed to find the previously reported lesser sand plover, then a couple of sharp-tailed sandpipers, and some sharp eyes (thanks Kirsty!) managed to find the broad-billed sandpiper. So all in all a very successful afternoon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed straight to a lovely dinner and then an early night…hopefully a little less night-time sounds than the Bunkhouse tonight!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 60; new for the trip = 10; total for the trip to date = 76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Bird of the day –</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> Wrybill x7, kokako x1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Tiritiri</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-71392311897595476322020-02-08T16:26:00.000+13:002020-02-08T16:26:29.486+13:00Day four - rustling kiwi<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Another beautiful morning as we readied the van and then headed south towards our ferry. We made a short stop at a local reserve and saw a few things, including some nice views of grey gerygone and a flyby red-crowned parakeet. A road-running buff-banded rail showed well as we departed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We arrived at the ferry port, got our gear situated and waited for the ferry before boarding and undertaking the short ride across to Tiritiri Matangi Island. On the way we saw a single penguin, a couple of fluttering shearwaters and a single Buller’s shearwater as we arrived at the island. The Buller’s and a number of white-fronted terns were feeding just off the island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">On the island after our greeting we headed up to the Bunkhouse, birding on the way. In quick succession we had bellbird, tui, robin, whitehead, red-crowned parakeet, saddleback, Stitchbird, kokako (a pair mutual preening), and then brown quail. The kokako were nice, but a little obscured. With the island so so dry, there was a lot of coming and going at the water feeders, so we spent a little time there watching the birds come and go. By the time we got to the Bunkhouse to have lunch we had pretty much cleaned up on all the birds we really needed. But the afternoon beckoned and after an hour to relax it was time to head out for the afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We wandered out around the island, exploring. It was warm and sunny, but not too hot. And there was a bit of a breeze, so actually quite pleasant. We saw a lot of saddleback and whitehead, brown quail, and then checked out some of the feeders with lots of Stitchbird and bellbird around. We managed to find a few rifleman, managing to see them in about three different places, with at least a couple unbanded, indicating birds raised on the island. We then found a pair of Takahe, hiding in the shadows, trying to escape the heat. And then at a small pond found two spotless crakes walking the edge and feeding right in the open. Awesome views as they pecked back and forth along the shore for more than 15 minutes in front of us. A brown teal put in an appearance as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">As we wandered back towards the Bunkhouse we picked up more saddleback, and other endemics. And then after a while we heard snippets of kokako song. The male flew over the track after giving pretty decent views, and then disappeared. But we managed to find it again, first singing from a Puriri tree, and then feeding on the fruits of a cabbage tree. Awesome views and a lot of images taken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">A beaut BBQ dinner back at the Bunkhouse, with wine and cheese, then steak and lamb chops, salads, coleslaw and new potatoes! Pretty darn nice, with a little chocolate to wash it down. And then it was time to head out for our nocturnal adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed out, it was a bit breezy but the night was warm and the leaves in the forest unable to hide a kiwi moving. We wandered some trails, but all was quiet. Then a couple of morepork called, and the churring of several chicks was heard. But not a single snuffle or call from a kiwi! We kept on wandering, and managed to find our first tuatara, a nice big animal about 2+ feet long. Excellent views of these ancient reptile for all. We continued, finding another three tuatara. And then there it was, a rounded ball like shape. Turning off the flashlight we got everyone into place and turned it back on. There was a female, quite large, feeding right in front of us! She probed the ground feeding intently for about 60 seconds, and then as if she suddenly realised there was somebody watched her shot off out of sight behind some flax bushes. YES! All very happy, we decided to move away and leave her to it. A short while later we found a morepork perched and had more great views of this great little bird, and continuing our search we finally heard a single male kiwi call. A short time later we had one more morepork with great views, and then back to the Bunkhouse! A pretty early night to be honest, and very happy to have had such excellent views of a kiwi in these very dry and challenging conditions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 51; new for the trip = 7; total for the trip to date = 83<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning views from Tiritiri Matangi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang heading out for more birds!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy crakers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from the Bunkhouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighthouse on Tiritiri</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-90637765435690351582020-02-06T20:41:00.000+13:002020-02-06T20:41:01.991+13:00Day three - black and whites, of the storm-petrel variety<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Well, another beautiful morning to wake up to. Sun shining and not a lot of wind, so looked promising! We had breakfast and then headed to grab lunch and then to Sandspit. At Sandspit there was a bit of activity going on, it is Waitangi Day after all and a lot of people clearly heading out on the water. But I doubt many were planning to head to where we were!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We boarded our boat and headed out, a little wind making small waves on the Kawau Channel, but that didn’t stop us finding a couple of little penguins on the way. One adult that looked like it was ready to start moulting, and a couple of youngsters that looked fresh out of the nest. Pretty good views of these great little birds before continuing out towards the open ocean. A brief flyby Arctic skua on the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">There was a pretty stiff breeze of about 15 knots blowing already as we got out, coming from the south. It was supposed to freshen a little in the mid-afternoon and swing to the SW, so we wanted to get out and in place without too much delay. We started to see a few fluttering, then flesh-footed shearwaters, and then some Buller’s shearwaters and Cook’s petrels. As we reached our chumming location there was a marked increase in bird activity, and so we slowed up. We started to ready the chum, and bingo! Within a minute or two and without chum there was a New Zealand storm-petrel – star of the day! It spent quite a bit of time around the back of the boat in quite nice light really showing off. The Cook’s petrels, flesh-footed and Buller’s shearwaters all looked a little disappointed they were not the focus of our attention!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Funny thing was, even when the chum was in the water there was not even a single white-faced storm-petrel that showed. And in fact they were a little stand-offish even when we finally found a few later on in the day. But we managed to pick up a single sooty shearwater that showed briefly, and a number of black petrels that showed really well, and a few white-faced storm-petrels that showed pretty well also. But New Zealand storm petrels were definitely the star of the show!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We changed location a few times, and then decided that with the weather forecast and the way the wind was already that perhaps it was better to start heading in. We slowed a couple of times for things, but a large flock of gannets sitting on the water was in fact just that, and there was no activity to be observed. We did however, head in to a bay, and managed to pick up three weka feeding along the shoreline. Being the rarer North Island subspecies a nice bird to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed back to Sandspit, drove back to the accommodation checking for kookaburra, but again struck out. Another delicious dinner, a few good wines, and conversation, and a good night’s sleep!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 36; new for the trip = 10; total for the trip to date = 76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Zealand storm-petrel hunters! </td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-25691484380235621372020-02-05T21:04:00.003+13:002020-02-05T21:04:34.796+13:00Day two - targets met<br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">Waking up a little later after a late-ish night and nice memories of excellent views of kiwi and morepork the night before is always nice! It was relatively cool as we readied for the day, but the forecast suggested another warm one. We packed the van and headed south, heading down towards a coastal site where we hoped to find fairy tern. We had a lovely walk, and the temperature was still rather pleasant actually. But no sign of any fairy tern. There was a small flock of white-fronted tern, a few variable oystercatchers, and very nice to pick up our first New Zealand pipit. We wandered back to the van, finding another very confiding pipit, and then a couple of not so confiding brown quail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed on south, driving through some beautiful scenic countryside, with expansive views of the coast. We made it to a local reserve area just after lunch and did a couple of short walks looking for target birds. The temperature had risen a little, but was still not as oppressive as it had been yesterday. The breeze certainly helped!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Things in the reserve were dry, real dry. The understorey of the forest was wilting and clearly could do with a good drink! And it was quiet in places. We wandered and found brown teal, NZ dotterel, and a few other bits and bobs. But soon we found the hotspot and within a few moments had a bunch of the target forest birds – tui, bellbird, whitehead, grey gerygone, fantail, NZ pigeon (showing super nice iridescence), North Island robin, and then saddleback! Awesome – all nice and close, great views. We carried on and then found a couple of big blue chickens! Bonus – nice views of a pair of Takahe, feeding and doing their thing, and looking completely unfazed about us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We wandered back slowly towards the van, seeing more of the same on the way. I wager there were a few photos taken this afternoon, so all will be working hard to whittle down to the good ones tonight. We headed in towards the accommodation, looking for kookaburra along the way, but no luck. We checked in to the accommodation, and then a little rest before dinner and an early night! Another great day!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 52; new for the trip = 11; total for the trip to date = 66<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pigeon in the bush</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy times with takahe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPlZU0nVPEHOjd3idzqZrIlL7Ys8Cd-EQsZfvhbA712ffv1UnNJsSASaavt8Q-u3gaE_3ztknI24c1skci1atYvQL_HaHITsMmF2C_tvAeaCMmJoHkx4Vg5I9kJ70LAZcdP9dd-Uvf7Q/s1600/IMG_1841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPlZU0nVPEHOjd3idzqZrIlL7Ys8Cd-EQsZfvhbA712ffv1UnNJsSASaavt8Q-u3gaE_3ztknI24c1skci1atYvQL_HaHITsMmF2C_tvAeaCMmJoHkx4Vg5I9kJ70LAZcdP9dd-Uvf7Q/s640/IMG_1841.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a stunning place</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-85198114378691244982020-02-05T00:15:00.002+13:002020-02-05T00:15:22.176+13:00Day one - hot hot hot<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up and meeting with everyone in the carpark of the Hotel. Everyone had slept fast, and the heat of the day had not yet arrived – perhaps it will be cooler today!? We packed the van, got acquainted with our new travel companions, and then set off across Auckland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">First stop a gannet colony on the scenic West Coast. Beautiful calm conditions with feeding gannets visible way off out to sea, and a gentle swell breaking on the beach. Thousands of gannets congregated on the cliffs, with a lot of lovely large grey plumaged juveniles getting ready for their first flight. They were exercising constantly, and it was clear that in just a couple of weeks the colony would really start to empty out as the juveniles departed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We checked out the coastline for other species, a few kelp and red-billed gulls, the odd white-fronted tern, and some variable oystercatchers. Also, with the feeding gannets offshore some large all dark shearwaters – probably flesh-footed, but way too far to positively ID. Silvereye, yellowhammer and welcome swallow along the coastline also.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We then headed off to our first bakery stop. Completely unprompted a pie was bought! Along with a fine assortment of sandwiches in what truly has to be record time for a first bakery stop! Wow! We carried on along the roads through rolling hillsides and pastures. A few harriers, the odd purple swamphen and paradise shelduck, all good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We arrived at small estuary and walked down to have lunch. Within moments a fairy tern resting on the mud was spotted, with a Caspian and a white-fronted in the same scope view for comparison. How nice is that!? We also had great views of buff-banded rails running about, white-faced herons and pied stilts. Plus, our first New Zealand dotterel, red knot and a bar-tailed godwit. Lunch was dealt with in record time, and so we moved on to a slightly different spot for more NZ dotterel and out first juvenile double-banded plover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Heading further north we stopped at a small pond where the temperatures had peaked for the day at 33.5 C. But that didn’t stop a nice selection of waterfowl being spotted with both New Zealand grebe (dabchick) and Australasian grebe side by side, Pacific black duck, New Zealand scaup, Australasian shoveler and a few brown teal! What a great little spot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Heading on northwards, we checked into our accommodation in the late afternoon. Just enough time for a quick rest, then a beautiful dinner and then out to the countryside for dessert!! This came in the form of five kiwi sightings, plus a very small chick that was more moving grass than kiwi. But four of the sightings were prolonged excellent views. One huge female feeding in the open in front of us for about ten minutes. A very close and confiding morepork was also a crowd pleaser, and to top it all off the kiwi calling was insane with calls every few minutes for the first hour or so. Amazing! Bed and dreams of nocturnal birds!</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total – </span></b><span lang="EN-AU">Seen = 55 inc 2 heard (skylark and European greenfinch); new for the trip = 55; total for the trip to date = 55<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the gannets go by </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang enjoying the sunshine and guano</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the coast</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-41268655723795118312019-12-02T21:57:00.000+13:002019-12-02T21:57:01.747+13:00Day twenty-one - peepless<br />
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<span lang="EN-AU">Up and out the door pretty early, with a lovely sunny but crisp morning. The weather yesterday had deposited some new snow, but the peaks were now clear and visible, so beautiful views of Aoraki – Mount Cook as we drove past. A couple of quick photo stops and then on through to Fairlie. A quick bathroom break and then a stop at the Fairlie Bakehouse, home of the most amazing pie in the World – the Salmon and Bacon pie! Delicious. The shop was almost bought out of pies as we headed off towards Christchurch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We drove on towards Lake Ellesmere, our planned stop for the morning. There had been recent sightings of little stint and a range of other vagrant shorebirds there, so what better way to finish the trip than with a new shorebird? There was not a lot of wind and conditions were nice, so we checked out a couple of locations. We found good numbers of black swan, pied stilt and more skylarks than you could shake a stick at! There were a few shorebirds, and the first we looked at was a Hudsonian godwit! Wow, that was a good start. We kept scanning and found a few bar-tailed godwit, wrybill, banded dotterel, but nothing smaller. Then a small tern was found amongst a group of roosting bar-tailed godwit, a common tern – a strange place for this bird, but we’ll take that as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Time was ticking, but no small peeps could be found, so we headed for the city to start our good-byes. We dropped everyone at various locations around the city and said our good-byes. It had been a great three weeks together, we had seen almost all of the endemics we hoped for (and perhaps a few more), and on the whole had encountered pretty amazing weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> – Seen = 38; new for the trip = 2; total for the trip to date = 162<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiT4rVwYaT3w5CpTMtdBifMpVJgQfpi1_JRpX_WBnzxqZZ_1l2PS2fMzzjkqwtsAFy2KJJtzNJVUbUNZzxBaDMlk_rrIUV6yRL19gqxh6AHmHrOssjbx8EAatY8lxE2KNOspvhMcnqXQ/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiT4rVwYaT3w5CpTMtdBifMpVJgQfpi1_JRpX_WBnzxqZZ_1l2PS2fMzzjkqwtsAFy2KJJtzNJVUbUNZzxBaDMlk_rrIUV6yRL19gqxh6AHmHrOssjbx8EAatY8lxE2KNOspvhMcnqXQ/s640/IMG_1568.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pie-tastic!</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-84054550282219049162019-12-01T21:14:00.000+13:002019-12-01T21:14:03.524+13:00Day twenty - stilted<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up and on the road early with overcast conditions, but hopefully some good birds ahead. We drove straight through to Omarama where we picked up some coffee, lunches, etc. We had been on falcon squad red alert the whole way, but only a couple of false alerts with harriers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed on and suddenly spotted a black shape as we drove. Whipping the van around we scanned a small pond and bingo! The prize was there in the form of two adult black stilts in all their glory! We got the scope on them and everyone had a look, before they suddenly took flight and flew directly across the road and out of sight…. Wow! Beautiful views of our target bird for the day and it wasn’t even 0900!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on, stopping at some ponds for nice views of several Australasian great-crested grebe chicks, as well as several others and a lot of scaup. Several coot also in evidence. Carrying on we drove to a spot where we searched for more black stilt, a false alarm with several pied and then a single black object squatting in a field. Hmmmm. Looks kind of like a black stilt, but strange posture. Several pied oystercatchers around also, so out with the scope. Indeed, it was a black stilt, but it seemed to have sprouted two small pairs of legs from its breast as it squatted low over the ground! It ended up standing up and showing off three tiny little chicks! Super cute, as the bird moved off the tiny little chicks followed and then fed in a nearby bit of water. Very nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We carried on to another location, and the wind was absolutely honking by this stage. The weather was closing in a little and the views of the mountains disappearing. But we came across three juvenile black stilt that were super confiding and gave excellent views and photo opportunities. And then went for a bit of a walk, more a side-ways shuffle in the wind, and found at least four wrybill that also showed really well. Our best views of these great little birds to date, and on the breeding grounds with nice plumages as well. There were several banded dotterel also that posed nicely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided the wind was going to beat us, so headed back to the van and headed on to our next stop. This was a little more sheltered, but only just. And a great place for lunch as we watched yet another pair of adult black stilts. Superb! Some took a chance to get some photos of the adults, to go with those of the juveniles, and just a lovely setting to enjoy our lunch. We then retraced our steps, checking all likely areas for falcons, but falcon squad was still drawing a blank. We bounced down the road, with the wind buffeting the van, and called into a wetland area to look for skulky crakes. We ended up hearing a Baillon’s crake, and searched and searched, but nothing showed. So, it goes on the list as a heard only, rather underwhelming…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed to the accommodation, checked in and then on to a lovely last dinner. Some of us started to formulate our top five birds of the trip, we all had a lovely dinner, and then celebrated Romania’s Independence, 101 years to the day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> – Seen = 37 inc 1 heard, (Baillon’s crake); new for the trip = 2; total for the trip to date = 160<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAgUZkyR5j11e50q-mCzB_l_YcWbjcN1ZFvOvkSv_q71pHJPP8MlU4BMRGk2h9vj-4z5ppRniV8ktPJui3OjkNWqlPjxAOt0GROEScFjqx1675IAG1aso8KuIA0-LqRoMfXntbnVKz-o/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAgUZkyR5j11e50q-mCzB_l_YcWbjcN1ZFvOvkSv_q71pHJPP8MlU4BMRGk2h9vj-4z5ppRniV8ktPJui3OjkNWqlPjxAOt0GROEScFjqx1675IAG1aso8KuIA0-LqRoMfXntbnVKz-o/s640/IMG_1550.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvie black stilt out the window</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek enjoying a juvie black stilt, no pressure Derek!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9koiZccjgMk2G5r0y8ZyCqfWIvATZ37PYvHDglIqtAy2ayQTWpjfcKDHSXEPBC0dF6JEEFVB6hqewBZB9Aw6F2muuRr9haGaMR8o3Uv3v6aZaFFE1HB1nEwS7e1Ovc9Jhktgr9ZCEdbA/s1600/IMG_1563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9koiZccjgMk2G5r0y8ZyCqfWIvATZ37PYvHDglIqtAy2ayQTWpjfcKDHSXEPBC0dF6JEEFVB6hqewBZB9Aw6F2muuRr9haGaMR8o3Uv3v6aZaFFE1HB1nEwS7e1Ovc9Jhktgr9ZCEdbA/s640/IMG_1563.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountains out there somewhere</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-47869541072161290272019-11-30T21:29:00.002+13:002019-11-30T21:29:31.926+13:00Day nineteen - shagging about<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Up and at’em, another lovely morning on Stewart Island. Breakfasted, packed and then on to the wharf to check in for the ferry. The crossing looked to be fairly calm and it was, with a bit of a breeze, but not much. We spotted three Fiordland crested penguins on rocks and one in the water on the way out, and then a couple porpoising all over the place a bit further out. Now that was a nice start. A distant perched Southern brown skua, and a few Foveaux shags and then we were in the Foveaux Strait proper. Light winds, confirmed by the fact that over half of the 10 or so white-capped albatross seen on the journey were sitting on the water. No other birds of note, except a couple of sooty shearwaters and common diving petrels. As we arrived back in Bluff, a few spotted shags and white-fronted terns amongst the gulls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We loaded the van, and then headed north. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining, the scenery picturesque. We made a couple of quick stops along the way, then grabbed some lunch in a town and ate it slightly early at a nice little road side stop. Mild amusement when a cop stopped a poor elderly lady just near us for speeding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We continued north, and headed to a location that is quite scenic and has a small number of yellow-eyed penguins. The wind was fair pumping here – amazing what a few hundred kilometres can do! We had lovely views of the coastline and got to a good over view to hear a penguin calling. Moments later we spotted a bird, but it was too far off to have been the one calling. But we had good views of it as it headed back up to its nest site on the hill. Then not fair from us another bird called and moments later a bird appeared from the bushes, walked down on to the beach and trundled down to the water and dived in. Perfect! Couldn’t have time that any better! A few Otago shags flew on past, as well as some spotted shag. Fur seals basked on the rocks nearby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">With the wind the way it was we decided to head off, so slowly headed back to the van and on to the next spot. Here we were able to watch several hundred pairs of Otago shags at relatively close proximity, with a lot of big fluffy chicks. A lot of coming and going by adults, and a lot of feeding going on also. We had the scope on them and able to get some really nice views of these birds, both the pied and the bronze morph. We spent some time enjoying them, and then decided to continue on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We headed on to our accommodation, checked in a little early and rested up for a bit before dinner at a nice pub, and an early night! Tomorrow will be a big day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> – Seen = 45; new for the trip = 1; total for the trip to date = 158<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKC09Wzvw2DSD3aA-eEeI5pyUE-v-WxvEevVVqcGSWc8z-yDxI82D4uPyk-gmAUV6NUJetPWIZ6qpHxqxkKShT9AU_BywZ88z_BYbCaQ_wfucH_i7G3TcvYpit2_bcx0bWiKkF-bpdoM/s1600/IMG_1537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKC09Wzvw2DSD3aA-eEeI5pyUE-v-WxvEevVVqcGSWc8z-yDxI82D4uPyk-gmAUV6NUJetPWIZ6qpHxqxkKShT9AU_BywZ88z_BYbCaQ_wfucH_i7G3TcvYpit2_bcx0bWiKkF-bpdoM/s640/IMG_1537.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy penguins...</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250602257267822519.post-25086125010847828372019-11-30T07:02:00.001+13:002019-11-30T08:48:50.623+13:00Day eighteen: Stew pelagic<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">So, it seemed that we woke up before we went to bed, or it kind of felt like it! Short night, but today was looking good for our pelagic. It had been pretty windy overnight, with some rain, and we were hoping this would have stirred the birds up a little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We all met up on the dock and boarded ‘Aurora’ with skipper Ian and chum-master Matt Jones…again…he gets around ;). The weather was supposed to be warm and calm, but there was a bit of a breeze running, and we hoped if we got out further we would encounter enough wind to keep the birds flying. First stop was to check out some sites for Fiordland crested penguins, and we managed to find two adults sunning themselves nicely on the rocks. Then one of the large chicks we had found yesterday was also visible, so we had a view of that also. Everyone had nice views and was happy, so we decided to carry on out, hoping that the wind wouldn’t suddenly drop out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We started to attract a few white-capped albatross as we steamed out, so that started the cameras clicking. And the light was pretty nice as well. We carried on out to a couple of islands where we had found yellow-eyed penguins before. Local knowledge is important with these sorts of things, and so we checked out places we had previously found them. First beach nothing except a lot of fur seals, including a lot of small pups. Second beach area, bingo – four birds sitting halfway between the water and the bushes – looking as if they were having a conference! And they were, they sat there calling to each other and doing a little posturing. Really lovely to see these birds here, they have had a pretty tough time over the last few seasons, with most of the chicks failing to fledge due to disease. We spent some time with them, the photographers happily clicking away and everyone else getting really nice views.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">But we had places to be and things to see, so we carried on. Another island and three Southern brown skuas – Matt’s pet<i>s – </i>came in to say hello and get a hand out. Throwing fish scraps into the air, the birds swooped in low and snatched them out of the air. Fun for all and great to see these impressive birds up close. They decided they had had enough and headed back to their island roost, and we carried on out to our pelagic destination. We had just under an hour steaming time to a place we have been many times. As we got further out the swell started to build as we got away from the shelter of the land, and the winds picked up a little also. Just what we needed! There were a lot of common diving-petrels around, and great views of them during the course of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Our first chumming location brought in a bunch of white-capped albatross, a few Salvin’s albatross, several Southern Royals and a couple of fly-by Northern giant petrels. There were a few Sooty shearwaters also cruising past, and Cape petrels coming in also. A good number of albatrosses was building, probably 50+, but there was not a lot of other new things coming in, so we decided to move. We ended up over the course of the day spending time at 5 different chumming spots. As we got further out, we picked up different things, with a short-tailed shearwater and a bunch of white-chinned petrels coming in for nice close views. At the later stops we had at least 8 really nice views of mottled petrels and at least ten Cook’s petrels that really came in for great views. Sometimes this species can be distant brief views, but this was far from that. And the last couple of stops we managed to get great views of fairy prions as well, but no broad-billed prions showed themselves. Never mind, we had excellent views of everything seen during the day, which is always a key thing, and by the end of the day had seen well over several hundred albatross!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">We decided to start heading back towards Oban, albatross in tow, more common diving-petrels, sooty shearwaters, etc as we headed in. We stopped at an impressive Foveaux shag breeding site, where there were several hundred pairs and fairly large chicks on show. Also a few spotted shags.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Back in port it was time for a quick rest before another beautiful dinner, and then a quick walk to see if we could spot some long-tailed bats. We managed to see one really well, and as the temp was pretty cool we felt pretty lucky! Of to bed to get some sleep!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU">Day total</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> – Seen = 33; new for the trip = 2; total for the trip to date = 157<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJJ0zHERsaKLxMsx5fB7J1i6vkXG6q0RlIWaLVGZlsISCf8BJAJXj30TINT_BsjdwZsV0EET8rSpYCOEK4K5ugBR5NDwqI2-SkiL32_7Uep07I57guazIuzsotL0lOuZHbr_HTsVYGzc/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJJ0zHERsaKLxMsx5fB7J1i6vkXG6q0RlIWaLVGZlsISCf8BJAJXj30TINT_BsjdwZsV0EET8rSpYCOEK4K5ugBR5NDwqI2-SkiL32_7Uep07I57guazIuzsotL0lOuZHbr_HTsVYGzc/s640/IMG_1517.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out on the ocean's waves</td></tr>
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Eco-Vista | Brent Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15582970846802011560noreply@blogger.com0