The Gloster Birder World Tour – January 2009

San Francisco – New Zealand – Hong Kong

by Mike & Bridgette King

 

This trip was a culmination of Bridgette’s long-held wish to visit New Zealand and me tagging along for some excellent birding. I’d never really fancied New Zealand personally because of the very long flights involved but I am so glad I was persuaded otherwise. We planned everything ourselves before travelling and booked almost everything on-line or by phone. Because it was so far we decided to break the trip up by stopping in San Francisco on the way out and Hong Kong on the way back. 

In San Francisco we had a half day sightseeing and half a day I had booked with Eddie and Noreen of Nature Trip to take us birding as we didn’t know our way around and were on a tight schedule. This worked brilliantly and Eddie and Noreen were excellent knowledgeable company.

In Hong Kong I just wanted to bird for the day and Bridgette agreed, as we have never been too attracted to the concrete jungle. I booked Mike Kilburn through Bird Forum to introduce us to Asian birding including a trip to Mai Po Marshes. This also worked very well, we hit it off with Mike immediately and he gave us breakfast and arranged permits for Mai Po as well.

We decided to let the coach take the strain and travelled down to Heathrow on the Friday evening, overnighting at the Premier Inn in Bath Road. 

 

Fri 9th January 2009

Miles travelled : Quedgeley-Heathrow 104/Total miles 104

 

DAY 1 – Sat 10th January 2009

Weather : Cold, hard frost with light snow in England, bright and sunny with a cool wind in USA

Miles travelled : Heathrow-San Francisco 5360/Total miles 5464

 

We took a taxi from the hotel in the early morning to find light snow on the ground and a Robin shivering under the porch as we left. We flew across the pond with Virgin, who we have always found excellent, aboard a 747 jumbo “Cosmic Girl”. Although the flight was around 11 hours it was only early afternoon when we arrived in San Francisco due to the time difference. We cleared customs more speedily than usual, left our cases at the airport overnight, and were soon aboard a courtesy bus to our hotel near the airport. Beside the bus at the airport was a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, my first lifer of the trip. We checked in and decided to go for a walk alongside the waterfront of the conveniently placed bird reserve between the hotel and the airport. In the car park there were several common birds including an Anna's Hummingbird.

We crossed the road and could see that it was low tide and that there were 100’s of birds present. The largest group of birds by far was a flock of 100+ American Avocets and a flock of 50+ Canvasbacks was notable. The bird that really caught my eye was a hunting WHITE-TAILED KITE, a stunning bird and my second lifer of the trip. A female Goldeneye, although less exciting was a USA tick. During the course of our walk I also found a HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, a species I had dipped three times in Britain. Feeling hungry we chose to eat at the waterside Elephant Bar, where the food was wonderful and very reasonable. A WESTERN GULL atop a lamp-post outside was my fourth lifer of the evening. As our body clocks were now at about 1am, even though it was only mid-evening we hit the sack as soon as we got back to the hotel.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Robin, Raven, Brewer's Blackbird, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black Phoebe, Anna's Hummingbird, American Avocet, Canada Goose, White-crowned Sparrow, Canvasback, Grey (Black-bellied) Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Feral Pigeon, Northern Shoveler, White-tailed Kite, American Wigeon, American Coot, Great Egret, Marbled Godwit, House Finch, Lesser Scaup, Goldeneye, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Common Yellowthroat, Greater Yellowlegs, Mallard, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Snowy Egret, Western Gull.

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Grey Squirrel (2 inc one black morph).

 

DAY 2 – Sun 11th January 2009

Miles travelled : San Francisco -Auckland 6570/Total miles 12034

 

I awoke at about 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep so we were in the dining room eating bacon and eggs by 6am. We caught the courtesy bus back to the airport and went to the railway station there. We had to wait until 8am when it opened and then caught the train into central San Francisco. We came out of the station and jumped on one of the famous trams to take the ride to Fisherman's Wharf. We didn't realise you were supposed to have a ticket before you got on but we paid our $10 to the conductor and he gave us tickets, obviously used to tourists who don't read signs. As we descended the hill we could see Alcatraz in the bay and when we arrived at our destination, the last stop, we had our first views of the Golden Gate Bridge. At the terminus the bushes were full of Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows and a couple of Anna's Hummingbirds zipped around the trees. 

It was unseasonably warm and we set out in the direction of Pier 39. We stopped by the USS Pampanito, a WWII Submarine, and looked out towards Alcatraz. Three WESTERN GREBES and a BRANDT'S CORMORANT were life ticks and a Great Northern Diver (Common Loon) was a US tick. As we turned to leave I spotted a gull perched on the roof, it was my Nemesis, a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. I thought back to all those hours dipping in the rain in Mordor and couldn't help but smile as I ticked off the gull. Carrying on towards Pier 39 things got even better when we saw the first of 25+ HEERMANN'S GULLS amongst the many Western and Ring-billed Gulls. This was a very handsome gull, another one I'd dipped in Florida years before.

   

Glaucous-winged Gull (L) & Heermann's Gull (R)

 

At Pier 39 a gang of about 40 CALIFORNIAN SEA LIONS were hauled out on the jetties and we could hear them long before we saw them. After a bit of shopping and general sight-seeing we set off on the fairly long walk (about an hour) to Crissy Field, to meet Eddie and Noreen of Nature Trip for half a days guided birding.

 

Californian Sea Lions at Pier 39

 

On the way I saw a fine drake Bufflehead in the GGNRA Marina, which was a US tick. Eddie and Noreen did a better job of being on time than us. We had underestimated the distance, but a quick exchange of phone calls assured them we were coming. We met them in the car park and immediately found them to be friendly and helpful. Eddie suggested we just had a quick look at Crissy Field to see what was about. It was all fairly common fare, but a small flock of MEW GULLS were new for me, the American counterpart to our Common Gull. Two drake Greater Scaups were a US tick and a Long-billed Curlew was only our second ever.

We returned to Eddie's jeep and he drove us to Sutro Baths via a very plush area favoured by the rich and famous. The Sutro Baths were a large privately owned swimming pool complex built in the late 19th century. The building housing the baths burned down in 1966 and was abandoned, but the baths remained and the area proved attractive to birds. The area was heaving with people as it was a weekend and the sun was out. Eddie had difficulty parking so dropped us off and Noreen led us to an overlook where we could see the rocks below and also out across the ocean towards a couple of rocky islands. On the islands we could see six Brown Pelicans, 10+ Glaucous-winged Gulls and a single BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, a lifer. On the sea I found a small party of seven Surf Scoters (4m, 3f) and then a more distant group of eight. These were a US tick. Eddie arrived and pointed out a flock of at least 30 BLACK TURNSTONES below us, another lifer, and he also had a very brief view of a Surfbird, which immediately dropped out of view. Despite much searching it didn't reappear. Two male Ring-necked Ducks were on the baths, a Black Phoebe was flycatching around the edges and three Red-tailed Hawks were in the area. The only CALIFORNIA GULL of the trip flew past us at eye-level, the third lifer here. We moved on to Sutro Heights Park just inland from the sea. It was fairly quiet being the middle of the day but we still found some good birds. The first of these was a Hermit Thrush, which after some difficulty finding it, showed very well in a tree. A couple of American Robins were seen along with the second Song Sparrow of the day. Then in a sunny dell we hit on a little purple patch of birding which gave me four lifers. The first of these rubbed away the memories of another bad dip, three days running! at Holkham. It was a superb RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, which gave brilliant close views. This was followed by an equally showy and colourful male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. The other were a CALIFORNIA TOWHEE and a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, which although less colourful were still well appreciated. We returned to the car where Eddie and Noreen produced home-made cake and drinks. A nice gathering of sparrows in the nearby scrub consisted mainly of White-crowned but our second Golden-crowned Sparrow was amongst them, as was yet another lifer, a sooty FOX SPARROW scratching away in the dry earth.

Leaving here we travelled on to Golden Gate Park, where despite the ear-bursting sounds of a local with a boom-box, there were still good birds. A small flock included a Bushtit, another Townsend's Warbler, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and another lifer, a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. On and around the lake we saw a female Bufflehead, eight Ruddy Ducks, two more Golden-crowned Sparrows amongst a mixed flock and a Red-shouldered Hawk. Eddie said that the latter was a good one to get because it is likely to get split from the Eastern race, which I'd seen in Florida, and named as California Hawk.

Our final stop was in the middle of a skyscraper forest at Ferry Park. Here a Worm-eating Warbler had been lingering for a while, but in the absence of the sun, which hits the small park only in the early morning because of the tall skyscrapers, we didn't see it. We were entranced by the swirling mass of at least 100 Red-masked Parakeets (known in aviculture as Cherry-headed Conures) coming in to roost. Also roosting were c50 American Robins and 4+ Yellow-rumped Warblers added interest. Heading for the Airport ,the last American bird, was an American Kestrel on the approach road. We said our goodbyes to Eddie and Noreen at the terminal, and prepared for our overnight Air New Zealand flight to Auckland.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Western Grebe, Great Northern Diver (Common Loon), Brandt's Cormorant, Glaucous-winged Gull, Heermann's Gull, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Starling, House Sparrow, American Crow, Bufflehead, Pied-billed Grebe, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Mew Gull, Long-billed Curlew, Killdeer, Greater Scaup, Song Sparrow, Brown Pelican, Surf Scoter, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Ring-necked Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, California Gull, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Townsend's Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Pygmy Nuthatch, California Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Bushtit, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ruddy Duck, (Red-masked Parakeet), American Kestrel.

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Californian Sealion, American Painted Lady, Red Admiral.

 

DAY 3 – Mon 12th January 2009

 

We flew to Auckland in an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 taking off late evening on Sunday 11th January. However because we crossed the International Date Line we lost Monday entirely, which seem weird to me. The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the earth's surface that approximately coincides with the 180th meridian (longitude), and separates the calendar date. Travelling east across the line, takes the traveller back one day; travelling west, takes the traveller forward one day. As we went west we lost Monday. We also crossed the Equator for the first time ever.

 

DAY 4 – Tue 13th January 2009

Weather : Sunny and very warm, some cloud

Miles travelled : Auckland-Akaroa-Kaikoura 688/Total miles 12722

 

                               Paradise Shelduck

We landed at Auckland at around 5am on the Tuesday morning (explain to me again Bridgette, where did Monday go?). We collected our luggage and walked to the internal flights terminal to catch our onward flight to Christchurch. On the way I started my New Zealand list with House Sparrows waking up in the trees along the path. At the terminal we were offered a new flight saving us an hours wait and were soon admiring the mountainous scenery as we flew south. On landing at Christchurch we rang the car hire company, who took us to their offices, picking up our car for the week, a Ford Focus. We saw more great NZ birds, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Feral Pigeon and Starling whilst heading south towards Akaroa. Eventually at Halswell things improved with six SPUR-WINGED PLOVERS and two AUSTRALIAN MAGPIES (far more attractive and musical than ours). Arriving by Lake Ellesmere we parked up in a layby and got ourselves sorted out with cooler clothing and birding gear. Here there were nine lifers in as many minutes - two BLACK-BACKED GULLS (KELP GULL), two AUSTRALASIAN HARRIERS, 300+ BLACK SWANS, five PARADISE SHELDUCKS, 100+ PIED STILTS, 6+ WELCOME SWALLOWS (very similar to ours), two WHITE-FACED HERONS, 1+ GREY DUCK and 30+ GREY TEAL. Interspersed with all of these new species were more familiar birds such as Canada Geese, Great Cormorants (known here as Black Shag), Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Lesser Redpoll and Skylark. Also seen were six Pukekos (Purple Swamphens, same as the European species), a huge Caspian Tern and a Weasel ran across the road. We drove onwards towards Akaroa and it didn't take too long to realise that most birds seen whilst travelling were either familiar British species or Harriers and Magpies. We stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the picturesque Akaroa to buy water. Here there was a NEW ZEALAND COMMON BLUE butterfly. Carrying on the road a saw a NEW ZEALAND PIGEON (Kereru), a large handsome green and white pigeon) and a delicately coloured SACRED KINGFISHER. 

On arriving at Akaroa we immediately booked for the next harbour cruise and then ticked off 20+ RED-BILLED GULLS, a SOUTH ISLAND PIED OYSTERCATCHER and four VARIABLE OYSTERCATCHERS, which weren't variable at all, they were all black. In fact all of the Variable Oystercatchers we saw throughout NZ were all blacks, quite appropriate really. We ate a light lunch in a harbourside café before joining the 'Black Cat' for the Harbour Cruise. The target species were WHITE-FLIPPERED PENGUINS and HECTOR'S DOLPHINS (pic below), both rare and generally this was the only way to connect. This penguin is a subspecies of Little Penguin although there is a case for it being split. We set sail into a wonderfully hot afternoon with blue skies but with a stiff breeze. The skipper explained how Akaroa was a town with English and French origins. We saw many SPOTTED SHAGS and a few WHITE-FRONTED TERNS on the way out, the latter looking very like our Sandwich Terns. Eventually we put into the mouth of a large cavern and there on the rocks was one tiny WHITE-FLIPPERED PENGUIN. It was our first wild penguin ever and was a memorable moment. As we moved out further we came across a small school of HECTOR'S DOLPHINS, which showed really well. On the return leg we saw a NORTHERN GIANT PETREL, half a dozen NEW ZEALAND FUR SEALS and five PIED SHAGS as well as another penguin and another dolphin. A successful afternoon. We returned to the car and started the long journey north to Kaikoura. The only new species on the trip were three LITTLE SHAGS at Lake Forsyth. We found the only traffic jam of the holiday in Christchurch in the rush hour, but generally other than camper vans traffic in the countryside was a novelty. We arrived at our destination mid-evening and drove along the front and selected pretty much the first motel we came to, and there were plenty to choose from. It was the Sierra Beachfront Motel and we paid NZ$120 (about £43) for the night. For that we got a kitchen/diner, shower and bathroom and a double bed of good standard. This was what we did on all the nights we were travelling, having only booked accommodation in Queenstown, Stewart Island and Tiritiri Matangi beforehand. We paid between NZ$85-140 per night (£30-£50), at the lower end we got a good standard room with all the facilities I've stated and at the upper end you generally could get a hot tub (spa pool). The next thing we learnt about NZ is that outside the cities the towns are closed by 9pm. Venturing out at about 8pm each restaurant we came to had finished serving, however the kind owner of the Aroma Café took pity on us and said he could rustle us up a plate of fish and chips and a glass of red wine for about ten bucks each (£3.50). It had never tasted better at the end of a very long day.

Hector's Dolphins

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Spur-winged Plover, Australian Magpie, Black-backed Gull (Kelp Gull), Australasian Harrier, Black Swan, Skylark, Greenfinch, Paradise Shelduck, Pied Stilt, Welcome Swallow, Black Shag (Great Cormorant), White-faced Heron, Grey Duck, Grey Teal, Pukeko (Purple Swamphen), Lesser Redpoll, Caspian Tern, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, New Zealand Pigeon (Kereru), Sacred Kingfisher, Chaffinch, Red-billed Gull, South Island Pied Oystercatcher, Variable Oystercatcher, Spotted Shag, White-fronted Tern, White-flippered Penguin, Northern Giant Petrel, Pied Shag, White Egret (Great White Egret), Little Shag.

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Weasel, New Zealand Common Blue, Hector's Dolphin, New Zealand Fur Seal, Brown Hare, Large White.

 

DAY 5 - Wed 14th January 2009

Weather : Hot and sunny

Miles travelled : Kaikoura-Amberley 83/Total miles 12805

 

I had been looking forward to this day for a long time, just how good it was going to be I hadn't quite realised. I got up early and wandered out onto the beach. 16 Pied Shags had roosted in the pines beside the ocean, Magpie Moths were everywhere along the beach on patches of vegetation and 50+ Red-billed Gulls were cleaning the beach of any scraps left from the previous day. The owners of the motel were helpful in agreeing to store our luggage for the day rather than leave it in the car. We drove the short distance along the prom to Albatross Encounters, checked in and had a light snack whilst we waited to be picked up. We were taken by minibus, along with another English couple, to the waiting boat by our skipper Alistair. We climbed aboard the boat and were launched by tractor. With just four of us on the boat plus Alistair it made for a very comfortable trip. We headed out into the open sea at speed, but Alistair promised to stop if there was anything really interesting. He told us not to worry if we sped past Albatrosses because we were about to get up close and personal. He did slow as we passed a couple of HUTTON'S SHEARWATERS, which he told us nested in the mountains that were the background to Kaikoura. Soon we were in open water and Alistair launched his secret weapon, a frozen block of fish livers in a plastic net cage. Within minutes the birds began to arrive from all points of the compass. First it was a few gulls, Red-billed and Black-backed, but then looming large on a massive wingspan was a WANDERING ALBATROSS, which landed on the water and within seconds was in touching distance off the back of the boat, tearing into the fish livers with its huge bill. Other birds began to arrive and we didn't know where to look first. It was amazing - I've been on a lot of pelagics before, but I've never seen birds practically climbing into the back of the boat. The all dark large WESTLAND PETRELS arrived together with three Northern Giant Petrels. More Albatrosses flew in, first SALVIN'S ALBATROSS then ROYAL ALBATROSS. Then the tiny CAPE PETRELS darted amongst these huge birds daring to grab a morsel. A FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER flew past, not stopping, as did more HUTTON'S SHEARWATERS. A WHITE-CHINNED PETREL flew in, told apart from the WESTLAND PETRELS because they have dark tips to their bill but White-chinned doesn't. A Sooty Shearwater went past and two BLACK-BILLED GULLS arrived, so we now had representatives of all three of New Zealand's gull species around the boat. We moved on to a different area and attracted more or less a similar crowd although a single WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS arrived. We had now seen at least 15 Albatrosses of four species. The WANDERING ALBATROSSES always ruled the roost though and were very greedy. An excellent couple of hours spent with the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic Alistair. On the way back we saw a couple of LITTLE PENGUINS near to the boat. At the harbour there was a Monarch butterfly. 

              

Wandering Albatross (L) & Salvin's Albatross (R)

          

White-chinned Petrel (L) & Free For All (R)

 

We had been told there was a New Zealand Fur Seal colony at the far end of Kaikoura so we drove there after our trip. There were at least six very close to the car park. We could not have hoped for better views. On the beach was a good collection of waders - 15 Ruddy Turnstones, two South Island Pied Oystercatchers, a Variable Oystercatcher and lastly a BANDED DOTTEREL, which was a life tick. We spent some time taking photographs, but I couldn't digiscope the birds because I had found that I had lost the threaded spacer out of the bottom of my scope so I couldn't connect it to the tripod. We had lunch at a beach barbecue where we had crayfish patties and rice. Very nice! A YELLOW ADMIRAL here was a new butterfly for me. Then we tried all the photo shops (both) and a hardware store and a garage for the bit for my scope to no avail. I thought that was it for using the scope for the holiday, but when we unloaded that night I found the missing part in the boot!

New Zealand Fur Seal

 

In the afternoon we were booked on a Whale Watch boat. It was very lumpy at sea and they had a policy of keeping everyone inside in their seats until a whale was spotted and then the doors were open. That said however, we did see three SPERM WHALES, which was very special, especially when they dived and waved their fluke at us on the way down. We also saw a BULLER'S ALBATROSS, our fifth species of the day, two ROYAL ALBATROSSES, a WANDERING ALBATROSS, a Northern Giant Petrel, a Westland Petrel and a Cape Petrel as well as commoner seabirds. We also encountered a small school of DUSKY DOLPHINS and passed a large NZ Fur Seal colony. When we landed, to keep on course with our planned schedule, we decided we needed to drive back as near to Christchurch as we could manage. So we drove until 9pm then deciding we had better check in somewhere whilst we were still able. We stopped at the Delhaven Motel at Amberley (NZ$85) and fell into bed exhausted.

       

Sperm Whale (L) & Dusky Dolphin (R)

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Hutton's Shearwater, Wandering Albatross, Westland Petrel, Salvin's Albatross, Royal Albatross, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Cape Petrel, White-chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Black-billed Gull, White-capped Albatross, Little Penguin, Ruddy Turnstone, Banded Dotterel, Buller's Albatross.

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Magpie Moth, Monarch, Yellow Admiral, European Rabbit, Sperm Whale, Dusky Dolphin.

 

DAY 6 – Thu 15th January 2009 

Weather : Hot and sunny

Miles travelled : Amberley-Hokitika 159/Total miles 12964

 

I woke early as usual and was soon outside on the patio with a cup of coffee. Amongst all the familiar British birdsong, I could detect something I didn’t recognise. I soon tracked down the call and found a small party of five SILVEREYES in the treetops together with a family of five Goldfinches. Not bad starting the day with a new bird. Then we went to Spoons café in the village and had a huge Full Monty breakfast, which set us up for the day. We had another long drive ahead of us today aiming to cross the country via Arthur’s Pass to the west coast and then get some way towards Franz Josef. It was a very scenic drive as we began to climb. Beside the ubiquitous Harriers and Magpies, birds that were more notable included 33 Spur-winged Plovers at Cust, 60 Black-backed Gulls at Oxford and a Sacred Kingfisher at Springfield. Our first stop in the mountain was at a Lake Lyndon on the West Coast Road (73). Lake Lyndon had a good assortment of birds including eight Paradise Shelducks, five Pied Stilts, three South Island Pied Oystercatchers, two very noisy Spur-winged Plovers and a family of Banded Dotterels (2 ad, 2 juvs). Also we found many cocoon-like structures of the Nursery Web Spider, which were nurseries for young spiderlings, although we never once saw a spider with them. Our next stop a little further on was at Castle Hill Station, which had some unique rock formations. There were also 10+ SOUTHERN BLUE butterflies here. A little further still and we came to the brilliant blue Lake Pearson, which was a known site for Australasian Crested Grebe (the same species as our Great Crested) and it didn’t disappoint with an adult and a juvenile on the lake but distant. Also here were 6+ COMMON COPPER butterflies. As we approached Arthur’s Pass four BLACK-FRONTED TERNS were seen along the braided river valley, including one carrying food. A little further along we stopped at the Visitor Centre. In the car park was a KEA, an attractive greenish parrot, which is the scourge of rubber car seals. 

Kea

 

We went into the Visitor Centre to get some information. I was particularly interested in finding South Island Rock Wren. The Warden said they were being seen at Otira Valley and one or two other less accessible spots, although she hadn’t had any luck. We drove on down towards the Otira Valley but it soon became apparent that we had overshot. We stopped at Rocky Creek Bridge, where the first TUI of the holiday was calling noisily high up on the bank and eventually showed in flight. We retraced our steps and stopped at Otira Gorge where I found a male NEW ZEALAND BELLBIRD, another lifer and a KEA decided to try to remove our rubber seals. A little further up we found the start of the Otira Valley walk, the sign was hidden from the road going down. We began a long hot walk towards the top. A MOUNTAIN GIANT DRAGONFLY landed on Bridgette carrying its lunch, affording an excellent photo opportunity. The valley was quite birdless apart from a couple of Redpolls. 

Mountain Giant Dragonfly (Uropetala chiltoni)

 

At a bridge across the stream, which descended the valley we stopped as the path more or less ran out. I decided to go on for a bit longer across the scree and rocks, a difficult upwards descent. The stream had been known to have Blue Ducks apparently, but not today, and a descending mountain walker, better equipped than I said there were Rock Wrens further up (well he actually said tiny green birds with no tail). That was good enough for me and I pressed on further. It was a stupid idea though without water and proper gear so I eventually gave up, feeling worse for the heat. All I saw up there was another KEA, and he sounded like he was laughing at me, and a couple of BLACK MOUNTAIN RINGLET butterflies. Descending the valley on foot took another hour. In the car again we pressed on southwards eventually deciding to stop at Hokitika. We stayed at the comfortable Jade Motor Court Lodge (NZ$115) and after receiving a discount voucher from the lodge owner for Stumpers restaurant, we had a very nice meal there.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Silvereye, Black-fronted Tern, Kea, Tui, New Zealand Bellbird

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Southern Blue, Common Copper, Bush Giant Dragonfly, Black Mountain Ringlet

 

DAY 7 – Fri 16th January 2009 

Weather : Hot and sunny

Miles travelled : Hokitika-Franz Josef 85/Total miles 13049

 

I got up early and decided to investigate some Sewage Oxidation ponds at Houhou, just about a mile outside the town that we had passed on the way in. They held a good selection of wildfowl including two CAPE BARREN GEESE, an introduced species, five Grey Ducks, 25 Black Swans, 160+ Mallards and a Pukeko. 

Cape Barren Geese

 

Driving out of the town the other way I came across the Mananui Bush Walk. This was a walk through some native bush down to the beach. The first bird was a singing Chaffinch, very exotic! However I soon found a NEW ZEALAND FANTAIL, which came to investigate me, calling loudly and spreading its spectacular tail. I returned to the Lodge, we packed up and got back on the road. Today would be a shorter drive so we could take things more leisurely. We stopped at Lake Ianthe on the way. Three Australasian Crested Grebes were here and I found a GREY WARBLER in lakeside vegetation. A lifer and a little similar to our Chiffchaff. There were also two sorts of damselflies here, RED DAMSELFLY and BLUE DAMSELFLY. 

Blue Damselfly

 

We arrived at Franz Josef early afternoon and checked in with the helicopter company as we were due to be flying up onto Fox Glacier later that afternoon. The news wasn’t good and we were told they were not flying because of the cloud cover at the top, even though it was sunny at ground level. He said to keep checking back with them. We did but flights were eventually cancelled for the day and we were booked on the first flight on Saturday. We checked into the nearby Rata Grove Motel. We then drove out to the glacier to do the walk out to it. I found a couple of TOMTITS in the village before we left and another at the glacier. I was a pleasant walk out to the viewpoint and there was an endless centipede of walkers heading out across the riverbed. There were a couple of Keas here. However the cloud was worsening so we headed back to the motel. Around teatime it began to rain, I walked to the only supermarket and bought a hot cooked chicken and a nice bottle of wine and we settled in for the evening as the rain got heavier.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

New Zealand Fantail, Grey Warbler, Tomtit

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Red Damselfly, Blue Damselfly

 

DAY 8 – Sat 17th January 2009 

Weather : After torrential overnight rain becoming sunny but cloudy further south

Miles travelled : Franz Josef-Queenstown 221/Total miles 13270

 

During the night the rain was biblical. First thing we rang the helicopter company and found that all flights were cancelled for the day. I felt sorry for Bridgette because this was her treat and she had been looking forward to it. We felt with conditions as they were there was nothing for it but to hit the road southwards towards Queenstown. First we drove up the track to the Fox Glacier because we thought we would at least have a look at it. However the rain continued to pour so we sat in the car and waited. A bedraggled American tourist returning from the viewpoint, advised us it was not worth the soaking, the visibility is so bad you can’t see it. So resigning ourselves to missing Fox we pushed on and didn’t stop until we came to a Salmon Farm on the Paringa River. The rain was at last easing so we decided to stop for brunch. After some nice food we stepped outside into sunshine, the trees still dripping wet. We had a few birds around the car park including Tomtits, a Bellbird and a Pukeko. On we drove until I spotted some ducks on Lake Moeraki; it was a small group of ten NEW ZEALAND SCAUP, a lifer. Just a while further we came to a sign for Monro Beach. I had read in the 'Where To Watch Birds' book that this was a site for Fiordland Crested Penguin and although it was out of season we decided to take a look. Big Mistake! This is the haunt of NZ’s most evil creature – Sandflies aka The Devil’s Spawn. I had heard about them and dismissed it as I rarely get bitten and they were only tiny – a Kiwi told me they only go for ‘sweet meat and virgins’ so I should have been safe on both counts. The hour walk through the rainforest to the beach wasn’t too bad, but when we arrived at the beach it all went a bit wrong. First there were no penguins, second, the unpredictable flowing tide swamped both of my feet filling both trainers and third a cloud of Sandflies latched on to me and I was eaten alive. Now a month on I still have scars from the bites. Only a few birds were seen in the forest notably Silvereyes, Fantails, NZ Pigeons, Tuis, Keas and a Tomtit. The only bird on the beach was a Variable Oystercatcher. We travelled onwards, me scratching furiously; then another stop to look at a waterfall called Roaring Billy resulted in me being enveloped in another cloud of Sandflies and worse they got in the car, so we spent the next ten miles swatting them. We drove on along the Haast highway, through Haast, past the pretty Lake Hawea, where there was another NZ Scaup, through Wanaka and then descending through Frankton to our home for the next week at Queenstown. We had booked a week with our timeshare company at Hotel St Moritz in Queenstown, even though we wouldn’t be there much. That night we dined in the first restaurant where we had to dress smart for dinner, overlooking mountains and Lake Wakatipu whilst watching the sun set. The food was wonderful.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

New Zealand Scaup

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Sandflies!

 

DAY 9 – Sun 18th January 2009 

Weather : Sunny and cloudy with late afternoon showers

Miles travelled : Queenstown-Mount Cook-Queenstown 346/Total miles 13616

 

I was out early as ever and wandered along the shore of Lake Wakatipu. There were 11 NZ Scaup, a pair of Australasian Crested Grebes and two Little Shags, an adult of the white-throated phase and a juvenile. A little further on I found a track leading to One Mile Powerhouse. As I walked up towards it a NEW ZEALAND FALCON came hunting through the trees before perching up still in view. I had always thought that NZ Falcon was more like a Kestrel, but it came through the trees twisting like a Goshawk and seemed much more Accipiter-like than Falco. Another welcome lifer that I just assumed I would see but in the event I only saw two on the entire trip. I returned to the hotel and we hatched a plan for the day. We decided to head for Mount Cook via Twizel. This would keep both of us happy because we could maybe get a flight up onto the Mount Cook glacier and near to Twizel was the home of the critically endangered BLACK STILT. We rang ahead and had no trouble booking flights. However it was a long trip with little time for stopping on the way. At Glentanner I insisted on stopping and we had reasonable views of six BLACK STILTS. With a world population of only a couple of hundred we felt incredibly privileged. Bridgette agreed we would stop for a proper look on the way back. We arrived at Mount Cook and were soon aboard a seven-seater helicopter heading up onto the glacier, where we landed for 15 minutes. Forgetting my sunglasses the brightness of the surroundings was almost blinding and it was surprisingly warm too, even though we were in deep snow. After photographs it was time to return to the airport, with a happier wife who had got her flight. The pilot said there were lots of Keas in Mount Cook village but we didn’t see any. We admired the scenery though, which was used as background for Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings. We returned to Glentanner this time stopping properly and walking down to the water’s edge where there were still six BLACK STILTS, four adults and two immatures together with two Pied Stilts. All very vocal and the adults especially looking stunning. Also around this area included three Black-fronted Terns, eight Grey Ducks, 11 NZ Scaup, 16 Paradise Shelducks, 20 South Island Pied Oystercatchers and three White-faced Herons. We retraced our route back to Queenstown both happy with the day we’d had. A pair of CALIFORNIA QUAIL were beside the road at Lake Dunstan, an introduced species.

       

Black Stilts (L & R)

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

New Zealand Falcon, Black Stilt, California Quail

 

DAY 10 – Mon 19th January 2009

Weather : Sunny and cloudy (cold with rain at the Homer Tunnel in the morning)

Miles travelled : Queenstown-Milford Sound-Queenstown 360/Total miles 13976

 

Today we had decided to go to Milford Sound, only a short trip as the crow flies, but unfortunately not being crows we had to take the road around which took about three hours. We spent most of the journey seeing Australasian Harriers, watching the increasingly dramatic scenery and taking it in turns to doze (whilst the other drove). Our first stop was in the Eglington Valley in Fiordland National Park, where I had a couple of quick unsuccessful checks of the river for Blue Ducks. I later learnt that they hadn’t been around there for quite a while. Stopping at the Homer Tunnel, I knew this was my remaining shot at South Island Rock Wren. It was cold and raining here and I drew a blank searching for the Wren. We passed through the Homer Tunnel having fended off the car-eating Keas. The tunnel was interesting in that the walls and roof appeared to be just rough hewn rock and was quite narrow with occasional passing places. It was traffic-light controlled but between 6pm and 6am they were switched off and it was Good Luck with that people! We emerged the other side and descended into Milford Sound, which amounts to a café/bar and few small houses and a Visitor Centre/Harbour. Walking down to the harbour I found three BROWN CREEPERS (or Pipipi) in the trees. We booked on a cruise around the Sound and only had a short time to wait before departure. It was an interesting cruise with dramatic scenery but not much in the way of wildlife. It was amazing that the sun was shining as this is one of the wettest places on Earth and they announced they did not usually go more than four days without rain. There were many waterfalls including the huge Stirling Falls, with its 146 metre drop, which they stuck the prow of the boat under. Bridgette got soaked through but I had the good sense to stand behind a tall German kid who took the full force of it and made an excellent umbrella. Notable sightings were 50+ White-fronted Terns and 50+ NZ Fur Seals. We left Milford Sound after dining on some excellent lamb in the café and ascended the road  towards the Homer Tunnel. We stopped about half way up at The Chasm, where a raging torrent cut through the rocks. I was more interested in exploring the ancient moss covered trees however and was rewarded when I found a family of RIFLEMAN, two adults and two juveniles. It's a tiny pale green bird about the size of a Goldcrest with a slightly uptilted bill. Then it was back through the tunnel where it was now sunny. I wanted to give the Rock Wren a final go and Bridgette was happy to photograph Keas whilst I probably dipped again. I went back up the mountain walk until I got to the loop and I swore I heard a faint call. I pished in that direction and a ROCK WREN popped up on a rock right in front of me. I got a quick look at it and it dropped into the gorse. I pished again and it popped back up and I got a further view before it dived into cover. Fed up with this game it didn’t come back a third time, but I didn’t care, I was pretty elated to have nailed such a difficult bird. I went back to the car and we headed for home. We made a quick stop at Cascade Creek where I heard lots of birds but only saw one RIFLEMAN. A little further on a dark BRUSH-TAIL POSSUM was beside the road. It was nice to see a live version of New Zealand’s most hated introduced mammal as we had seen dozens as roadkill.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Brown Creeper (Pipipi), Rifleman, South Island Rock Wren

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Brush-tail Possum


DAY 11 – Tue 20th January 2009
Weather : Cloudy with sunshine and showers, some heavy

Miles travelled : Queenstown-Oban, Stewart Island 158/Total miles 14134

 

Today we were heading down to Stewart Island for two days. We spent the morning looking around Queenstown and doing a bit of shopping. On the quay were 100+ Black-billed Gulls with 26+ NZ Scaup on the water and a NZ Falcon soared over the town.
We left late morning to drive to Invercargill where we were due to catch our flight to Stewart Island. On the way down 30+ Blackbirds and 30+ Song Thrushes were in the same field at Kotahi Farm, showing how well our familiar species are doing in New Zealand. We had time before our flight to stop at the Bushy Point Reserve south-west of Invercargill run by Ian and Jenny Gamble, which is home to many FERNBIRDS. When we arrived there it didn’t seem promising – the sign said “Sorry we are closed”. I thought as we’d come all that way I’d ask when they would be open. Ian met me and I asked the question. He replied “When would you like us to be open?” I said “How about now?” and he said “OK”. Then he stopped me in my tracks by saying “You’re Mike, the Gloster Birder chap aren’t you”. It turned out he knew because he’d just received a letter from Pam and Frank Bryant, who had visited a month earlier. They said we might call in and I was wearing a Gloucester cap and he put two and two together. We set off with Ian and Jenny and their corgi (an ace Fernbird finder apparently) along the boardwalks. It hadn’t long stopped raining and we were very lucky to see up to six FERNBIRDS at very close range, which seemed energised by the recent rain. Ian and Jenny have done a fine job here restoring the surrounding forest to being all native plants and trees, building an excellent boardwalk and clearing out all the predators.

Fernbird

 

Saying our goodbyes we travelled to Invercargill Airport in under ten minutes. For the second time that day I was identified, when the check-in clerk said “You’re Mike and Bridgette”. This was getting spooky, but we were the last two passengers for the plane so he guessed. He told us it wouldn’t be long and he would call us, so we went to the café for a light lunch. Then the same guy put out a tannoy call for our flight, we went to the gate and he met us there, he led us to the plane and then he got in the pilot’s seat! Talk about a one man band. It was a small six-seater Piper Cherokee and it was the first time I had got into a plane by climbing over the wing. The short flight across, landing on the runway on top of Stewart Island, was soon over and were taken to Oban. We were booked into the South Sea Hotel, staying in one of its self-contained units, which were very comfortable. An added bonus as we arrived was a NEW ZEALAND KAKA, a large colourful parrot, on the balcony outside our room. We dumped our gear and went for a wander around the town, which didn’t take long. Stopping in the Visitor Centre we booked for a trip to Ulva Island with Peter Tait of Sails Ashore the next day. I also tried to get on a fishing/birding trip the following morning but it was fully booked, if I had known about them earlier I would have booked ahead. We rang Phillip Smith ahead to confirm that the Kiwi Trip we had booked for that evening was going ahead.

New Zealand Kaka

 

Returning to the hotel for dinner we dined on the famed Stewart Island Blue Cod, which was excellent. At 8:30pm we walked to the quay and met with Phillip at his boat along with the other 12 tour participants. Setting sail we soon started to see a few birds, there were 13 STEWART ISLAND SHAGS on rocks, we also started to see lots of Little Penguins, I counted 37, 10+ Sooty Shearwaters went by, as did an unidentified Albatross species (probably Buller’s) and a single AUSTRALASIAN GANNET. Also seen were 50+ White-fronted Terns, 10+ Black-backed Gulls and 6+ Red-billed Gulls. We arrived at Ocean Bay and Phillip issued everyone with a torch and briefed us as to what we should know and do. First we were landed six at a time in a Zodiac in dimming light like an SAS troop. Phillip led us into the forest we would have to negotiate to get to the beach the other side where Kiwis fed. We had not gone very far when Phillip held his hand up, two male SOUTHERN BROWN KIWIS (Tokoeka) were calling unseen, but better than that just a few feet away a female was feeding. We watched her excitedly when suddenly she pointed her beak to the sky (like a Bittern) and let out a grating Marge Simpsonesque growl. It was amazing; Phillip later said that in 18 years it was only the third time a female had been seen calling like that, and one of the other times was with Sir David Attenborough and his film crew. It was now raining quite hard but Phillip explained, this was rainforest and it wasn’t called that for no reason. A little further on, as I was at the head of the party with Phillip, I was lucky enough to see another large female KIWI run across the track but she kept going and Bridgette didn’t see her. When we reached the beach Phillip located another male and a female KIWI feeding on the beach. It was a shame the conditions were hampering photography (flash wasn’t allowed) but a nice moonlit night would have been great. Eventually it was time to return to the boat well satisfied with the trip. The Zodiac ride in pitch dark was interesting, although we were assured he’d never lost a birder, but several torches lay on the sea bed. Then it was hot drinks all around and Phillip pointed out the Southern Cross in a clearing sky. Finally in the boats lights on the return journey 3+ MOTTLED PETRELS were seen. We got to bed at around 1am

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :
Fernbird, New Zealand Kaka, Stewart Island Shag, Australasian Gannet, Southern Brown Kiwi (Tokoeka), Mottled Petrel

DAY 12 – Wed 21st January 2009
Weather : Sunshine and heavy showers, then heavy rain overnight

Miles travelled : Stewart Island 10/Total miles 14144

Today I got up before Bridgette and went for a wander around Oban. I walked up to Observation Rock, which gave great views in all directions, then down to Traill Park, probably the southernmost rugby ground in the world. At the back of the pitch I took the Raroa Walk through the forest to Thule Bay, then went back to the hotel for breakfast. I saw a lot of the usual suspects but notably eight Kakas, a female Bellbird and the first of many Tuis and three unidentified parakeets flew over (probably Red-crowned). After breakfast we decided to take the long walk out to the lighthouse at Ackers Point. Along the beach we saw a couple of family parties of Variable Oystercatchers and as we reached the tree-lined walk seven Brown Creepers (Pipipis), including two adults with two juveniles. The walk wasn't as rewarding as we hoped and was quite a stiff challenge in places. However near the lighthouse I saw my first RED-CROWNED PARAKEETS (Kakarikis) and off the point we saw four Buller's Albatrosses following the fishing boats along with an immature Australasian Gannet and a couple of White-fronted Terns and 14 Stewart Island Shags. 

       

Variable Oystercatcher (L) & Tui (R)

 

We returned to the hotel, where there were at least another eight Kakas around the area outside our room. We were picked up by Iris Tait of Sails Ashore for our guided trip. She took us to the jetty to join Peter on his boat and sailed the short distance to Ulva Island. Peter was very knowledgeable and engaging and gave us a brilliant tour. I told him what I wanted to see and he promised to do his best. His best was brilliant and he sorted out all five of my target species WEKA, NEW ZEALAND ROBIN, SADDLEBACK, YELLOWHEAD and YELLOW-CROWNED PARAKEET. We invested quite a bit of time in tracking down a singing YELLOWHEAD, which I was really pleased with as it was the only one we saw anywhere and I didn't have another site. In addition Peter showed us some fabulous trees and plants including the forest of Rimu, Miro, Totara and Rata trees and Lady's Slipper Orchid (different to ours), Black (or Potato) Orchid and one or two others I can't remember; and also a plethora of mosses, lichens and ferns including Umbrella Moss. He also kept us entertained with Ulva's history and interesting tales (some taller than others). Other birds seen included a pair of nesting Red-crowned Parakeets beside the quay, Tomtit, Fantails, Brown Creeper and five Little Penguins on the return trip. A brilliant trip and worth every cent. Returning to the hotel we had a nice relaxing meal and a good nights sleep because our flight off was at 8am.

Weka

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Red-crowned Parakeet, Weka, New Zealand Robin, Saddleback, Yellowhead, Yellow-crowned Parakeet

 

DAY 13 – Thu 22nd January 2009
Weather : Rain in the south improving to the north, hot and sunny at Otago

Miles travelled : Stewart Island-Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula-Queenstown 446/Total miles 14590

Two Kakas were waiting for us on the balcony as we checked out. We caught the minibus up to the airfield, where there were four Spur-winged Plovers, and caught a larger Britten Norman Islander plane back to Invercargill. We hadn't made a plan so we got the atlas out and made an ambitious one. It would end up being a 400 mile road trip. We decided to head for the Otago peninsula where we knew we could find more penguins. Our first stop was at Roaring Bay, which was a Yellow-eyed Penguin site, but not in the morning. Ten NZ Fur Seals loafed on the rocks and a constant stream of Sooty Shearwaters crossed the end of the bay; I counted 100+ whilst we were there. Also here were two COMMON COPPERS and a NEW ZEALAND RED ADMIRAL. Then we went to nearby Nugget Point and walked out to the lighthouse. On an island just offshore was a colony of about 30 ROYAL SPOONBILLS including a few young in the nests. On the rocks below were about 100 NZ Fur Seals with pups. Birds seen from the lighthouse included an Australasian Gannet, an Albatross sp, 20+ Spotted Shags and 20+ Sooty Shearwaters.

Common Copper

 

We returned to the car and headed towards Dunedin. Our next stop was at Sandfly Bay another penguin site, but again we were too early, however this was also a site for HOOKER'S SEALIONS. There was a warning not to get between them and the sea and cut off their exit. It was a very steep sand dune descent to the beach, which was very tough coming back up in 30˚ heat. There were 11 Pied Stilts and two pairs of Variable Oystercatchers, one pair with a chick at the bottom. The first HOOKER'S SEALIONS we saw were buried in the sand to keep cool, but further along we saw more at the water's edge and digging holes to bury themselves in. One enterprising Sealion hijacked some kids sandcastle and lay in the moat, which saved him digging his own hole. They were fabulous to see.

       

Hooker's Sealions

       

We decided the only way we were going to see Yellow-eyed Penguins was to go to Penguin Place near Portobello. We didn't get there until 6:30pm, but managed to book on the last tour of the day at 6:45pm. We were told that it was the best tour because that's when the penguins come ashore. I mentioned about Sandfly Bay and the warden said that there were only a couple of pairs left there (we had seen footprints leading into the dunes). I also suggested that it was called Sandfly Bay to keep the grockles (tourists) away, but there wasn't a Sandfly in sight, it was beautiful. He said that it was called Sandfly Bay because when the wind blows the sand flies.

We caught the bus out to where the tour started led by a warden. It did feel a bit contrived but all the penguins were wild and came here because they wanted to. Even as we looked down over the site from the top I could see at least six YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS coming up the beach from the sea. We started on the walk and were soon shown a YELLOW-EYED PENGUIN at close quarters laying claim to new high ground for the next breeding season. All of the YEPs were banded here because they are such rare birds enabling the wardens to identify and study them. On our guided tour we had close views of nine adult YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS and three chicks. We also saw two Little Penguin chicks in boxes.

       

Yellow-eyed Penguins

 

When we got back to the Centre it was about 8:30pm and we had about 200 miles to get back to Queenstown. It was a long old drive, which we shared, stopping at KFC in Dunedin for some "food" and stopping again in the middle of nowhere to look at a fabulous sky with the Southern Cross prominent. I still hadn't even heard a Morepork and was beginning to wonder if I would. The only wildlife of note was a Brush-tail Possum at Lawrence. We got back to our Queenstown hotel at about 1am and fell into bed shattered.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Yellow-eyed Penguin

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

New Zealand Red Admiral, Hooker's Sealion

 

DAY 14 – Fri 23rd January 2009
Weather : Hot and sunny

Miles travelled : Queenstown-Wellington-Turangi 619/Total miles 15209

Today was a travelling day, we were off to North Island. We flew out of Queenstown at around lunchtime on an ATR72-500 to Wellington. Then we flew on to Taupo in a smaller Beech 1900D. At Wellington airport I had bought a jade Maori pendant, which was supposed to keep you safe over water (with all the flights we were doing I figured it couldn't hurt), but in the event it was the bumpiest flight we had. A Kiwi lady told me it was always rough in and out of Wellington, take a look here. Damn! Anyway we did have great views of Mount Cook finally on South Island and also Mount Ruapehu on North Island. Six Spur-winged Plovers were on Taupo airfield. We picked up a new hire car and drove the short distance to Turangi and checked into Bridge Fisherman's Lodge for two nights. I kept up my record of a lifer a day with a pair of COMMON MYNAS outside the Lodge. In the evening we went for a walk along the river after dinner but saw nothing else new but were impressed with the deafening Cicada chorus.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Common Myna

 

DAY 15 – Sat 24th January 2009
Weather : Hot and sunny

Miles travelled : Turangi-Whakapapa-Raetihi-Turangi 113/Total miles 15322

As ever I got out early and headed along the river, after hearing from the Lodge owner that Blue Ducks were being seen here. Well they might have been but not by me. There were plenty of birds to look at though including 22 Silvereyes and a couple of Grey Warblers, both of which I managed to get a pic of, which was pleasing as they never seem to sit still. I also found lots of the Cicadas on pylons and on the bridge supports. They were CHORUS CICADAS. Also notable was a California Quail, only my second sighting. 

       

Chorus Cicada (L), Grey Warbler (C), Silvereye (R)

 

Today Bridgette wanted to explore Tongariro National Park and take in the scenery, notably of Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoa (Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings). I didn't mind this as with all the fast-running rivers in the park we were sure to find a Blue Duck or two, weren't we? We drove into the park and found The Crossing Café, and as we hadn't breakfasted we ordered cooked breakfast, Bridgette had the lighter choice and that was huge, whilst I had gone for The Full Monty, which had to be seen to be believed. It was wonderful though. Whilst here I got the only shot I had of Australasian Magpie, we always seemed to see them when we were driving. These birds are not corvids but members of the Bell Magpie family, with lovely fluty calls.

We drove up to Whakapapa Visitor Centre, where we were advised there were a pair of Blue Ducks behind the Holiday Camp. Not for us, or another Brit birder we met. We carried on up the mountain, stopping to take photos and looking for wildlife, which was a little thin on the ground at this height, but there were colourful NORTH ISLAND ALPINE GRASSHOPPERS here.

           

Australasian Magpie (L), North Island Alpine Grasshoppers (C) & (R)

 

When we arrived at the plateau below the summit of Mount Ruapehu we bought tickets for the cable car, which went up towards a café near to the summit in two stages.  To the left of us was a massive black, lifeless, rock-strewn slope, which was used as Mordor in Lord of the Rings. The views from the top were wonderful but the only sign of life was a butterfly. Descending again to the valley, with Bridgette’s mountain day fulfilled, we began to check the rivers for the fabled Whio (Blue Duck). First we stopped again at Whakapapa where the pair should have been but again they weren’t. I did find a family party of Rifleman here, two adults and two juveniles. One by one, river by river, I was failing miserably and several of these were nailed on spots with Blue Duck information boards. I decided that we should head for Ruatiti, stopping at every likely spot, which were many. Finally at 6:40pm, to mine and especially Bridgette’s relief I found a BLUE DUCK stood on a rock mid-stream on the Manganui-A-Te-Ao River. After five minutes I thought we could probably get better views if we drove down to the next bridge as we were looking down on to it from a fairly high cliff but when we got to the bridge it was gone. A Tomtit was beside the bridge. We also saw a pair of Californian Quail near where we had seen the duck. We headed back for Turangi, still checking the river as we went, stopping in a small town for fish and chips, and then again to watch the sun setting behind Mount Ruapehu.  

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Blue Duck

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Chorus Cicada, North Island Alpine Grasshopper

 

DAY 16 – Sun 25th January 2009
Weather : Hot and sunny   

Miles travelled : Turangi-Rotorua 78/Total miles 15400

 

                    New Zealand Scaup pair

I walked out from the Lodge early morning but saw only the usual suspects although a Californian Quail sat up a tree seemed bizarre. Today we were visiting a variety of volcanic sites whilst heading north towards Rotorua. I stopped to photograph a pair of obliging New Zealand Scaup in Taupo.

Our first stop was at Huka Falls, a spectacular raging torrent carved through a steep rock-sided gorge. Then we went to a place called Craters of the Moon (NZ$6 entry), which had a variety of steaming craters, sulphurous emissions and bubbling mud pools. Then we carried on towards Rotorua, where we had decided to overnight.

First we stopped at Sulphur Point Wildlife Reserve, which was very aptly named, the sulphurous stench caught in our throats but didn’t seem to deter the birds. On the milky waters and along its banks were c100 Black Swans, c300 New Zealand Scaup, 200+ Red-billed Gulls, together with a few chicks, 20+ Black-backed Gulls, c50 Little Shags,10 Black Shags (Great Cormorant) and a single Pukeko. At little further along and where the water was “normal” there was a small islet with nesting shags and gulls. Here I found two lifers, the first ten LITTLE BLACK SHAGS and a short distance from them a NEW ZEALAND DABCHICK. We drove around the town passing the impressive Rotorua Museum of Art and History, looking very English with people playing croquet on its front lawn in the sunshine. Then under the Prince's Gate archway, a stylised representation of a Crown, originally erected in honour of the visit in 1901 of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary), and back into town. We chose to stay at Wylie Court, which was very nice with a welcome hot tub (NZ$140). Once settled in we visited the nearby Te Puia, a Māori cultural centre, where we had a guided tour. There were geysers, hot springs and mud pools in the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley, working craft exhibitions, the Rotowhio Marae Maori meeting place and also a Kiwi House, which housed a pair of Brown Kiwis. In the evening we ate at our motel in Campbell’s Restaurant, where we had a very nice meal washed down with a fine Riverstone red wine.

       

Museum of Art & History (L) & Prince's Gate, Rotorua (R)

       

Sulphur Point Wildlife Reserve (L), Black Swan (R)

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Little Black Shag, New Zealand Dabchick

 

DAY 17 – Mon 26th January 2009
Weather : A cloudy start then hot and sunny  

Miles travelled : Rotorua-Miranda 120/Total miles 15520

 

We started our day with a visit to Wai-O-Tapu (Māori for “Sacred Waters”) (NZ$27.50) where we saw the guaranteed daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser at 10:15am. It would erupt anyway but an applied soap solution keeps it on time. The park is an active geothermal area just north of the Reporoa caldera in New Zealand's Taupo Volcanic Zone. We spent a good part of the day here and there were a few birds around notably three adult Pied Stilts and a chick, an adult and two juvenile Fantails and many Common Mynas.

Wai-O-Tapu Volcanic pool

 

After that we headed north for Miranda, world famous for it's shorebirds. Tomorrow I should have been booked on a Hauraki Gulf pelagic to try for New Zealand Storm Petrel, but I had received an e-mail from Chris Gaskin to say that it had been cancelled due to people dropping out. I called him and left my number in case things changed, but they didn't and he said our best bet was to book on a Whale & Dolphin Safari from Auckland. The drive to Miranda was notable only for ever-increasing numbers of Mynas and ubiquitous Harriers.

We stopped at the Miranda Shorebird Centre and I spoke to the warden about high tide time and what was about. The answers were 9pm and not much except 2200 Wrybills! We drove on to Kaiaua on the warden's recommendation, but couldn't find the guest house he mentioned so we checked in the Bay View Hotel there. We dined in the garden on some very nice Red Snapper and then set of towards Miranda for the high tide. 100+ Common Mynas were down on the road as we drove along. We parked at the Shorebird Centre, which in the event wasn't a great idea, as it was a 45 minute walk to the hide. When we got there the tide was pretty high but the light was poor. However there were still plenty of birds to see including 2500 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2000+ WRYBILLS, a much-wanted lifer, 10+ Banded Dotterels, ten NEW ZEALAND DOTTERELS, another lifer, 10+ Ruddy Turnstones, the third lifer of the evening two RED-NECKED STINTS and four Caspian Terns. The light went very quickly and we faced a walk back to the car in pitch darkness under a brilliant starlit sky. We returned to the hotel and spent an evening in the bar with the locals.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Bar-tailed Godwit, Wrybill, New Zealand Dotterel, Red-necked Stint

 

DAY 18 – Tue 27th January 2009
Weather : Cloudy am, showers early pm, hot and sunny later

Miles travelled : Miranda-Orewa 66/Total miles 15586


I awoke early and headed back to Miranda, this time parking in a lay-by with an information board, closer to the hide. As I approached the hide three Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were in a small pool to the left of it. From the hide there were 20+ Banded Dotterels, 6+ New Zealand Dotterels, 100+ Pied Stilts, two Variable Oystercatchers, 2000+ Wrybills, 15 Ruddy Turnstones, 10+ Knot and two Caspian Terns. I couldn't understand why I was alone in the hide at such a popular place but when I came out of the hide at 30 people were stood on the bank to the right. I spoke to the Voluntary Warden and found out she had emigrated here from Stroud, the town where I was born - Small World! Whilst talking I picked up a Little Tern flying by and she told me of a Buff-banded Rail with chicks at the Centre. Returning to the car I saw two Pacific Golden Plovers on a scrape. As I drove back towards the Centre there were four Royal Spoonbills to the left of the road in trees. 

       

Pied Stilts (L), Bar-tailed Godwits (R)

       

New Zealand Dotterel (L), Wrybill (R)

Wrybill

 

 

Buff-banded Rail

 

I stopped at the Shorebird Centre went to the little pond and almost immediately saw a BUFF-BANDED RAIL with a chick. I managed a couple of record shots as the adult sped across the mud before calling the chick to it. I returned to the hotel and picked up Bridgette and we set off for Auckland. Just along the road we stopped to look at ponds at Wharekawa where there

were 100+ Black Swans, 100+ Paradise Shelducks, four Pied Shags, a Little Shag and a pair of Grey Ducks. At Orere there was a Sacred Kingfisher. Further on at Kawakawa Bay there was a good selection of waders and six Caspian Terns. On wires here was a SPOTTED DOVE, an introduced species. Eight Pukekos were beside the road at Papakura.

Soon we could see the tell-tale Skytower of Auckland on the horizon with brave (brainless) souls bungying off the top. We found parking, and walked down to the Whale & Dolphin Safari offices and confirmed our booking. We ate a light lunch at the quayside and then joined the boat for the trip. The skipper gave us an overview of what we could expect to see and the usual safety information. However it was less strict than the Whale Safari at Kaikoura as we were able to go where we liked on the boat. We went and sat upstairs with the skipper as it seemed like a good idea when he would be the one, together with his observer, who would be finding the wildlife. He joked with me that he could always pick out the birders out by their bins. I explained about my cancelled pelagic and said he had seen NZ Storm Petrel but much further out than he usually went, so I resigned myself to not seeing it this trip. 

However we soon came to a mass of seabirds on the water. They were mainly Australasian Gannets (50+), BULLER'S SHEARWATERS (100+) and White-fronted Terns (50+). However amongst them were also 28+ WHITE-FACED STORM PETRELS and three FLUTTERING SHEARWATERS. We also saw 15+ BLACK PETRELS (Parkinson's), a couple of Flesh-footed Shearwaters and seven Arctic Skuas. As for cetaceans we came upon a small pod of 20+ Common Dolphins first, which raced alongside the boat and in front of the prow. Then the skipper spotted first of two BRYDE'S WHALES (pronounced Brewdus), which led us a merry dance trying to get close to them but eventually we gained good views. All in all a good trip with three new birds and a new mammal.

We returned to the city and ate at a nice restaurant where I had a dish made from Chicken Livers and was the best meal of the trip. 

       

Buller's Shearwater (L), Common Dolphins (R)

Bryde's Whale

Auckland Skyline

 

Leaving Auckland we pushed on north for tomorrow we were off to Tiritiri Matangi Island, we drove until we reached Orewa and booked into the first motel we found at around 8pm.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Knot, Little Tern, Pacific Golden Plover, Buff-banded Rail, Spotted Dove

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Common Dolphin, Bryde's Whale

 

DAY 19 – Wed 28th January 2009
Weather : Hot and sunny  

Miles travelled : Orewa-Tiri Tiri Matangi 32/Total miles 15618

 

Today we were off to Tiritiri Matangi Island, a trip we were really looking forward to. Tiri is a revegetated island, swept clean of pest species and 11 New Zealand endemic species translocated there. It is probably the only accessible site in New Zealand where you have a chance of seeing some of them. We had booked to stay at the bunkhouse for the night, something that needs to be done well in advance as it is very popular. We also arranged to hire some bedding at a cost of NZ$20. There are day trips but to have a chance of getting to grips with Little Spotted Kiwi you need to stay overnight. Ferries depart from both Gulf Harbour and downtown Auckland allowing 150 visitors per day to visit the island. The boat can be booked with the 360 Discovery website www.360discovery.co.nz.

We travelled from Gulf Harbour near Orewa. You have to take your own food with you in sealed rodent-proof containers so we stopped and bought some tinned tuna and other foods, which we put into Tupperware boxes. A Monarch butterfly was outside the shop. We left our car, with all our cases in the boot, at Gulf Harbour car park. We were told it would be safe as that the car park had 24 hour security. It wasn't ideal but everything was fine (and all our valuables went with us anyway).

On the crossing I saw an Arctic Skua, two Buller's Shearwaters and eight Fluttering Shearwaters. On landing we were given an information brief from the warden and those of us that were staying overnight were led off towards the bunkhouse. During the brief a SADDLEBACK was very distracting in the hedge behind us and eight Australasian Gannets flew over. On the steep walk up to the bunkhouse several Red-crowned Parakeets flew over and Bellbirds were everywhere. At the bunkhouse we got the guided tour, stowed our gear in Kokako Room and had an early lunch. 

       

Saddleback (L), Red-crowned Parakeet (R)

       

Bellbird (L), Pukeko (R)

 

Then we headed out towards the lighthouse. On the lawns behind the café were several Pukekos and three adult TAKAHE with a very large chick. It was amazing to see these endangered birds feeding so unconcernedly near to visitors. There are only c110-160 birds left so this population is hugely important. Behind the café we were delighted to find that there were a family of MOREPORKS (NZ's owl) an adult and two juveniles, in the trees behind the patio. We had excellent views.

       

Takahe (L), Takahe & chick (R)

 

Bridgette and I set off to walk around the island. It was very hot. We came across a WHITEHEAD, a fidgety little bird, which was difficult to photograph. Eventually we found ten. Along the track from here we saw Black-backed Gulls, Welcome Swallows, Common Mynas, New Zealand Robins and Fantails.

       

Morepork (L), Black-backed Gull (R)

 

A little further on we found a small family party of BROWN QUAIL, a species introduced to New Zealand in the 1860's. We decided to go back to the bunkhouse at about 3pm for a cup of tea. A Sacred Kingfisher perched briefly on the washing line. We asked about finding Brown Teal as we hadn't found any and had checked several ponds. We were pointed towards a pond we had missed. When we set out again all of the day visitors were heading for the 3:30pm boat. It was nice to be left on the island in peace with only about 20 people left. We soon found the pond we missed and there were a pair of BROWN TEAL.

       

Brown Quail (L), Brown Teal (R)

 

We walked back up from the pond and decided to head for the comparative shade of Wattle Track. We sat in the shade and watched the feeders where we were able to have close encounters with New Zealand Pigeons, New Zealand Robins, Tuis, Bellbirds, many STITCHBIRDS (Hihi) and best of the lot a beautiful KOKAKO.

 

     

Stitchbird (L), Kokako (R)

 

       

NZ Pigeon (L), NZ Robin (R)

 

We returned for an evening meal - a Backpackers Beef Teriyaki mixed with some Spag Bol left over by the other family staying, went down very well. We sat around and talked for an hour or so before our next sortie out. We set off down the Wharf Road towards Hobbs Beach hoping to see Little Penguins coming home for the night. A Fernbird was calling unseen by the Wharf pond. We waited on the beach until it was almost dark but didn't see any penguins. So we moved off up the Kawerau Track through the forest, which was very creepy in the dark, the huge twisted trees casting threatening silhouettes. Our first male LITTLE SPOTTED KIWI began calling but wasn't close, then we heard a second and then a third. We had our torches covered with red cellophane at the warden's request so we couldn't see very far ahead. We turned onto the Ridge Road Track back towards the lighthouse. I finally heard a MOREPORK calling its onomatopoeic call "More-Pork, More-Pork". At 10:15pm I felt something go over my foot. I told Bridgette and we swept the undergrowth with our torches, there just a few feet away sat still was a LITTLE SPOTTED KIWI. We had wonderful views and I tried to take a photo without flash but it didn't work. The Kiwi returned to feeding and moved off through the trees. Elated with this success we returned home to find the bunkhouse in darkness with everyone in bed. We fell into our bunks and were soon fast asleep.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Saddleback, Takahe, Morepork, Whitehead, Brown Quail, Brown Teal, Stitchbird (Hihi), Kokako, Little Spotted Kiwi

 

DAY 20 – Thu 29th January 2009
Weather : Hot and sunny  

Miles travelled : Tiritiri Matangi-Auckland-Hong Kong 5698/Total miles 21316

 

I was awake early as usual and gathering my kit up I was in the shower by 6:20am and left the still sleeping household by 7am. I walked down towards the Wharf pond and almost immediately stumbled upon another Kokako. I noted the colour ring combination for the researcher who was studying them and moved on. I arrived at the pond, sat and waited, I was hoping to see the Fernbird and possibly a SPOTLESS CRAKE. At 7:15am there it was, the elusive SPOTLESS CRAKE running along the back edge of the pond, before I had my camera ready. I managed one record shot and it was gone. I sat back and waited, then I packed the camera up and almost immediately the Crake reappeared at the back of the pond, a delicate little bird like a sooty Baillon's Crake. I noticed that the Saddleback near to me was tearing apart a Weta, a huge insect I had hoped to see, but not in pieces. Then the Fernbird started calling and I managed to get good views of it before returning for breakfast. I had cleaned up and seen every special bird on the island, what a result! 
I had breakfast with Bridgette and we set off to walk around the island again. We found a feeding station on the Kawerau Track that was inundated with Bellbirds and a few Stitchbirds. We saw almost all of the species again, enjoying the Takahe for a last time, but the Moreporks had gone missing. We visited the artificial Little Penguin nests and carefully looking through the covers could see the chicks inside. 

       

Spotless Crake (L), Little Penguin chick (R)

 

On the Wattle Track inside a purpose built box we were able to see two AUCKLAND TREE WETAS inside, huge scary insects which looked like they had come from "Men In Black". Eventually it was time to go and we caught the 3:30pm boat off of the island back to Gulf Harbour, but not before seeing a huge SHORT-TAIL STINGRAY below the quay. 

       

Short-tailed Stingray (L), 360 Discovery (R)

 

We needed to make our way back towards Auckland Airport for our midnight flight to Hong Kong, but I had one more bird I wanted to try for on the way. There had been reports of introduced Kookaburras at Waitakere so we went via there. Our luck was out but there were two Spotted Doves there. Our last bird before entering the airport was a Blackbird so we finished as we had begun with a familiar English species. 

We flew out on the Boeing 747-400 "Christchurch" at midnight Hong Kong bound.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Spotless Crake

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Auckland Tree Weta, Short-tail Stingray

 

DAY 21 – Fri 30th January 2009
Weather : Sunny and warm after a foggy start

Miles travelled : Hong Kong 50/Total miles 21366

 

We landed in Hong Kong at about 5:30am and for the first time ever it really felt like we were in a "foreign" country. Outside of the airport and hotel no-one spoke English. I had arranged to meet up with Mike Kilburn for the day who I had found on Bird Forum. I had arranged for him to take us birding for the day including Mai Po, but first we had to find him. It was far to early to ring him so we spoke to the help desk at the airport who arranged us a courtesy bus and spoke to the hotel in order that we could leave our cases for the day. We got to the hotel no problem and I asked the concierge to arrange a taxi for us (I had Mike's address in Chinese). He came back and said he had got us a taxi and the driver knew exactly where to go. No he didn't! Also he only had one word of Pidgin English "Solly", this was used every time he jumped out of his cab to ask passers-by the way. Eventually however he found Mike, more by luck than judgment when Mike spotted our lost cab outside. It cost us about HK$300, which was better than trying to do it by buses.

On the journey my first birds were Black Kites (of the Black-eared subspecies) and a pair of LARGE-BILLED CROWS in the middle of the road. Mike kindly gave us breakfast and the chance to freshen up and change. 

Mike suggested I might like to look in his garden where there were ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN, BLACK-COLLARED STARLINGS, Spotted Doves (the real McCoy), CRESTED BULBULS and a LONG-TAILED SHRIKE!

We set off up the Lam-Tsuen Valley, Mike's local patch, and just about everything was a tick, this being our first visit to Asia. We had COMMON TAILORBIRD, CRESTED MYNA, CHINESE BULBULS, a CHINESE BLACKBIRD (mandarinus) and a MASKED LAUGHINGTHRUSH. More familiar birds were Tree Sparrows, a male Siberian Stonechat, Dusky Warbler, Amur Wagtail (White-faced) and Grey Wagtail. Climbing the valley we added SCALY-BREASTED MUNIAS, a female DAURIAN REDSTART, a BLACK-THROATED LAUGHINGTHRUSH, a RUFOUS-CAPPED BABBLER and some JAPANESE WHITE-EYES. Then two huge CRESTED SERPENT EAGLES flew into view, absolutely magic! We ascended further and the birds kept coming - YELLOW-BELLIED PRINIA, ASHY DRONGO, ASIAN STUBTAIL WARBLER, a couple of metallic green FORK-TAILED SUNBIRDS (I wish they'd sat still) and three CHESTNUT BULBULS. At a small pond Mike pointed out an endemic HONG KONG NEWT. As we came back down I found a TAIGA FLYCATCHER out on the terraces and then Mike pointed out the first of four OLIVE-BACKED PIPITS, a huge bogey bird of mine. We also had three butterflies INDIAN CABBAGE WHITE, CHOCOLATE PANSY and COMMON LASCAR. 

Then it was time to go to Mai Po Marshes so Mike called a taxi (easy when you speak the lingo). We soon arrived there and Mike quickly sorted out our permits. Then we were on the reserve, a place I'd always wanted to visit. The first thing to strike us was the number of Great Cormorants, there were 1500+ on the first group of pools, Mike said they had 7000 here! New birds continued to be seen of course - a GREY-BACKED THRUSH (a bit like American Robin), an ASIAN AZURE-WINGED MAGPIE, Great Egrets, the first of many CHINESE POND HERONS, a WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER, PLAIN PRINIA, our own more familiar Common Kingfisher and WHITE-BREASTED WATERHEN. Then it was more like home with Magpies, Little Grebes and Little Egrets. Then we had more Dusky Warblers, another couple of LONG-TAILED SHRIKES, a Common Buzzard of the Eastern race japonicus, Moorhens, Yellow-browed Warblers, a Purple Heron (Mike said it was first of the year). Then came the bird of the day for me an absolutely stonking male DAURIAN REDSTART, just Wow! 

Then we came to "The Fence", a huge barbed wire topped fence separating Hong Kong from China and we went through the little gate set in it and into Chinese territory for the boardwalk out to Deep Bay lined with Black Mangroves.

The Fence, Mai Po

 

We arrived in the hide and Mike produced Cheese Doorsteps, which went down well. Unfortunately the tide wasn't very high today so the birds were distant. However we still managed to pick up an endangered SAUNDERS'S GULL amongst the Black-headed Gulls, a rare BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL, an Osprey, 10+ Little Ringed Plovers, a Curlew, a Redshank, 20+ Heuglin's Gulls, three Temminck's Stints, an INTERMEDIATE EGRET, an immature EASTERN MARSH HARRIER, a couple of Common Sandpipers, a Pacific Golden Plover, c100 Greenshanks, 20+ Eurasian Wigeon, 10+ Shovelers, 10+ Teal and four Avocets. Also all around the hide were MUDSKIPPERS and FIDDLER CRABS.

       

Intermediate Egret (L), Chinese Pond Heron (R)

 

Mudskippers

 

Returning to the Hong Kong side of the fence we approached a pool which had a good selection of ducks including a 30+ Tufted Ducks, 10+ Pintail and a Garganey. Two Eurasian Spoonbills  were sat on a spit with three BLACK-FACED SPOONBILLS and a Wood Sandpiper fed along the back edge. The best birds for me was a male EASTERN MARSH HARRIER and an IMPERIAL EAGLE. However Mike was getting all excited about a drake Mallard! Apparently the first record of a pure Mallard for about four years, Woohoo! Just as we were packing up there a COLLARED CROW flew through.

               

Eastern Marsh Harrier (L), Black-faced & Eurasian Spoonbills (R)

 

Imperial Eagle

 

We returned to the visitor centre and were able to pick out five ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVES amongst the many Spotted Doves. We also added to the holiday list Coot. On the walk back to the gate I was pleased to find an ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER. We decided to walk around the fish ponds rather than move to another site as evening was approaching. There was still time for more new birds - PIED KINGFISHER, ASIAN KOEL, 250+ SILKY (WHITE-SHOULDERED) STARLINGS, another OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT, a Green Sandpiper, a GREEN-HEADED WAGTAIL (taivana), a pair of Siberian Stonechats, two Fan-tailed Warblers, a Red-throated Pipit, two Swallows and last but not least 20+ HOUSE SWIFTS. Hundreds of Egrets were roosting on the telegraph wires towards dusk, which seemed quite bizarre.

Mai Po Fishponds, Egrets roosting

 

Mike summoned a taxi and came with us for some of the ride, then he got out and we said our goodbyes, and we went back to our hotel - the Novotel Citygate, which was very nice indeed. After a shower we went for a meal and some last minute shopping in the hotel's arcade. Then it was the end of our holiday which I ended with a glass of red wine gazing out over Hong Kong from the 18th floor. My only minor regrets here was missing Siberian Rubythroat, which we should have got really and being too early for Spoon-billed Sandpiper. It was an avian overload day and I can only thank Bridgette for her patience and stamina.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Black-eared Kite, Large-billed Crow, Oriental Magpie Robin, Black-collared Starling, Crested Bulbul, Long-tailed Shrike, Common Tailorbird, Crested Myna, Tree Sparrow, Chinese Bulbul, Siberian Stonechat, Scaly-breasted Munia, Dusky Warbler, Amur (White-faced) Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Chinese Blackbird, Masked Laughingthrush, Daurian Redstart, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Rufous-capped Babbler, Japanese White-eye, Crested Serpent Eagle, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Ashy Drongo, Asian Stubtail Warbler, Fork-tailed Sunbird, Chestnut Bulbul, Taiga Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit, Grey Heron, Grey-backed thrush, Asian Azure-winged Magpie, Chinese Pond Heron, White-throated Kingfisher, Plain Prinia, Common Kingfisher, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Egret, Magpie, Little Grebe, Common Buzzard (japonicus), Moorhen, Yellow-browed Warbler, Purple Heron, Little Ringed Plover, Saunders's Gull, Black-faced Spoonbill, Black-headed Gull, Osprey, Curlew, Redshank, Heuglin's Gull, Temminck's Stint, Intermediate Egret, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Eurasian Wigeon, Avocet, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pintail, Garganey, Imperial Eagle, Eurasian Spoonbill, Wood Sandpiper, Collared Crow, Oriental Turtle Dove, Coot, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Pied Kingfisher, Asian Koel, Silky (White-shouldered) Starling, Green Sandpiper, Green-headed Wagtail (taivana), Fan-tailed Warbler, Red-throated Pipit, Swallow, House Swift

 

NEW TRIP WILDLIFE:

Indian Cabbage White, Chocolate Pansy, Common Lascar, Hong Kong Newt, Mudskipper, Fiddler Crab

 

DAY 22 – Sat 31st January 2009
Weather : Sunny and cold

Miles travelled : Hong Kong-Heathrow-Quedgeley 6082/Total miles 27448

 

We arrived at the airport early for the flight back to London aboard New Zealand Airways Boeing 747-400 "Wellington". It was a very pleasant flight all in daylight during which we saw huge deserts and massive snow fields across China and Russia. We arrived on time to be greeted by my sister and brother-in-law at the end of a fabulous journey. I still managed to bump up the holiday list on the drive back with a few British species that New Zealand doesn't have including Red Kites and oddly a Green Woodpecker at Heathrow.

 

It was a brilliant world tour with so many highlights. I will remember it always. As ever I want to thank Bridgette for being a great birding companion and friend, all of the New Zealand people we met who were all warm, friendly and welcoming and Mike Kilburn for being such a good host in Hong Kong. Anyone requiring further info please contact me at the usual address.

 

NEW TRIP BIRDS (life ticks in red) :

Herring Gull, Green Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Red Kite, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Mute Swan, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull