There has been some talk about N.Z. lately, so I hereby post my travel
report. Also there are references to vital litterature below. Good luck
with your N.Z. trips! Please ask, if any specific questions, and let me
know what you saw and where!
/Teet
Uppsala, Sewden
New Zealand
----------------
28 december 1994 - 17 January 1995
Teet Sirotkin
54 of the 56 endemic birds were recorded. The total bird list includes 132
species.
Birds
-------
Brown kiwi 1 seen + 4+ heard on Little Barrier Island
Stewart island kiwi 2 males + 2 females seen on Ocean Beach, Stewart Island
Little spotted kiwi 2 males heard on Tiri Tiri
Great spotted kiwi 6 males + 2-3 females heard in Paparoa Range NP
Yellow-eyed penguin 2-3 on Taiaroa Head, 3 off Stewart Island
Blue penguin common on Stewart Island, fairly common in Marlborough &
Hauraki Gulf
(White-flippered penguin) 2 seen in Akaroa Harbour (a race of Blue
penguin)
Dabchick 2 ad + 2 juv in Lake Rotoiti
Southern crested grebe 7 in Lake Tekapo area
Wandering albatross 1 subad off Otago peninsula
Royal albatross 3 ad at Taiaroa Head (breeding) and 7 ad + 1 juv off Otago
Peninsula
Black-browed mollymawk 1 ad off Otago Peninsula, 1 off Stewart Island
Buller's mollymawk 1 ad off Otago Peninsula, 5 ad in Foveaux Strait
Shy mollymawk ca 40 off Otago Peninsula and 20 in Foveaux Strait
Northern giant petrel single juveniles in most waters, ca 30 off Otago
Peninsula
Cape pigeon 13 off Otago Peninsula, 5 off Stewart Island
Pycroft's petrel 2 identified in Little Barrier Island waters
Cook's petrel 1000+ in Little Barrier Island waters
Black petrel 7 in Little Barrier Island waters
Westland black petrel 2 off Munro Beach, probably 1 in Cook Strait
Fairy prion ca 50 in Foveaux Strait, ca 25 in Cook Strait
Flesh-footed shearwater ca 10 off Tiri Tiri, ca 20 in Little Barrier Island
waters
Buller's shearwater ca 500 off Tiri Tiri, 300+ in Little Barrier Island
waters
Sooty shearwater common north to Cook Strait, 10.000+ off Otago Peninsula
Fluttering shearwater common from Marlborough Sound and north, ca 500 in
Cook Strait
Hutton's shearwater 3000+ off Kaikoura
Little shearwater 2+1 in Little Barrier Island waters
White-faced storm petrel ca 8 in Little Barrier Island waters
Common diving petrel ca 100 in Foveaux Strait
Gannet singles in most waters
Black shag singles on South Island coast
Pied shag fairly common on most coasts
Little black shag singles
Little shag fairly common
King shag 3 in Pelorus Sound
Stewart Island shag 500+ off Otago Peninsula, 50 on Stewart Island
Spotted shag 100+ in Akaroa Harbour, 500+ off Otago Peninsula + singles
(Blue shag) ca 50 on Stewart Island (a race of spotted shag)
White-faced heron fairly common
Little egret 1 in Napier
Reef heron 1 in Kaikoura, 1 in Waipu Cove
Bittern 2 SW of Miranda
Royal spoonbill 1 N of Dunedin
Black swan common in most lakes, 500+ in Lake Ellsmere
Canada goose 500+ in Lake Ellsmere
Paradise shelduck common in most lakes
Mallard common in most lakes
Grey duck 20 in lake Tekapo, 50 at Waiwera sewage works, +singles
Grey teal 400 in Lake Ellsmere, 100 in Lake Tekapo, 20 in Miranda
Brown teal 3 on Tiri Tiri, 3 on Little Barrier Island
N.Z. Shovler 15 in Lake Tekapo, +singles
Blue duck 1 in Fiordland NP, 1 in Paparoa Range NP
Scaup 20 in Lake Tekapo, common in Urewera NP
Harrier common, ca 80 birds seen
Falcon 1 in Paparoa Range NP, 1 in Urewera NP, 1 in Pureora
Brown quail 4 in Rotoroa area, 5 on Tiri Tiri
Californian quail 10 Paparoa Range, 8 Havelock, 6 N Queenstown, 10
Waipu cove rubbish dump
Pheasant 1 SW of Miranda
Peafowl 1 in Akaroa
Turkey 5 in Urewera
Banded rail 3 in Miranda
Spotless crake 1 seen +1 heared on Tiri Tiri
Weka 2 on Ulva Island, 1+1+1 in Marlborough Sound
Takahe 1 male on Maud Island, 3+3+1 heard on Tiri Tiri
Pukeko fairly common, 30 SW of Miranda
Australasian coot 2 in Lake Tekapo, 1 in Pureora
S.I. pied oystercatcher common, 300 in Miranda, 300 in Manukau Harbour
Variable oystercatcher fairly common, 20 on Stewart Island
Pacific golden plover 37 in Manukau Harbour
Spur-winged plover common, 65 in a field N of Queenstown
Banded dotterel fairly common, 100+ in Lake Ellesmere, 50+ in Lake Tekapo
N.Z. Dotterel 2 in Miranda, 10 in Manukau Harbour, 10 in Waipu Cove, 6 in
Mangawhai
Wrybill 30 in Lake Tekapo, 10 Ahuriri river, 300 in Miranda, 500 in Manukau
Harbour
Far-eastern curlew 3 in Miranda, 3 in Manukau Harbour
Bar-tailed godwit fairly common, 2000+ in Miranda, 200 in Manukau Harbour
Wandering tattler 1 in Kaikoura
Siberian tattler 2 in Kaikoura
Turnstone 50 in Kaikoura, 10+ in Miranda, 30 in Manukau Harbour
Knot fairly common, 1000+ in Miranda, 500+ in Waipu Cove
Pectoral sandpiper 2 in Miranda
Sharp-tailed sandpiper 11 in Miranda
Curlew sandpiper 4 in Lake Ellesmere
Red-necked stint 3 in Miranda
Pied stilt common, 200+ in Lake Ellesmere, 200 in Miranda
Black stilt 1 hybrid in Lake Ellesmere, 1-2+1 juv in Lake Tekapo
Southern skua 2 off Stewart Island
Arctic skua 10 in Marlborough Strait, 5 in Cook Strait, +singles
Pomarine skua 1 ad in Cook Strait, 2 off Little Barrier Island
Black-backed gull common, 3000+ on Otago Peninsula
Black-billed gull fairly common on South Island, singles on North Island
Red-billed gull common, 1000+ on Otago Peninsula
Black-fronted tern 40 in Lake Tekapo, 10 in Ahuriri River, fairly
common in NW South Island
White-fronted tern fairly common, 200+ on Otago Peninsula, 200+ in
Waipu Cove
Caspian tern Singles on South Island, 2 off Little Barrier Island
Rock pigeon singles in urban areas
N.Z. pigeon singles, common on Stewart Island
Streptopelia sp. 1 in Oban, 3 in Christchurch area
Kaka fairly common on Stewart Island & Little Barrier Island. 5 in Pureora
Kea 15 in Fiordland NP
Eastern rosella 1 in Pureora, 2 in Wenderholm Park
Red-crowned parakeet 15+ on Stewart Island, 10 on Tiri Tiri, fc on LBI,
1 hybrid ? on Ulva Island
Yellow-crowned parakeet 20 in Pureora
Shining cuckoo 1 heard i Urewera, 1 in Pureora
Long-tailed cuckoo ca 7 singles heard/seen, + 8 on Little Barrier Island
Morepork 10 heard, 2 seen
Kingfisher singles, 15 in a small swampy area NW of Miranda
Rifleman 10 in Fiordland NP, 4 in Urewera, 6 in Pureora, 2 on Little
Barrier Island
Rock wren 1 pair feeding young at Homer tunnel
Skylark common
Welcome swallow fairly common-common
Pipit 10 singles
Hedge sparrow fairly common
Fernbird 2 at Lake Waihola
Brown creeper 7+ on Ulva Island, fairly common in Fiordland NP
Whitehead 3 in Urewera, 3 in Pureora, singles on Tiri Tiri, common on
Little Barrier Island
Yellowhead 2+2+2 in Fiordland NP
Grey warbler fairly common
Fantail singles
Robin 5 in Fiordland, 2 in Urewera, fairly common on Tiri Tiri & Little
Barrier Island
Tomtit fairly common on Stewart Island, Pureora, Tiri Tiri, Little Barrier
Island
Song thrush fairly common-common
Blackbird common
Silver-eye fairly common
Stitchbird 1 male+15 juv/female on Little Barrier Island
Bellbird fairly common-common
Tui fairly common-common
Yellowhammer fairly common-common
Cirl bunting 2 pairs in Kaikoura
Chaffinch fairly common-common
Greenfinch singles
Goldfinch fairly common
Redpoll fairly common-common
House sparrow common
Starling common
Myna common on North Island
Saddleback 20 on Tiri Tiri, 25 on Little Barrier Island
Kokako 1 in Pureora, 1 heard on Little Barrier Island
Magpie common, black-backed fairly common in Napier area
Rook 5 in Napier area
Dip Outs
-----------
Fiordland crested penguin Not a difficult species really, but all
birds seemed to have left their breeding grounds already.
Kakapo On Little Barrier Island we were able to see a wild, booming, bird
in real time on a TV monitor. This is probably as close as you can get to a
wild kakapo. Not good enough for a tick though...
Frogs & Reptiles
--------------------
[Hamiltons frog 1 seen in captivity on Maud Island]
Golden bell frog fairly common in Urewera
Whistling frog 5 at Lake Paringa, common in Paparoa Range NP
[Tuatara 2 in captivity on Little Barrier Island]
Egg-laying skink 1 on Little Barrier Island
Common skink 2-3 on Taiaroa Head, 3 off Stewart Island
Mammals
-----------
N.Z. long-tailed bat 1 on Little Barrier Island
Brush-tailed possum 5 on Stewart Island, 2 in Fiordland NP, 5 in
Paparoa Range NP, 4 in Havelock
Hedgehog 1 in Pureora, 1 SW of Miranda
Rabbit fairly common
Brown hare 1 in Pureora, 1 SW of Miranda
Polynesian rat 1 in Paparoa Range NP
Stoat 1 in Fiordland NP, 1 in Paparoa Range NP
[Feral ferret 1 roadkilled in Havelock]
Hooker´s sea-lion 1 on Otago Peninsula
N.Z. fur seal 100+ on Otago Peninsula, Stewart Island, Paparoa Range &
Kaikoura
False killer whale possibly 1 off Otago Peninsula
Bottlenose dolphin 1 in Milford Sound
Dusky dolphin 4+2 off Otago Peninsula
Hectors dolphin 10+ in Akaroa Harbour, 4+3+3+2 off South Island NW coast
Miscelaneous
----------------
[Giant weta 1 in captivity on Maud Island]
Litterature
------------
? Birds of N.Z. - Locality guide (Chambers) 1989
A must!
? New guide to the birds of N.Z. (Falla) 1978
NOT very new...
? Shorebirds (Hayman) 1986
? Seabirds (Hayman) 1985
? Handbook of Rare & Endangered N.Z. Birds (Gaze) Juni 1994
? A guide to birding in N.Z. (Harrop) 1992
? New Zealands Extinct Birds (Gill) 1991
? The Handbook of Australian N.Z. and Antarctic Birds (Marchant) 1991
? The N.Z. Birdwatchers' book (Ellis) 1987
? Black Robin Country (Cemmick & Veitch) ISBN 0 340 358111
? Kakapo Country (Cemmick & Veitch) 1987, ISBN 0 340 424850
? In search of BIRDS in N.Z. (McKenzie) ISBN 0 589 00443 3
? Collins Handguide to the Birds of N.Z. (Kelly) 1982
? Collins Handguide to the Frogs & Reptiles of N.Z. (Gill) 1986
? Collins Guide to the Mammals of N.Z. (Daniel & Baker) 1986
? Wild N.Z (Readers Digest) 1982
? Native N.Z. Flowering plants (Salmon)
? New Zealand, a travel survival kit (Wheeler) Mars 1994
? Mobil N.Z. Travel Guides (Pope) 1991
? Insight Guide - N.Z. (Lindblad) 1992
? A History of N.Z. (Sinclair) 1991.
? Road Atlas of New Zeeland (AA)
? Heinemann New Zealand Atlas (McKenzie) 1987.
Best atlas!
Some of the books are surely out of print. Your best bet is:
Natural History Book Service Ltd (UK)
E-mail:
This is info from 1994. There are some new books, amongst others a new
field guide. Check out NHBS homepage.
Teet Sirotkin
Öfre Slottsgatan 19A
S-753 12 Uppsala
SWEDEN
018 - 12 15 42
0705 - 55 76 56
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