Hello all,
I've finally finished my New Zealand section of my website
(www.wildlifing.com). In this final part I cover my visit to Tiritiri
Matangi Island (off the east coast of the North Island) and the Mt Bruce
National Wildlife Centre (southern end of the North Island). Tiritiri is
a wonderful place that has been mentioned on birding-aus before I'm
sure. The place is throbbing with endangered birds like the Saddleback,
Stitchbird, Kaka, Kokako and Takahe. Other birds that are easy to see
include Kakariki, Whitehead, Fantail, Grey Warbler, Brown Teal, Brown
Quail, Spotless Crake, Swamphen, Tui, Bellbird and Paradise Shelduck.
Some of my most memorable experiences included watching scrapping
Stitchbirds, courting Saddlebacks and road-running Kokako! In the last
hour before the day's tourists left the island a pair of Takahe brought
their chick out to the edge of the long grass to show to everyone. For a
bird that has such a fearsome bill the parents were remarkably gentle
with their little chick.
Mt Bruce is a remnant of the Forty Mile Bush which once supported the
fabulous but now extinct Huia. Mt Bruce is a great place to watch wild
Kaka at close range. Apart from these you can watch and listen to
captive and tame Kokako. For these reasons alone it is worth a visit.
Entry is a reasonable price, especially in comparison to the inflated
prices of entry into some geological tourist sites around Rotorua.
Cheers
Mick
--
Michael Todd
Wildlifing
Images & Sounds of Nature
Latest Additions: New Zealand (Tiritiri Matangi)
www.wildlifing.com
Toronto, NSW, Australia
04101 23715
--------------------------------------------
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message:
'unsubscribe birding-aus' (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
