Touring New Zealand (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone. I have arrived in New Zealand for a tour of the country and of course its birds. I am in Auckland and have seen 12 birds so far without leaving the city.
The best location so far was the Auckland Domain which is a large park. The Auckland Museum is in this park and is well worth visiting. The first floor of the museum is devoted to culture of the native Maori and the early European settlers. The second floor contains a huge display of NZ natural history which includes stuffed birds and other critters and information about volcanos, etc. They have bones and a reconstruction of the extinct Moa which is something like an ostrich. They existed in several sizes, the largest being about the size of a giraffe. Great exhibit. I also saw a stuffed Albatross. What a huge bird. Like a gull the size of a turkey. Can't wait to see a live one. They also have some stuffed kiwis and other birds. It is a good way to learn about birds that you hope to find in the wind and also view some now extinct ones. The top floor of the museum is devoted to miliary history which I also found interesting.
Of the 12 birds that I saw, only three were New Zealand birds. All the others being introduced from other countries. These were the Paradise Shelduck, the Red-billed Gull, and the Kelp Gull. The imported birds were Mallard, Rock Pegion, Eastern Rosella, Australasian Magpie, Common Starling, Common Myna, Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, and House Sparrow.. The gulls were found at the harbour and all the others at the Auckland Domain.
I learned straight away that the names of the birds in NZ do not always correspond with the names on the IOU checklist or what the birds are called in North America or Europe. The Kelp Gull is called the Southern Black-backed Gull in NZ, the Australasian Magpie is called the Australian Magpie, the Common Myna is called the Indian Myna, the Common Blackbird is called simply Blackbird. I got into the habit of checking the scientific names to see if the bird has some other name besides the one it is known by in NZ.
The Australasian Magpie comes in two forms, with a white back and a black back. I saw only the white-back type. One the white-back form, the male is much whiter than the female which acutally looks grey as you can see in the photo.
I bought a camper van and it will be a week or so before I venture out to more interesting places.

the Auckland Museum is a great place indeed. Black-backed magpies are local in NZ, the white-backs are far more widespread.

If you're in Auckland for a week (I can't remember what you said you were up to for that time) then consider visiting the Mangere ponds and if time a day-trip to Tiritiri Matangi.

I was planning on going to Tirtiri Matangi. Had not heard about the Mangere ponds but will check into it. Thank you.

Google map here for Mangere Treatment Plant so you know where it is: https://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=e...uIa-UM7AEM-ziQeNkYDYBg&sqi=2&ved=0CJoBEPwSMAM

The best spots are the shell banks. Park at the parking area at the bottom of the big round lagoon, at the end of Creamery Road and follow the walking track northwards (so the lagoon is on your right). When you reach the shell banks they will be on your left. There's a fence between you and the first bank (the "big" shell bank) and the birds can be quite close; the "long" and "small" shell banks are further on and are islands just offshore. The wrybills will probably all be gone now (they are winter birds) but there should be other waders there (the summer migrants, which are predominantly bar-tailed godwits and lesser knots but with various others mixed in). You should be able to find NZ dotterels on the "big" shell bank. There may be some royal spoonbills around as well.

On the map you'll see Puketutu Island. This is private, but you can drive the causeway to the start of the island. To the left is a freshwater canal and on your right is saltwater. Black-fronted dotterels can be found along the edges of the canal. There's a basin at the end of the causeway (on your right) which is usually good for NZ dabchick.

obviously there's also Miranda about an hour outside Auckland for waders

Ok, I found those places on the map. Miranda was already on my list of places to visit. Not sure how many places I can make it to. Posting photos of my camper van which will be my home for the next five months and some baby Paradise Shelducks that I found at Auckland Domain. Now I am shopping for camping supplies and will begin my trip on Monday the 10th. Staying with friends until then. Was not birding today but spotted a Black Swan on the coast at Takapuna. My 13th bird in NZ of which ten were introduced birds but I had not seen this one before so it was new to me. Of the ten introduced birds, five were new to me and five were repeats that I had seen in other countries.

Hi Maroon Jay,

Nice to know you got to NZ ok and are enjoying yourself, please keep the reports coming - only 9 weeks and I'll be there too!

And thanks to Chlidonias for the map showing the Mangere sewage treatment plant. I hadn't realised it was so close to the airport where we will be spending our first 24 hours after arriving in NZ. I'm sure I can persuade Mrs G to go for a jet-lag relieving stroll there - as long as I don't mention the sewage treatment bit!

David

HI David,
Perhaps we can meet up somewhere along the road. I wont post any photos of the sewage plant. Buy your guidebooks for birds and NZ before you come. My guide book for NZ birds cost $26 in Canada, $45 in Auckland. Same for all books. I am currently visiting friends in Auckland and don't acutally start touring and birding until Monday although I have already seen 13 birds in the city of which all but five were lifers.
Tom

books are always expensive in NZ, even the ones published here which you'd think would be cheaper.

The Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant is entirely land-based now, and the former oxidation ponds have been reverted to natural conditions. So don't let the "sewage ponds" name put wives off - its just the same as strolling around the harbour edge.

Chlidonias said:

The Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant is entirely land-based now, and the former oxidation ponds have been reverted to natural conditions. So don't let the "sewage ponds" name put wives off - its just the same as strolling around the harbour edge.

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That should make it an easier sell!

David

After a few days of shopping and cleaning the camper van, I finally moved into it and officially started my holiday today. I am now camping at Takapuna Beach which is a suburb of Aukland. The sun was shinning but not too hot with a nice breeze off the ocean. A very nice day. I was not really birding today but after setting up at the campground I looked around the beach and saw two Variable Oystercatchers. My third NZ edemic. A great way to finish off a nice day.

Maroon Jay said:

A very nice day. I was not really birding today but after setting up at the campground I looked around the beach and saw two Variable Oystercatchers. My third NZ edemic. A great way to finish off a nice day.

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Great birds and a nice picture.

Today I went to Western Springs park in the city to search for the Pukeko. The Pukeko is a strange bird. It looks like a blue and black chicken with long legs and a massive red beak.
Some New Zealand birds have English names and some have only Maori names and some have both. And sometimes the NZ English name does not match the name used internationallly. The Pukeko has only a Maori name in NZ but in the IOU birdlist it is known as the Purple Swamphen. It didn’t take us long to find one as they are common and tame in this park.
We also saw a lot of Black Swans, some with babies (or cygnets as I guess I should properly call them). They are lovely birds and also very tame in this park.
Two other new birds were the Eurasian Coot (know in NZ as the Australian Coot), which looks about the same as the American Coot and the New Zealand Scaup. I also saw a Australian Pied Shag, at a distance, which is a black and white cormorant. Four new birds in all. The Pukeko and the NZ Scaup are NZ endemic. I am especially interested in seeing the endemic birds. The other two are not endemic but they are here naturally and not introduced by humans.
Getting a lot of confusion when I try to enter my sightings into ebird only to find the NZ names according to my NZ guidbook, and the international names for the same bird are not the same.

that's what scientific names are for.

The pukeko isn't endemic by the way, it is found all the way westwards to Europe. Some people split purple swamphen up into several species but even then the NZ one still isn't endemic. In fact its probably only been here for a few hundred years.

The coot is called the Australasian coot here because it is the Australasian subspecies of the common (Eurasian) coot.

Yes, I did use the scientific names to find out which birds are the same with different names. And you are correct about the Pukeko not being endemic. Just one edemic, the NZ Scaup out of the four new birds.

when you get to Tiritiri you'll find lots of endemics

Chlidonias said:

Google map here for Mangere Treatment Plant so you know where it is: https://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=e...uIa-UM7AEM-ziQeNkYDYBg&sqi=2&ved=0CJoBEPwSMAM

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Hi Chlidonias,

I'm planning on heading down to NZ next southern winter for a week or two, almost all inland mountainous areas on both islands for non-birding reasons but want to maximize birds we see. Currently only planning to transfer via Auckland on flights (I know very bad idea birding wise but will be a time bound family trip) but assuming a short amount of time is the treatment plant sensibly accessible via public transport/taxis from the airport i.e if a few hours presumably can get a taxi there but would we then be stuck getting back?

Thanks
Mike

viator said:

Hi Chlidonias,

I'm planning on heading down to NZ next southern winter for a week or two, almost all inland mountainous areas on both islands for non-birding reasons but want to maximize birds we see. Currently only planning to transfer via Auckland on flights (I know very bad idea birding wise but will be a time bound family trip) but assuming a short amount of time is the treatment plant sensibly accessible via public transport/taxis from the airport i.e if a few hours presumably can get a taxi there but would we then be stuck getting back?

Thanks
Mike

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it seems everyone is coming to NZ! You can get a taxi to the treatment plant from the airport. I don't know how much it would cost but it isn't far. Getting back I guess your easiest option would just be arranging for a taxi to pick you up again at a specific time. There are bus routes nearby but you'd probably have to take the bus to the city and then taxi or bus to the airport from there which would be time-consuming. The Auckland bus site is http://www.maxx.co.nz/

Today I went to the Mangere sewage treatment plant. This resulted in the following new birds for me. White-faced Heron, Tui, Pied Stilt, Great Cormorant (known in NZ as the Black Shag), Royal Spoonbill, Masked Lapwing (known in NZ as the Spur-winged Plover), Bar-tailed Godwit, Wrybill, and Skylark. I was surprised and pleased to see the Spoonbills. I knew they existed in NZ but didn’t know where.
I went around the lagoon first, then along the causeway to the island, and finally along the shore. This was a mistake as by the time I got to the sandspits and the bird hide, the tide was out and so were most of the shorebirds. From the bird hide, there was only a view of mud. I should have went to the sand spits first while the tide was in. On much of the walk around the lagoon, there were tall plants between the trail and water, blocking the view of the shore. Nevertheless it was a great day with nine new species.
I had hoped to see the NZ Dotterel but no luck on that one.
The Bar-tailed Godwits are amazing birds. The migrate each year from Alaska to New Zealand. They do this with only a couple of short stops for rest. They do not eat during the journal. They cover the distance of more than 9,000 km in nine days, an amazing 1000 km per day for nine consecutive days. I am going to Alaska next and I hope to see them again in their summer plumage. Perhaps I will even see the exact same flock of birds.
If you are in NZ, I would recommend this stop.

I was going to mention spoonbills when talking about Mangere before, but they're all over NZ so you'll see them in various places.

I probably should have mentioned too that nobody bothers with the lagoon (never anything worth looking at on it any more) or the bird hide (ditto). For NZ dotterels look on the "big" shell bank (the one with the fence). Another good place for NZ dotterels is at Wenderholm north of Auckland.