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New Zealand birding questions (1 Viewer)

S

StevePreddy

Well-known member
Hi

I'm at the very early stages of planning a New Zealand trip, and I have a few questions, which I'm hoping some of you may be able to answer.

1. Am I right in thinking that the only way to see Kakapo is to volunteer as a helper for two weeks at one of the reintroduction sites? If you do that, how likely is it that you'll see a (wild) Kakapo?

2. How much time would one have to put in to have a realistic chance of seeing Great Spotted Kiwi at any of its sites?

3. Tiritiri Matangi seems like a must do. Assuming I stay overnight for let's say two nights, that gives a good chance but no guarantee of Little Spotted Kiwi. Is it worth also visiting Kapiti Island which holds many more Little Spotted Kiwi than Tiritiri? Or because it's a lot bigger, is it not actually any easier to see them there?.

4. How late in the year do Fjordland Crested Penguins stay at their breeding sites? Some sources say November, others December.

5. Which are the trickiest endemic passerines to see these days?

6. And a bit of a left-field one: if I chose to do a stopover for a couple of days/nights en route out from or back to the UK, what location(s) would you recommend either from a birding perspective or just as a great place to visit?
 
My trip report from NZ is here: http://www.mytripjournal.com/findtom5&p=1
I would not leave it until December to see the Crested Penguin. I missed out on it. They are there until November. There is a rare chance to see one even in January but if you want to be sure, go before December. At least one overnight at Tiri Tiri Matangi is a must. Nothing is 100% guaranteed but you have a good chance to find what you are looking for there. Birds I could not find include the Rock Wren and the NZ Falcon.
 
Maroon Jay said:
My trip report from NZ is here: http://www.mytripjournal.com/findtom5&p=1
I would not leave it until December to see the Crested Penguin. I missed out on it. They are there until November. There is a rare chance to see one even in January but if you want to be sure, go before December. At least one overnight at Tiri Tiri Matangi is a must. Nothing is 100% guaranteed but you have a good chance to find what you are looking for there. Birds I could not find include the Rock Wren and the NZ Falcon.
Click to expand...

Thanks, much appreciated.

Is anyone else able to help with any of the other questions?
 
Make a trip to Motuara Island for NI Saddleback. Boat from Picton.

A Fjiordland Penguin was seen from the boat trip before the one I went on in mid Feb. Sadly it had gone off somewhere else when we went past. A friend who was there the same time as I was saw all 3 Penguins in Feb, so it is possible. He spent some time on Stewart Island.

I think Chris Butterworth said that if you volunteer with the Kakapo, it's guaranteed.

Q5 Rock Wren. Yellowhead.

Sadly, this year is what they call a mast year, when all the beech trees flood the place with food for the mice, which thrive, then so do the rats, weasels, ferrets, possums, and all the other introduced predators that have accounted for most of the NZ endemics on the main islands. To see what it WAS like definitely go to Tiritiri Matanga. I failed to get a night slot but even the day was spectacular, and included sightings of Kokako.

I stopped over in Hong Kong, where I visited Mai Po. I think Singapore can be even more rewarding. We stopped off in Hawaii on the way back. Wow!
 
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Thanks for those replies. I'll try birdingnz as well.

Jon - are both Saddlebacks present on Motuara or was that a typo? My research so far has only thrown up SI there.
 
StevePreddy said:
Thanks for those replies. I'll try birdingnz as well.

Jon - are both Saddlebacks present on Motuara or was that a typo? My research so far has only thrown up SI there.
Click to expand...

Oops, no, only SI. You can see NI Sadlleback on Tiritiri.

On the way up the fiord/sound to Motuara you should also see King Shag. And they are very keen on showing you Dolphins. We saw Bottlenose and Hector's.

I don't know why I'm talking as if I know everything, I've only been once!

Half way up South Island, don't (as I did) drive blithely past the Black Stilt stake out. What a dork - it was even on the map we were using.:-C
 
You're right about Kakapo. If you apply to volunteer on any of the islands with Kakapo on them the resident staff will try to make sure you see one. You need to get your application into The Dept. of Conservation 8 - 12 months in advance, stating which island you'd prefer.
Tiritiri Matangi is a must for Little Spotted Kiwi, as well as Takahe, Stitchbird and NI Saddleback. Kapiti is one of the 'Kakapo islands' and you need to vol.
Southern Brown Kiwi are 'easy' at Ocean Beach, Stewart Island ( They seemed to be 'hypnotized' by my rather 'ripe' trainers / my charisma. Probably the former. )
Rock Wren is a bit of a bugger, being tiny and scuttling about in scree and scrub, but Hollyford Road, north from the road to Milford Sound, just passed Divide, has them, as does the track south of the east end of Homer Tunnel.
Yellowhead. Opposite Tapara Lodge at the south end of Lake Gunn and Knobs Flat ( State Highway 94 ) as well as along State Highway 6.
NZ Falcon. The only place I managed to connect was around the Black Stilt breeding areas in the Waitaki Valley ( the bridge over where the Cass River enters Lake Tekapo, State Highway 8 gave me the Stilt and Falcon ).
As for a stop-over. HK can be brilliant but for even more birds in a tiny area I'd try Singapore ( more chance of a Pitta :t: )
 
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chris butterworth said:
You're right about Kakapo. If you apply to volunteer on any of the islands with Kakapo on them the resident staff will try to make sure you see one. You need to get your application into The Dept. of Conservation 8 - 12 months in advance, stating which island you'd prefer.
Tiritiri Matangi is a must for Little Spotted Kiwi, as well as Takahe, Stitchbird and NI Saddleback. Kapiti is one of the 'Kakapo islands' and you need to vol.
Southern Brown Kiwi are 'easy' at Ocean Beach, Stewart Island ( They seemed to be 'hypnotized' by my rather 'ripe' trainers / my charisma. Probably the former. )
Rock Wren is a bit of a bugger, being tiny and scuttling about in scree and scrub, but Hollyford Road, north from the road to Milford Sound, just passed Divide, has them, as does the track south of the east end of Homer Tunnel.
Yellowhead. Opposite Tapara Lodge at the south end of Lake Gunn and Knobs Flat ( State Highway 94 ) as well as along State Highway 6.
NZ Falcon. The only place I managed to connect was around the Black Stilt breeding areas in the Waitaki Valley ( the bridge over where the Cass River enters Lake Tekapo, State Highway 8 gave me the Stilt and Falcon ).
As for a stop-over. HK can be brilliant but for even more birds in a tiny area I'd try Singapore ( more chance of a Pitta :t: )
Click to expand...

Chris, thanks - helpful as always.

Is there anywhere in particular in Hollyford that I should look for Rock Wren or are they present throughout this site? Likewise for State Highway 6 and Yellowhead?

Steve
 
chris butterworth said:
Kapiti is one of the 'Kakapo islands' and you need to vol.
Click to expand...
There are no kakapo on Kapiti, and to visit all that is required is obtaining a permit from the DoC website, easy-peasy. However to stay overnight there is only one place and it is quite pricey (it is a private place). I hear it is easy to see kiwi there though if one does (both little spotted and brown kiwi). If on a day trip takahe is pretty reliable, kokako very hard.

Better off going to Tiritiri Matangi where little spotted kiwi are "fairly" easy (unless you're unlucky) and kokako the same.

Another spot for little spotted kiwi is Zealandia, a "mainland island" in Wellington where they do night tours.
 
chris butterworth said:
You're right about Kakapo. If you apply to volunteer on any of the islands with Kakapo on them the resident staff will try to make sure you see one.
Click to expand...

Things have changed since I volunteered in 2001/02 breeding bonanza then...we were judged by our input...one lazy American with a big lens was "restricted" by the duties given him and missed out...serve him right for rushing around on the first afternoon taking pictures while the rest of us unpacked stuff and generally made ourselves as useful as we could...

Cheers
McM
 
Chlidonias said:
There are no kakapo on Kapiti, and to visit all that is required is obtaining a permit from the DoC website, easy-peasy. However to stay overnight there is only one place and it is quite pricey (it is a private place). I hear it is easy to see kiwi there though if one does (both little spotted and brown kiwi). If on a day trip takahe is pretty reliable, kokako very hard.

Better off going to Tiritiri Matangi where little spotted kiwi are "fairly" easy (unless you're unlucky) and kokako the same.

Another spot for little spotted kiwi is Zealandia, a "mainland island" in Wellington where they do night tours.
Click to expand...

Serves me right for trusting to memory. Chlid's right about Kapiti ( Tiritiri is a lot easier anyway ;) ). Yellowhead were in the forests around Lake Paringa, north of Haast, on SH 6, ( the Knobs Flat / Lake Gunn birds were 'easier' ) and as for Rock Wren, you just have to check areas of scree / rocks in the hope you are lucky.
Some useful addresses / phone numbers are :-
The Wardens, Tiritiri Matangi Island, Private Bag, DOC, Auckland to arrange overnight accommodation on the island.
Miranda Naturalists Trust 09 232 2781 for tide times at Miranda and info on NZ Dotterel etc in the roost.
Twizel DOC, Wairepo Rd, Private Bag, Twizel. 03 435 0802 for gen on Black Stilt.
 
McMadd said:
Things have changed since I volunteered in 2001/02 breeding bonanza then...we were judged by our input...one lazy American with a big lens was "restricted" by the duties given him and missed out...serve him right for rushing around on the first afternoon taking pictures while the rest of us unpacked stuff and generally made ourselves as useful as we could...

Cheers
McM
Click to expand...

Same with all vol schemes. Act like an ar*e and you'll be treated like sh*t. :t:
 
Thanks everyone, all the above is really helpful. The flights are booked ... onto the detailed mapping out of an itinerary next. Out of interest, did anyone do any stretches of the trips by campervan or motorhome? If so, how did that work out?
 
Hi Steve, we did NZ in a camper van, and saw pretty much all the relevent landbirds except Kakapo, Haast Kiwi, Shore Plover and southern form of NZ Dotterel. Trip report from about post #408 here:-
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100901&highlight=bristol+kagu&page=17

to answer one of your questions, Great Spotted Kiwi was indeed the hardest! Give yourself several days if you want to be sure. We scored eventually at Scots Beach. We also considered ourselves very lucky to see Orange-fronted Parakeet, but the situation may be different now (an accesible reintro pop?), I don't now??
 
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Larry Sweetland said:
Hi Steve, we did NZ in a camper van, and saw pretty much all the relevent landbirds except Kakapo, Haast Kiwi, Shore Plover and southern form of NZ Dotterel. Trip report from about post #408 here:-
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100901&highlight=bristol+kagu&page=17

to answer one of your questions, Great Spotted Kiwi was indeed the hardest! Give yourself several days if you want to be sure. We scored eventually at Scots Beach. We also considered ourselves very lucky to see Orange-fronted Parakeet, but the situation may be different now (an accesible reintro pop?), I don't now??
Click to expand...
yup, there are a couple of groups of orange-fronteds on islands now (one is on Maud Island, accessible from Picton). I'm not sure of the logisitics or cost but it wouldn't be hard to find out. Most people would want to see the "real" ones where you saw yours (I still haven't seen one in the wild!!).
 
to partialy answer question 3, I'd say that if you spent 2 nights on tiri tiri you would be unlucky not to see LSK, but (and this is a massive but for anyone planning an NZ trip), you are still totally at the mercy of the weather, and especially when looking for kiwi you must factor this in or be prepared to possibly be disapointed. You can't hear things shuffling about at night in the rain.
 
Larry, thanks for that info. Unfortunately Tiritiri is already fully booked overnight during the days when we'll be at that end of North Island, so it looks like we'll be doing Kapiti, with just a day trip to Tiritiri. You certainly deserved your Great Spotted Kiwi - how many attempts was it - about ten?
 
StevePreddy said:
Larry, thanks for that info. Unfortunately Tiritiri is already fully booked overnight during the days when we'll be at that end of North Island, so it looks like we'll be doing Kapiti, with just a day trip to Tiritiri.
Click to expand...
take a torch to Tiritiri. On the road just before you reach the buildings at the top (cafe, bunk-houses, etc) there's a drain which runs underneath the road from one side to the other. Sometimes a kiwi spends the day inside that pipe.
 
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