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?
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?