Jon Turner
Well-known member
Looks like I'll have to make copious notes and heaven forfend, even some field sketches! Camera will also be useful, perhaps. Must try harder to get some sleep on board tonight...|8.||8.|
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2014 - Can I see 1000 species? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Jon Turner
- Start date
Looks like I'll have to make copious notes and heaven forfend, even some field sketches! Camera will also be useful, perhaps. Must try harder to get some sleep on board tonight...|8.||8.|
chowchilla
Well-known member
The Honeyeaters (that includes the Wattlebird) are very common in urban areas down south, so if you spend any time down there you'll see them no probs. The others, if you haven't already seen them down there are all common up here in Cairns or hereabouts.:t:
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Jon Turner
Well-known member
Reading the book on the HK - OZ flight I think I might have to delete Ringed Plover, they were probably Kentish. Also, the Pale Thrush may be Grey backed.... Hey ho!!
And - no surprise really, it's raining quite heavily here at Sydney airport. Needed to charge around and find the Emirates desk as we failed to get booked in over the internet. Then needed food, as the Virgin breakfast wouldn't keep a Sparrow going till lunch. So all I've seen is:
216) Silver Gull - a small flock over near the golf course, and 3 white ducks, or may be they were caddies!
But it's a start!
Stop press: as Chowchilla said there are:
217) Welcome Swallows about the place.
And a large - well a dozen or 20 - large white Egret-types flew up onto a nearby building, probably only Cattle Egrets?
And - no surprise really, it's raining quite heavily here at Sydney airport. Needed to charge around and find the Emirates desk as we failed to get booked in over the internet. Then needed food, as the Virgin breakfast wouldn't keep a Sparrow going till lunch. So all I've seen is:
216) Silver Gull - a small flock over near the golf course, and 3 white ducks, or may be they were caddies!
But it's a start!
Stop press: as Chowchilla said there are:
217) Welcome Swallows about the place.
And a large - well a dozen or 20 - large white Egret-types flew up onto a nearby building, probably only Cattle Egrets?
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Jon Turner
Well-known member
Hey here we are in sunny New Zealand. Completely knackered after 12 hours flying. None-the-less:
218) Black-backed Gull
219) Australian Magpie.
218) Black-backed Gull
219) Australian Magpie.
chowchilla
Well-known member
Certainly sounds like Cattle Egret; they typically occur in flocks. IOC split this as Eastern Cattle Egret; I don't know if you list according to the IOC but if so, would that represent another lifer?
Jon Turner
Well-known member
If it means getting to 1000 yes! I'm likely to add a couple more from HK which seem to be distinctly likely. Awaiting confirmation.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
By Black-backed Gull do you mean Kelp Gull? If you using a NZ book, many of the names are not the same as the IOC list. They have a bird there that they call the rare Great White Heron. There is a picture of it on one of their coins. It is just a Great Egret. The Australian Magpie is also known as the Australasian Magpie.
Jon Turner
Well-known member
I Had it in mind that it may be Kelp Gull. I'll check the latin name later. I can, having spoken to John Allcock add:
220) Pallas's Gull
221) Asian Brown Flycatcher
At Mai Po. And this morning:
222) Silvereye
223) Red-billed Gull
Now waiting for our camper van before heading off south from Christchurch.
EDIT: Yes indeed Kelp Gull - seen previously in The Gambia.
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chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Other 'gems' from NZ are Black Shag for Great Cormorant, Grey Duck for Pacific Black Duck, White-eyed Duck for Australasian Pochard, Marsh Crake for Baillons Crake, Australasian Coot for Eurasian Coot and Mongolian Dotterel for Lesser Sand Plover. :eek!:
Maroon Jay
Airborne
Yes Chris, when I was in NZ, I got into the habit of checking every bird I saw with the IOC list, using the scientific name. Many of them have unique NZ names. Tom
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Also Australasian Harrier? Is that the same as Pacific Harrier like what I saw in Fiji?
So yesterday was rather good. After picking up the camper van and stopping for supplies, we headed off south, counting sparrows, starlings and magpies. Coffee break somewhere then across the canterbury plains (dullish) towards Timarou and as I wasn't driving I saw on the map a lagoon just before the town called Washdyke. After one attempt through an industrial estate which had Mrs satnav increasingly urgently urging 'perform U turn' we found a place to park up for lunch on a small hill overlooking the ocean and lagoon, which was heaving with birds!!! Didn't appear to be a way down, but asked a local and found an easy track which got me closer to the action. Going back: I saw a Tern fly over the road and the only one shown as flying inland is:
224) Black-fronted Tern
Also in a field were a couple of:
225) White-faced Herons
Back to the lagoon:
226) Black Swan - easy from a distance
227) Spur-winged Plover - is this the same as the eurasian version?
228) Paradise Shelduck
229) Pied Stilt
230) Grey Teal - hundreds!
230) Variable Oysteratcher
231) Australasian Harrier
232) WRYBILL - couldn't have been anything else could it?
233) Banded Dotterel
We had originally intended to stop near Oamaru' but pushed onto Moeraki. Lovely site and unbelievable restaurant - Fleurs Place. Wonderful seafood and views of Albatrosses/Mollymawks going by. Unidentified at this stage. Also a Giant Petrel I think. There were:
234) Black-billed Gulls
235) Little Shag
236) Spotted Shag
237) White-fronted Tern
What are the chances of also having seen Red-necked Stint this early? Am I dreaming?
So yesterday was rather good. After picking up the camper van and stopping for supplies, we headed off south, counting sparrows, starlings and magpies. Coffee break somewhere then across the canterbury plains (dullish) towards Timarou and as I wasn't driving I saw on the map a lagoon just before the town called Washdyke. After one attempt through an industrial estate which had Mrs satnav increasingly urgently urging 'perform U turn' we found a place to park up for lunch on a small hill overlooking the ocean and lagoon, which was heaving with birds!!! Didn't appear to be a way down, but asked a local and found an easy track which got me closer to the action. Going back: I saw a Tern fly over the road and the only one shown as flying inland is:
224) Black-fronted Tern
Also in a field were a couple of:
225) White-faced Herons
Back to the lagoon:
226) Black Swan - easy from a distance
227) Spur-winged Plover - is this the same as the eurasian version?
228) Paradise Shelduck
229) Pied Stilt
230) Grey Teal - hundreds!
230) Variable Oysteratcher
231) Australasian Harrier
232) WRYBILL - couldn't have been anything else could it?
233) Banded Dotterel
We had originally intended to stop near Oamaru' but pushed onto Moeraki. Lovely site and unbelievable restaurant - Fleurs Place. Wonderful seafood and views of Albatrosses/Mollymawks going by. Unidentified at this stage. Also a Giant Petrel I think. There were:
234) Black-billed Gulls
235) Little Shag
236) Spotted Shag
237) White-fronted Tern
What are the chances of also having seen Red-necked Stint this early? Am I dreaming?
The bird the Kiwis call Spur-winged Plover is known as Masked Lapwing (or Masked Plover) in the rest of the world. Not the same bird as the eurasian one.
Red-necked Stint is wintering in NZ, isn't it. And their winter is now, so they should be there.
Enjoy it!
André
chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Aus Harrier is Pacific Harrier in the rest of the world. 
A couple of hundred Red-necked Stint oversummer / winter each year but Wrybill will still have a distinct breast band.
A couple of hundred Red-necked Stint oversummer / winter each year but Wrybill will still have a distinct breast band.
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Surely it is the NZ summer at the moment!
Jon Turner
Well-known member
chris butterworth;2930283]ic Harrier in the rest of the world.
Thanks Chris, indeed a thin but distinct breastband. Yes Pete it is the end of summer now.
237) Yellow-eyed Penguin
238) Redpoll (!)
239) Salvin's Mollymawk (or should that be Shy Mollymawk?
240) Shag sp (haven't decided which yet -black and white)
241) Small Shearwater (ditto)
Watched a small but impressive feeding frenzy in the kelp at the Moerakl lighthouse, that's where the Mollymawk was.
Coffee break at the Moeraki boulders now.
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chowchilla
Well-known member
I hope you don't mind, but I fixed your quotation at the top. I didn't alter any of the text, honest!
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Moved on during today past Dunedin and onto the Otago peninsula. After booking in to the lovely campsite at Portobello, we headed up to the Albatross colony. Did I tell you that it's been raining pretty much all day and fog this morning didn't exactly give great visibility....
240) Little Shag - made a decision after seeing lots more
241) Fluttering Shearwater - there were lots of them - most likely?
242) Bullers Albatross
243) Royal Spoonbill
244) Stewart Island Shag
245) Sooty Shearwater
246) Northern Royal Albatross - saw several WITHOUT paying the 39 bucks tour fee!!
247) Bellbird - I'll confirm this when I get a better look in the morning.
We ALL decided that Albatrosses are truly spectacular.
240) Little Shag - made a decision after seeing lots more
241) Fluttering Shearwater - there were lots of them - most likely?
242) Bullers Albatross
243) Royal Spoonbill
244) Stewart Island Shag
245) Sooty Shearwater
246) Northern Royal Albatross - saw several WITHOUT paying the 39 bucks tour fee!!
247) Bellbird - I'll confirm this when I get a better look in the morning.
We ALL decided that Albatrosses are truly spectacular.
Looking good Jon.
Btw you already had Little Shag at 235!
Btw you already had Little Shag at 235!
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