Maroon Jay
Airborne
I will check that out when I get back to Picton. Thanks. Currently at Haast. No penquin sightings yet. Apparently the Crested Fiordland Penquins have gone out to sea.
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Touring New Zealand (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Maroon Jay
- Start date
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I went today looking for Fiordland Crested Penquin south of Haast. Didn't find any. I asked around and got three different stories as to their whereabouts. 1. They go out to sea about 4 a.m. and fish all day and get back about 9 p.m. 2. They are molting right now and hiding in the woods. 3. When they are not nesting, they go out to sea and get back in three or four months. I don't know which of these stories is correct but I didn't see any penquins. This is one bird I really wanted to see. There are no tours around Haast to see them that I know of. The Masked Lapwing is common in the village of Haast but other than that, saw only very common birds.
Chlidonias
Well-known member
you'd be hard-pressed to find a Fiordland penguin at this time of year. They are reasonably reliable in the breeding season when they are on shore (around July to November), but right now you have to be lucky. They are moulting now (sort of January to March) but that just makes them more difficult. The rest of the year they are out at sea. You *might* see one if you do the Milford trip, or round Stewart Island if you head down that way.
The good news is that right now is also when you get random vagrant penguins turning up to moult (there was an erect-crested penguin near Christchurch a short while ago), so keep your eyes open anyway.
The good news is that right now is also when you get random vagrant penguins turning up to moult (there was an erect-crested penguin near Christchurch a short while ago), so keep your eyes open anyway.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
Thanks. That clears up the mystery. I am heading for Milford next.
Chlidonias
Well-known member
I don't know if this helps, but there's a moulting Fiordland crested penguin right now in Kaikoura.....
davidg
Well-known member
Chlidonias
Well-known member
there is some uncertainty. From photos it seems likely to be an immature Fiordland crested apparently. (I haven't seen the bird or photos myself).
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I am in Queenstown at the moment.
Hi Jay,
If you make it to Hawke's Bay, I recommend you to take a trip out to Cape Kidnappers on the Gannet Buses to see one of the largest mainland colonies. You can also arrange with the Cape Kidnappers Lodge to be taken on a trip to see North Island Kiwi, with either Dr Mclennan or his wife. With a bit of luck you will also see the Brown Teal at the Cape aswell.
Rookery.
If you make it to Hawke's Bay, I recommend you to take a trip out to Cape Kidnappers on the Gannet Buses to see one of the largest mainland colonies. You can also arrange with the Cape Kidnappers Lodge to be taken on a trip to see North Island Kiwi, with either Dr Mclennan or his wife. With a bit of luck you will also see the Brown Teal at the Cape aswell.
Rookery.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
Thanks Rookery,
I am still heading south at the moment. Then will be going north along the east coast. Not sure how much time I will have left by the time I get back to North Island. I did see the gannet colony in Northland.
I am still heading south at the moment. Then will be going north along the east coast. Not sure how much time I will have left by the time I get back to North Island. I did see the gannet colony in Northland.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I had to decide between a tour to Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound. Two of the top birds that I wanted to see are the Fiordland Crested Penguin and the Kea. I thought that if I go to Milford I have a fairly good chance of seeing and photographing a Kea close up. If I went to Doubtful, I might see a penguin swimming in the distance or perhaps not at all. I opted to go to Milford. I did see a Kea, in face several of them, close up. I also saw Tomtit, Grey Duck and Great Egret (aka White Heron in NZ) so I was glad that I chose the road trip to Milford. I also saw a Yellowhead in Te Anau on the lakeshore before I left. So four new lifers and the Great Egret which is a first for me in NZ but this is a very common bird in southern USA and Mexico. I have seen hundreds of them. Apparently there are only about 200 in NZ.
Chlidonias
Well-known member
are you sure this wasn't a yellowhammer?
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I only had a quick glimps of it but I think it had too much yellow on it to be a Yellowhammer. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it was that it reminded me of a pet canary that you can buy in pet stores in North America.
Chlidonias
Well-known member
where was it and what was it doing? As in, on the ground, in the open, etc? Yellowheads are arboreal forest-dwellers.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I have decided not to count the Yellowhead that I saw as I am not 100% certain. They (a group of three birds) were flying from tree to tree fairly high up, one would land on the rocks on the beach a couple of times but mostly staying high in the trees. I didn't get a very good look at them but they were mostly yellow. I thought it was too yellow to be a Yellowhammer but am not positive.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
I went looking for the Yellowhead again today in Te Anau. I saw it again but again not well enough for a positive ID. It moves around in the centre of the trees. Once it exposed itself at the top of the tree but the sun was on the other side and I was on the shady side. The front is a yellowish-green. More yellow than green. I never saw the back. The head appeared to be all yellow but it was in the shadows so am not positive. I still think it was a Yellowhead but I did not see it well enough to be sure.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
Went looking for the yellow bird again. This time I had a good look at it and got a couple photos although not great ones. The bird is all yellow including front, back and head. It has grey wings and tail tips. Also photographed a second bird that I think is a fernbird. Comments please.
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Greenfinch and Lesser Redpoll
Best place for Yellowhead (other than Ulva) is in the native forest at the Haast Pass - we had one literally opposite the lay-by as we pulled up, right next to the main road. They will only be found in native-type habitat
Best place for Yellowhead (other than Ulva) is in the native forest at the Haast Pass - we had one literally opposite the lay-by as we pulled up, right next to the main road. They will only be found in native-type habitat
Chlidonias
Well-known member
indeed, greenfinch and redpoll as birdboybowley says. Although that is a VERY yellow greenfinch is it not!? I had been expecting a yellowhammer.
Maroon Jay
Airborne
Thank you very much. No wonder I could not tell if it was a Yellowhammer or a Yellowhead when it was neither. Are there three birds here? Greenfinch, Redpoll and Fernbird? The two brown ones are different.
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