New Zealand Trip (1 Viewer)

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rpharvey

Well-known member

• Jul 17, 2010

• #1

My New Zealand bird list. A few are already identified but most are not. And some I don't know if being in NZ makes it a different bird than the US version (like the ducks). http://picasaweb.google.com/harveyronp/BirdsOfNewZealand#

Additionally, I saw a truly enormous parrot, or perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me. It seemed like it could be eagle size. It flew just over the truck I was driving on the road west of Hamner Springs through a heavily forested mountain area of the South Island.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

wintibird

André Weiss

Opus Editor

• Jul 17, 2010

• #2

1) Feral thingy
2) Black-backed Gull Larus dominicanus
3) Yellow-eyed Penguin Megadyptes antipodes
4) Spur-winged Plover Vanellus miles
5) Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
6) Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (introduced)
7) Feral Mallard
8) New Zealand Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
9) Paradise Shelduck Tadorna variegata (Domestic form?)
10) Pukeko or Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
11) New Zealand Scaup I guess, Aythya novaseelandiae
12) Song Thrush Turdus philomelos (introduced)
13) Barbary Dove Strepotpelia roseogrisea (introduced)
14) Red-billed Gull Larus novaehollandiae
15) Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
16) can't make that one out
17) Weka Gallirallus australis

Regarding your parrot: There is no species matching your description. The biggest parrot would be the Kakapo which is very rare and flightless.

André

 

Southern Frogmouth

Well-known member

• Jul 17, 2010

• #3

Confirm all Wintibird's answers. 16 looks like a Black Shag or Little Black Shag - I would favour the former - particularly if pic was taken on South Island.

As for your parrot the habitat you mentions suggests Kea and it wasn't as big as you remember - although they do look chunky.

 

bitterntwisted

Graham Howard Shortt

• Jul 17, 2010

• #4

The first pic, the 'feral thingy', is a domestic/feral Muscovy Duck.

Graham

 

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rpharvey

Well-known member

• Jul 18, 2010

• #5

Thank you all for the help.

Sorry that I failed to give proper location info in my original post but as you have figured out, all photos were on the south island. Most were on the east coast. The Pukeko and Weka were in the Queenstown area. And the questionable number 16 was on Lake Manapouri.

As for the Parrot (no picture), I think you were correct TringBirder. The word "chunky" describes it very well. I have viewed several videos based on your suggestion and they seem to show a grayness to the all over green of the bird. I did not see the brilliant red that some of the videos showed. Is the red just in males and my view was of a female? or is it possible that the red was there and i just didn't see it?

 

birdboybowley

Well-known member.....apparently so ;)

• Jul 18, 2010

• #6

Also note that 'Black-backed Gull' L. dominicanus is more commonly known as Kelp Gull (so as to avoid confusion with Lesser or Great Black-backed Gulls)

 

Southern Frogmouth

Well-known member

• Jul 19, 2010

• #7

Red is certainly not always visible on Kea - particularly in adverse light. Lake Manapouri would seem to be too far south for Little Black Shag - so it should be Black Shag (also known as Great Cormorant in the UK).

 

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YourBirdOasis

Well-known member

• Jul 20, 2010

• #8

Oh my goodness looks like a wonderful trip! I haven't ever seen a Kingfisher while birding (probably because I've never been on a trip near their habitats). Maybe some day soon! Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

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rpharvey

Well-known member

• Jul 22, 2010

• #9

It was a wonderful trip resulting in over a thousand photos. It also included the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen (Nugget Point, 100 clicks south of Duneiden) and the most fun activity I've had while travelling (watching an All-Blacks rugby match in a little pub on the isolated west coast with the entire town gathered to watch the game).

Truly a wonderful place to visit.