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emperor penguin on NewZealand mainland (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
lewis20126
Well-known member
Chlidonias
Well-known member
imagine being on a bird tour in NZ and your leader says, "oh yeah, by the way there's an emperor penguin just down the coast as well...."DMW said:
the report is from today; it was first spotted yesterday evening. I'm heading up tomorrow morning, fingers and toes crossed. I just hope it doesn't go the way of the moulting king penguin on the West Coast (of NZ) about 6 years ago which likewise was publicised in the media and the poor thing got harassed by people turning up with their dogs to see it and poke it with sticks (the Department of Conservation ended up moving it to a more inaccessible beach for its own safety)lewis21206 said:
lewis20126
Well-known member
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Go Chlid go! Best of luck mate, and let us know how you got on.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Good luck mate. They are SUPERB birds.
That would probably be all I'd hear, as I belted off ( probably in the wrong direction but ............. )
Chris
That would probably be all I'd hear, as I belted off ( probably in the wrong direction but ............. )
Chris
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Wow!!!!
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Yeah, best of luck Chlid......that's a hell of a bird!
DMW
Well-known member
Indeed. Return flight London to Auckland tomorrow, back on Saturday = £1,200 (per Expedia). Cheapest trip to Antarctica with Emperors probable = £4,200.
Of course, they taste a bit better with ice
Best of luck Chlidonias!
Maybe this deserves a new thread of its own, but it raises a question that I've often considered.
Personally, if I see an emperor penguin, then I would like to see it in its natural habitat in Antarctica not lost hundreds of kilometres to the north. Sames goes for other vagrants. I have no desire whatsoever to see some siberian thrush lost in the UK, I want to see it in Siberia!
Personally, if I see an emperor penguin, then I would like to see it in its natural habitat in Antarctica not lost hundreds of kilometres to the north. Sames goes for other vagrants. I have no desire whatsoever to see some siberian thrush lost in the UK, I want to see it in Siberia!
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Saving 3 grand I think I'd settle for the 'lost' one.....same bird at the end of the day
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Lets hope it's appearance isn't a bad sign.
DMW
Well-known member
Amarillo, I agree to some extent with what you say - I also prefer to see birds where they ought to be, and watching a hopelessly lost vagrant always leaves me feeling a little sad. There is no question that watching Emps on the ice is a far superior experience to seeing one grovelling around in black sand.
However, very few birders would agree that seeing the NZ bird is the same as seeing one in a zoo. It's a wild bird, so it counts, and for birders with a strong desire to see the species in the wild, this may be the only vaguely affordable opportunity. At least until the ice melts and they can be seen bobbing around in the Thames Estuary with the Tufted Puffins.
Larry, this one looks in pretty good nick, so hopefully it's not a symptom of lack of food forcing large numbers to disperse away from their natural range.
However, very few birders would agree that seeing the NZ bird is the same as seeing one in a zoo. It's a wild bird, so it counts, and for birders with a strong desire to see the species in the wild, this may be the only vaguely affordable opportunity. At least until the ice melts and they can be seen bobbing around in the Thames Estuary with the Tufted Puffins.
Larry, this one looks in pretty good nick, so hopefully it's not a symptom of lack of food forcing large numbers to disperse away from their natural range.
Matt Prince
Sharkbait
Good luck Chlidonias.
Stonking birds.
BBC Link
Cheapest trip to see a colony... since the demise of the KK trips to snow hill is now £22,500 by air from Punto Arenas.
Glad I got mine on the "cheap"
p.s. When you see it, imagine the sand beneath your feet is pack ice, the temp is -5C, and its just you, the bird and the howling wind.
Stonking birds.
BBC Link
Cheapest trip to see a colony... since the demise of the KK trips to snow hill is now £22,500 by air from Punto Arenas.
Glad I got mine on the "cheap"
p.s. When you see it, imagine the sand beneath your feet is pack ice, the temp is -5C, and its just you, the bird and the howling wind.
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I'm a bit surprised this is only their second record. When I visited NZ last year we stayed on Stewart Island for a few days. I seem to recall seeing a photo that someone had taken previously of an Emperor on the beach with the pub in the background by where the ferry goes from.
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