emperor penguin on NewZealand mainland (3 Viewers)

[birdboybowley]

its the same bird in a zoo!

Technically, yes....but come on A, not really the same is it...

 

[Big Phil]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news-in-pictures/news-briefly/lost-penguin-a-symbol-of-the-remarkable-stupidity-of-animals-201106213976/

;-)

 

[birdboybowley]

Great news footage - and let's hope our Kiwi cousins do keep their dogs under control (doesn't bear thinking about) and anyone poking it with a stick '...to make it stand up...' gets said stick shoved up their ass!! It stands up on its own in the most cool way! Dead jealous.....

 

[Chlidonias]

well...I did see the penguin and most fantastic he was too, even if he did stay prone upon the ground rather than standing up and strutting his stuff. Seriously, a magnificent bird. There were around thirty people there, the biggest twitch I've ever seen!!! (Of course the previous biggest I've been at was five people at an Australian Wood Duck in Christchurch, and two of them were just passing City Council workers, and two were myself and my friend......New Zealand's not big on twitches). Can't help but feel sorry for the penguin though, completely lost with no idea what to do. Yesterday he was observed eating wet sand, apparently under the impression it was snow. Although he looks more-or-less fine at the moment I have a feeling he may end up at the Wellington Zoo hospital for recovery, and then he'll get shipped back to Antarctica where he belongs. Unless he just vanishes into the surf before then or, hopefully not (!), gets killed by a dog. Actually everyone there was very well behaved but you always have the idiot minority somewhere to ruin things.

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!

I too would love to see an emperor penguin in Antarctica but its probably not going to happen. It may be lost but its still a wonderful creature, and that's why I go wildlife-spotting. Same thing with introduced species - it matters not one whit to me whether a mynah is native or introduced, its still worth watching. But I do see where you're coming from.
(And its totally different to seeing them in a zoo).

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.

The first record (1967) was actually a ship-assisted bird so this current one is really the first "proper" record. Its also probably the most northerly emperor penguin on record. New Zealand is really a very long way north of anywhere they occur normally.

 

[flossiepip]

Got a strong urge to go twitch this one when I awoke this morning but Northland is along way up from Wellington and jobs are in short supply and I think that I would of been looking for a new one when I got back. Tell him when you next see him that Bayleys Beach near Dargaville is very nice and I could twitch him in the dinner hour!

 

[rollingthunder]

They said on Radio5 that it had been trying to eat sand, thinking that it was snow.....

 

[marklhawkes]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/lost-penguin-ends-up-in-new-zealand.html

 

[Fop]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news-in-pictures/news-briefly/lost-penguin-a-symbol-of-the-remarkable-stupidity-of-animals-201106213976/

;-)

Good skills Philip!

 

[lewis20126]

well...I did see the penguin and most fantastic he was too,

Brilliant, fingers crossed that it survivies even if via a rescue centre. Maybe Rodney Russ (Heritage Expeditions) could take him south in November?!

Cheers, alan

 

[Larry Sweetland]

So glad you got to see the bird Chlid. Good to have some good luck after the luck Christchurch has had lately.

Flossiepip...From where lots of us are standing, you're within spitting distance of probably one of the most mindblowing twitching opportunities anywhere ever. If you twitch anything ever, surely it has to be this??:eek!:

 

[Clive Watson]

This bird does make me wonder if there are any 'world listers' out there who haven't yet done Antarctica who might take the opportunity to save themselves a few grand. Do 'world twitchers' exist?

 

[jimmyjames]

Yes they do.. often overly wealthy yanks. I met one once. Was paying everyone and anyone whatever it took to build his list.

But this particular individual has probably already "done" the antarctic.

 

[lewis20126]

Do 'world twitchers' exist?

I think if an Eskimo Curlew turned up, you would find out! I would go for sure.

cheers, alan

 

[birdboybowley]

Nice one Chlid - well done!

 

[Cheshire Birder]

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...."


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)

All the news feeds say it was only the second record for NZ and the other bird was in 1967. Was the bird six years ago not accepted by the rarities committee or do you not have one of those in NZ?

CB

 

[Larry Sweetland]

All the news feeds say it was only the second record for NZ and the other bird was in 1967. Was the bird six years ago not accepted by the rarities committee or do you not have one of those in NZ?

CB

That was a just(!) a King Penguin, unless you mean a different bird.

 

[marklhawkes]

I wonder... what is the record distance travelled that a flightless bird has been found in a vagrant context... this must be it (or a contender)....

 

[Cheshire Birder]

That was a just(!) a King Penguin, unless you mean a different bird.

That will teach me for skim reading!! Missed the important bit - king!!

CB

 

[birdboybowley]

Is that as in 'Where was that ...'king penguin in 06 when I was there...?!'

 

[Bowland Birders]

Do 'world twitchers' exist?

I can think of one who goes on long distance journeys from Europe for single birds, most recently Altai Snowcock in China.

Br, Mike