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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andrew Whitehouse" data-source="post: 1370162" data-attributes="member: 3550">Day Twelve: December 4th, Tiritiri MatangiI had a 'rest day' on the 3rd, but on 4th I caught the boat from the centre of Auckland to the island sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi.  Once again the weather was very fine.On arriving on the island, and after being given the requisite talk by the DOC ranger, I walked the short distance uphill to a small pond I'd read about in numerous trip reports.  This pond is really tiny, but birds are sometimes easily concealed on it.  Despite this, I soon saw the hoped for Brown Teal - a female that clambered up the bank to peck about in the undergrowth.I then walked along the various forest trails, through some recently planted and more mature woodland.  Saddlbacks were rather common and noisy throughout and I soon encountered my first Whiteheads of the trip, rather cute, round-headed warbler type things.  Tui and Bellbirds were both very numerous and were feeding on the many flowering trees.  Red-crowned Parakeets were seen from time to time.One of the birds I was particularly hoping to see was Stitchbird, a species confined to offshore sanctuaries like Tiritiri.  I had good views of a pair in some flowering trees and later saw them at various spots elsewhere.  These are lovely, delicate looking honeyeaters.Around the middle of the day I was walking along the central ridge of the island, through some not particularly promising looking woodland, when I heard a quite unearthly sound that immediately stopped me in my tracks. Suspecting it might be a bird I was keen to see, I made a careful search.  It took a few minutes before I glimpsed a surprisingly large, jay-sized bird scampering furtively along the branches.  Then I got better views: a beautiful blue-wattled Kokako.  These are fabulous and unusual looking birds, with quite long legs and short wings.  They seem to run through the trees rather than flying.  But its really the sounds they make that set them apart.  I guess the best description I can give is of someone playing a harmonica very mournfully.  That doesn't really do it justice though.  Have a listen <a href="http://digital1.natlib.govt.nz/20020604/cd40track01_00002195_df.mp3" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://www.kokakorecovery.org.nz/kokako/research/song.html" target="_blank">here</a>.    A second bird appeared for a short time, before they scampered off into the trees.  Later in the day, I found a few Brown Quail scuttling about the forest floor, their movements revealed by the dry leaves.  These are an introduced Australian bird, that I think I vote as my favourite non-native species of the trip.  It's always good to see a quail anywhere.  On a small pond I found another female Brown Teal, this time with six tiny ducklings in tow.Around the visitor centre, a few Pukeko were stalking about the grassland (or Purple Gallinules, if you prefer).  I was hoping to see their flightless and hairy relative the Takahe in this area but was having no luck.  After a while I bumped into the DOC officer and asked him for any tips.  He said they had young at the moment, so he was reluctant to say anything.  Then he paused and said 'Well, you seem like a pretty chilled out sort of bloke, so follow me.'  We walked just a short distance to an area of scrub and grass where he said he'd seen a pair with a young one about twenty minutes before.  They weren't in view at the time, although the runs they'd made in the grass were easy to see.  We walked a bit further round the corner and met with some success though.  I watched two adult Takahe for a few minutes, furtively picking through the vegetation, and briefly glimpsed the youngster.  None of your nicking your lunch from out of your hands, which is what I've read they're known to do at other times.Walking back to the boat I saw another Brown Quail and some more Red-crowned Parakeets.  I stopped again by the pond, seeing the female Brown Teal again.  With half an hour or so till the boat left I thought I'd wait to see if another hoped-for bird appeared.  It didn't take too long for a Spotless Crake to creep around the back of the pool.  In fact it did this twice - a very smart looking bird, coal black underneath with a red eye and legs.Tiritiri is a wonderful place.  In some respects it can seem rather artificial, with so many colour ringed birds and supplementary feeders.  But, like Ulva and Motuara, it can give a real sense of how distinctive and remarkable the native birds of New Zealand are and how much like another world it must have seemed to the first settlers, both Polynesian and European.1. Saddleback2. Tui3. A baby Whitehead4. A not very good shot of a Stitchbird5. Female Brown Teal and followers.</blockquote>

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