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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andrew Whitehouse" data-source="post: 1378458" data-attributes="member: 3550">Day Twenty-one: December 13th, Mangatautari and HamiltonMangatautari is a large fenced reserve near to Cambridge in Waikato.  A huge steel fence surrounds a substantial area of native forest from which predators have recently been removed. Various species are now being reintroduced to the forest, whilst other native species are now doing much better. On the way there I saw a small group of Wild Turkeys in a field.  The forest was busy with birds, both native and introduced.  The most notable sighting was a brief flight view of a North Island Kaka.  I also saw my only North Island Tomtit, which doesn't have the orange on the breast of the South Island subspecies.  Tui, Fantails, Grey Warblers, Silvereyes and Sacred Kingfishers were all common and I heard and saw several Eastern Rosellas.  One Bellbird was seen near the wetland.  Takahe have apparently been reintroduced into this area but most of the area is closed to the public.  During the morning I heard two or three Shining Cuckoos, a species I'd missed thus far on the trip.  They're the sort of bird that sings every few minutes and moves a long way in between bursts of song, which makes them rather hard to pin down.We headed back towards Hamilton and stopped off at a few lakes as we went.  I was hoping I might find New Zealand Dabchick but only found half-a-dozen Grey Teal and a few Canada Geese.  On Rotoroa Lake in central Hamilton there were large numbers of Coot and 2 or 3 Little Black Shags.  Inevitably I heard but didn't see another Shining Cuckoo.Then I headed back to Auckland before catching my flight the following morning.</blockquote>

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