roughly three hundredI don’t know how many opossum are in a tonne but it must be a lot.
Native birds not endemic: NZ Pipit (although called the New Zealand Pipit, it can also be seen in Australia according to my guide book).
Anthus novaeseelandiae was a very widespread species but was fairly recently split into multiple species. The NZ and Australian pipits are variously split or lumped. I personally don't split the NZ pipit as a distinct species. As usual with splitting/lumping, do what you think best: it's your list.You are correct MJB, IOC lists them as separate species. My guidebook and several internet sources list them as a single species. Is this a recent split? My guidebook was published in 2011 (Field Guide to the Birds of NZ). Why the difference?
I have found an excellent little booklet called New Zealand Birding Guide. This 50 page booklet lists all the birding tour operators in NZ with a description of their tours, their website and contact info. It also lists a few accommodaton places for accommodation and tour combos or accommodation in birding hotspots. This publication is free but it is not displayed in the rack of tourist brochures that is available in every campground, hotel, and tourist info office. They keep it under the counter and you will have to ask for it. Ask around until you find one if you want to do any guided bird tours. It is worth having.
Keep in touch David and let me know what you find. Tom
the king shag tours don't go all year round, so if you do want to do it, might be an idea to check their website to make sure your return trip isn't outside their season.At Picton there is a tour to see the King Shag (aka Rough-faced Shag). This bird lives only in the Queen Charlotte Sound and there are only about 600 or so of them. The tour is $115 which is a fair price as it is a 4.5 hour tour. However, I decided to pass on it. I did not feel, at this time, like spending $115 to see one species of cormorant. There are several other similar cormorants around NZ, mostly at remote islands. I will have another chance to go on this tour when I get back to Picton. I am driving around the coast of the South Island and will be back in Picton as my last stop before taking the ferry back to the North Island. I might change my mind and go on this tour then. I shall see how the money goes. There are several other tours that I want to go on and cant afford them all. After Picton, I went to Havelock which is only 37 km away. There is a good walk here on a path that juts out into the estuary. Here I saw the Double-banded Plover (Banded Dotterel). There were easy to find. I saw about 15 of them. There are also Royal Spoonbills, South Island Oystercatchers and other birds that I had seen before. If you want to see the Double-banded Plover, this is a good place to look.
At Picton there is a tour to see the King Shag (aka Rough-faced Shag). This bird lives only in the Queen Charlotte Sound and there are only about 600 or so of them. The tour is $115 which is a fair price as it is a 4.5 hour tour. However, I decided to pass on it. I did not feel, at this time, like spending $115 to see one species of cormorant. There are several other similar cormorants around NZ, mostly at remote islands. I will have another chance to go on this tour when I get back to Picton. I am driving around the coast of the South Island and will be back in Picton as my last stop before taking the ferry back to the North Island. I might change my mind and go on this tour then. I shall see how the money goes. There are several other tours that I want to go on and cant afford them all. After Picton, I went to Havelock which is only 37 km away. There is a good walk here on a path that juts out into the estuary. Here I saw the Double-banded Plover (Banded Dotterel). There were easy to find. I saw about 15 of them. There are also Royal Spoonbills, South Island Oystercatchers and other birds that I had seen before. If you want to see the Double-banded Plover, this is a good place to look.
I just found out that the Dolphin Watch Ecotours can apparently drop you off on Blumine Island (rather than Motuara Island), where there are orange-fronted kakariki. Might be worth checking with them about that if you are planning on doing a trip with them.I did check that. They go until the end of April.