New Zealand
Specialities
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 ....Where
to see birds in New Zealand - from the Royal Forest and
Bird
Protection Society. The information provided is in response to requests
from the public and is provided with the best of intentions to assist people
wishing to make the most of their New Zealand birding holiday.
...
....New
Zealand - Sites of Interest for Birdwatchers - by Jeff Blincow.
This page contains a list
of sites where endemic or difficult to see birds can be found. It is aimed
at people planning a birdwatching trip to New Zealand. This page is best
used to supplement the following excellent report:
...
....Bird
Watching in New Zealand - by Narena Olliver. In this
comprehensive site on New
Zealand's birds is a section on places to go birdwatching. The section
on Whale Island in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is complete, with information
planned to be added on Ohiwa Harbour, Te Urewera National Park, and White
Island. Check out the other sections of the site for more information on
the history and location of key endemic birds.
...
....Birds
of New Zealand - This site has sections on the main types
of
New Zealand birds, including extinct birds, Moas, forest birds, seashore
birds, and oceanic birds. At the very bottom of the left-had menu are links
to sections of where to find each of these types of birds in New Zealand.
...
....New
Zealand Birding Directory - an interesting site with links to
many
New Zealand birding locations, and a listing of many New Zealand Tour Operators
and Lodges.
...
....Te
Wahipounamu (South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area) -
As the least modified region
on mainland New Zealand, the South-West is the core habitat for many indigenous
animals including a number of primitive taxa and contains the largest and
most significant populations of forest birds in the country, most of which
are endemic to New Zealand. Okarito Lagoon is the largest estuarine lagoon
on the South Island's west coast and is an important habitat for wading
birds.
...
....Pelagic
Birding in New Zealand - by Angus Wilson. New Zealand is
one
of the world's great hotspots for seabirding, and can be legitimately be
called the albatross capital of the world, with more breeding albatrosses
than any other country. Besides a large number of breeding species, the
rich offshore waters provide wintering habitat for a number of additional
species that breed on Subantarctic Islands or Antarctica itself.
...
....Pelagic
Birding Trip Reports - courtesy of Wrybills Tours,
this
page links to a number of pelagic trip reports, many illustrated.
...
....New
Zealand - Seabird centre of the World. Because of its
extensive
coastline and many inshore and offshore islands, as well as its well developed
logistics, it is possible for the interested observer to see more seabirds
here than in any other country. Site includes checklists and maps.
...
....Okarito
Lagoon - this commercial website provides information
on
the Lagoon, which provides superb habitat for a wide range of bird life.
It is used by over 70 bird species. The Lagoon is the main feeding ground
for the White Herons or Kotuku (Egretta alba) whose only NZ breeding colony
adjoins at Waitangiroto. Other significant species are South Island
fern birds and Australasian bitterns. The Okarito brown kiwi inhabits
the southern forest margins. Site includes a bird checklist for the area.
...
....Pelagic
Birding in Kaikoura, New Zealand - this area has one of the
greatest number of different
types of seabirds within a small area than anywhere along the New Zealand
coastline. This informative page provides information on the seabirds that
have been sighted in an area from Kaikoura Peninsula south to a distance
of 10 miles off the Conway rivermouth. See also Tours
and Guides below.
...
....Waituna
Wetlands Scientific Reserve - Waituna Wetlands
comprise an area of approximately
3,556ha situated on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
The wetlands encompass the Waituna Lagoon along with adjacent peatlands,
numerous ponds/lakes and coastline forming part of a larger complex of
estuaries and lagoons within the Southland area.
...
....Karori
Wildlife Sanctuary - an island in the middle of Wellington,
teeming
with birds and wildlife, accessible and enjoyed by all; a place of rest
and peace where you can once again be in touch with New Zealand’s unique
natural heritage. This is the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary: the most ambitious
conservation project in New Zealand.
...
....Miranda
Shorebirds Centre Trust - The Miranda coast is a
world-renowned destination
for birdwatchers. Thousands of wading birds from the Arctic tundra, along
with similar numbers of New Zealand breeding shorebirds gather at Miranda
each year.
...
....Gannet
Colony, Muriwai Regional Park, Auckland, NZ. - by Dennis
Chua. Visit this photographic
essay by on the gannet colony.
....
....New
Zealand Birds and Birding Hotspots - this commercial site
provides
information on New Zealand hotspots and the New Zealand endemic bird species.
...
....The
Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head - on the tip of the
Otago
Peninsula, is the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world.
Visitors to the Royal Albatross Centre can view the interpretative wildlife
displays, learn of the historical use of the area, and experience the famous
Unique Taiaroa guided tours.
...
....Tiritiri
Matangi - New Zealand's only open wildlife sanctuary.
Off the northern coast of
New Zealand, on Tiri the public can see endangered birds such as Takahe
in a natural environment.
...
....Biodiversity
on the Chatham Islands of New Zealand - by Bruce Marcot.
The
bird fauna of CI is a poignant reflection of how the native and the exotic
have intermingled here among the surprising array
of
habitats. In the reserves' native forests and fens of treeferns and
Dracophyllum, I spot grey duck, fantail, and the endemic
Chatham
Island warbler, all of which are found in the less disturbed natural environments.
...
....Penguins
in New Zealand - This site emphasizes penquins, and
provides information on
viewing sites, and species information.
...
....New
Zealand - Directory of Wetlands of International Importance -
includes information on
all New Zealand's Ramsar designated sites, including:
-
Waituna Lagoon
-
Farewell Spit
-
Whangamarino
-
Kopuatai Peat Dome
-
Firth of Thames
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand, August 1996 - Richard Fairbank
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand, October 22-30, 1996 - by Linda Lee Baker.
We
visited only the South Island and Stewart Island. We had a couple of mixups
with guides for birdwatching. The biggest surprise and the highlight of
the entire trip was the country itself! New Zealand is gorgeous: a combination
of the rolling hills and sheep of Scotland, the snow-capped craggy mountains
of Switzerland, and the fiords of Norway.
...
....Trip
Report: Tiritiri Matangi Island (New Zealand), August 8-9, 1998 -
by
Ken Blackshaw. For those of you across the world, Tiritiri (for short)
is about 20 miles to the north-northeast of Auckland, out in the Hauraki
Gulf. It is an 'open' sanctuary; that is, there is relatively unrestricted
access for the public to visit.
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand (Land and Pelagic Birding), November 4-24,
1999
- by Neva Pruess.The trip was planned to maximize chances of seeing endemic
and native birds along with a good number of pelagic birds and migrant
shorebirds. Birding New Zealand requires long treks between places, and
often we would drive much of a day (through scenery that ranged from pleasant
to downright spectacular) to a location that would add one or a few species
to the trip list. Three weeks is barely enough time to get to all the key
sites.
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand - December 1999 by Steve Clark. A work
trip
to Hamilton, New Zealand allowed me two days birding. Advice from an Aukland
birder was to visit Miranda for waders and Pureora and Marpara Forest Parks
for a few of the bush birds.
...
....New
Zealand Trip Report - March 29, 1998 - April 19, 1998 by
Peter Waanders. This trip
report is a downloadable WORD document.,
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand & Hawaïi, April - May 1998, by Justin
Jansen.
I spent between 28th April to 3rd May 1998 in New Zealand and from 2nd
to 7th May I spent some time at Oahu, Hawaii. This after 6 months
in Australia. The trip was low-budget, I was very tired and as a result
I only did a small amount of birding, particularly in Hawaii. The most
important bird areas I visited and a brief description of these spots is
in this trip report.
...
....New
Zealand Report - 20th October - 3rd November, 2000. A birding
and
sightseeing trip report by Helen Baines, photos by John & Helen Baines.
We visited New Zealand to see friends and bird as much of
the
country as we could in two weeks. We began our trip in the Auckland area,
then flew down to Queenstown in South Island, hiring a car and driving
back up the west coast to catch the ferry back to Wellington, where we
spent our last few days.
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand, November 6-25, 2000, by Neil Money.
This
was my wife Diana's and my first visit to New Zealand, so the objective
was not only to find birds but also to see something of the country and
its culture. There were occasions when birding took second place to other
considerations, and as a result we undoubtedly missed some birding opportunities
and did not see as many species as would have been possible had we dedicated
the time available solely to birding. But then, it is always good to have
missed a few species to be able to justify a return visit!
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand - 9th Nov - 3rd Dec 2001, by Steve
Bird.
A Birdseekers Tour Report.
128 Species of birds seen plus Whales, Dolphins and much more!
...
....Trip
Report: New Zealand, 9th to 30th November 2002, by Robert
Grimmond.
After four weeks in Australia, we were to spend three weeks visiting both
North and South Islands of New Zealand. Three weeks is the bare minimum
to give the main birding areas justice!
...
....New
Zealand Trip Report, November 5-30, 2003 - by Keith Taylor.
New
Zealand has very few native birds for the buck. A list of 50-70 species.
excluding the numerous introduced species is expected. This should include
the three endemic New Zealand families: New Zealand wrens, wattlebirds
and kiwis. Reserve as many pelagic trips from as many ports as possible.The
Ocean Wings pelagic tours were a highlight of the trip, but at two hours
in length, these should be extended to eight hours for serious birders,
especially if a full boat is involved. Re-boarding for the three separate
daily trips leaves an individual wasting valuable time on land with only
six hours at sea. "Counting" the many transplanted or re-introduced species
to various islands and parks such as Tiritiri Matangi, Ulva and Motuara
Islands and Karori Wildlife Sanctuary was offensive personally, but a component
of New Zealand birding.
...
....New
Zealand Trip Reports - you can find New Zealand trip reports
on
John Girdley's Bird Tours website by following the Australisia/New Zealand
link from the main page.
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