Goofballs & Bobbleheads- Puriri Bay

Catch-up- 

There'll be a short break before the next blog. We're back in Kerikeri catching up with some friends we missed on our last visit and then we're due to have a couple of days out on the briny with my sister & her husband. See you soon.

There was a lot of chatter, squeaks, grunts, flapping and jostling coming from the end of Puriri Bay, high up in some large pohutukawa trees overhanging the rocks and water. Not to mention the continuous circuit being flown by harried parents, out into the harbour and back again. Along with the noise, a large white splash of guano alerted me to a colony of Pied Shag/Kawau nesting in the trees so I went to investigate...

...from the rocks underneath. Which turned out to not be one of my best moves ever. I ended up ducking and diving as big squirts of white poo came flying down from above. I even had to dodge a regurgitated long slimy dark thing that looked like a half digested fish.

With no hope of getting photos from below I thought I might be able to see into the nests from the bluff above. And sure enough, I was able to fight my way through the undergrowth off the Picnic Bay track until I was standing on the edge of a small cliff overlooking a very busy shag colony with approximately 15 or so nests, most with chicks of various sizes in them. 

While the chicks wouldn't win any beauty competitions, I fell in love with these three fluffy goofballs who look like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. 

And just in case you're wondering, although it may look like I am very close to the birds, I'm not. I have a good zoom lens and I'm also blending in with the scrub that's growing on the bluff so the shags are hardly aware I am there (that was until I slid down the a short bank trying to get further along the bluff!) I can only see into a few of the nests, some are higher up in the trees, some are hidden behind trunks or under the canopy.  

I was alarmed at first when I saw some chicks with their head hanging down the side of the nest. I've seen this before and always assumed it was a dead chick but it's not. I was pleased to see the eyes open and later, the head pop back up. This is how they keep cool on a hot day. Don't you love the chilled look on the face of the one at the back (remember to click on the photos to enlarge).

While Dad (or Mum) takes a break, junior does some house keeping in this nest.

I took to calling the chicks Bobbleheads because as soon as they saw a parent land nearby, they'd pop up out of the nest and wobble about squawking and clambering over each other trying to get the parents attention. 

These tiny Bobbleheads appeared from the depths of their nest when they felt the nest move...

...when the parent moved to the edge of the nest to aim a poo over the side (there are 3 chicks, one is hidden low behind its siblings). There also appears to be three chicks in all of the nests that I can see bar one that had 2 chicks. 

Ablutions complete, the parent settled back in over the tiny chicks. The parents took turns brooding and keeping an eye on the smallest chicks while at the older chicks nests, both parents were doing a near continuous circuit; feeding-flying-fishing...

Back at the Goofball nest, a parent has arrived home...

...it's arrival is announced by a cacophony of noise as the chicks squawk and jostle for the best position, stretching their necks as high as they can go, poking the parents crop with their bill and balancing precariously on the edge of the nest. It's a wonder they don't push each other out of the nest!

After, what seems like an eternity and obviously triggered by the chicks begging, the parent regurgitates dinner...

... and the chicks head disappears down the parents throat...

...a bloody long way down! 'What else ya got down there Ma?'

'Leave some for me!'

The adults must hold a lot of fish in their stomachs, I thought that the smallest chick would miss out after he tried his best pushing and shoving but he just wasn't tall enough and eventually backed off. Once the strongest chick had had his fill he moved to the back and the 2nd chick helped himself and then finally the littlest one moved to the front and had his dinner.

I can't imagine how sore the adult's throat must become with all the regurgitating and then having sharp beaks shoved down their throats, and they're not gentle about it either. There's a video at the end of the blog if you want to check it out. Eventually the parent turned away and then after some more pestering it jumped over to another branch and took a quick snooze. 

Over at the little Bobbleheads nest, the noise is more subdued as the parent gently gulps, dry retches and finally regurgitates a much thinner liquid into it's crop, you can see the expanding crop here as it fills up...

...and then the chick just about disappears down the throat retrieving it. It wasn't until I saw the photos that I realised the little chicks were doing this too. I imagined that they would gently reach in and slurp the liquid! 

I think the smallest goofball didn't get quite enough food during the last feed...

...because he's decided to steal some of his siblings dinner!

They really are quite crazy! Perhaps this is how the smaller chicks do end up surviving. 

And here's the movie. Once again, excuse my movie making skills, I'm not that good at the best of times but with no tripod and balancing on the edge of a bank it was even harder to hold the camera steady. Persevere past the first frames and it does get better! Even if you might then feel sea sick!

'Killer' Kaniere- West Coast

Real-time

That got your attention didn't it. You may remember my 'Murder at Monowai' blog post, well now I have this one to go with it.

We're now parked at the DOC camp at another one of our favourite West Coast lakes, Lake Kaniere, just 20 kms inland from Hokitika.

The last time we were here, we were the only ones in camp for a few days and then all hell broke loose; it was the Easter jet boats champs! 

Every available blade of grass was taken by people, motorhomes, tents and boats, the noise was ear-piercing and the fish headed to the depths of the lake. We also had torrential rain for 3 of the 4 days over Easter. I think we've jinx it again, these photos were taken yesterday; today it's persisting down and it's Christchurch Anniversary day and the camp is busy. Poor people.

Behind our camp the grass and buttercups grow thick and wild, the ground is uneven and covered with great mounds of old grass clumps. There's also a dry, narrow and deep ditch running through the middle of it. 

I was standing on our steps watching a couple of pukeko pushing their way through the grass heading for the open ground around the camp. Pukeko aren't as common on the Coast as they are elsewhere in NZ and especially in the North Island. 

As I watched I spotted two pukeko chicks trying to fight their way through the grass behind the adults, one caught up but the other lost sight of his family and was stranded on the other side of the ditch.

I put on my gumboots and set off through the tangle to see if I could get some closer shots. 

It was then that I spotted a weka popping its head out of the undergrowth and making a stealthy beeline for the lost chick. The chick must have spotted it too as it disappeared under the grass. 

As I got closer the weka appeared again right beside me, launched itself across the ditch dived into the grass and started madly attacking the hidden chick. 

The noise from the chick was terrible, I thought the pukeko adults would have flown back to fight for their baby but no, they just let out loud squawks too. 

I wasn't sure what to do, I had my camera in one hand and I was on the other side of the ditch so I started jumping up and down, shouting like a banshee woman at the weka and throwing clumps of grass that I was ripping out of the ground beside me at it. There was nothing else nearby to throw.

It must have decided I meant business because it stopped the attack and disappeared into the ditch to hide under a clump of fern growing there. I jumped the ditch and looked for the chick but couldn't find it, I hoped it had made a hasty retreat back through the nearby fence. I saw the other one making a dash back across open ground.

The weka kept trying to return to the spot and I kept shooing it away. It wasn't scared though, they are a very crafty bird, it tried a few different routes to get to where I was standing. After 10 minutes or so, just when I thought all was good and the adult pukeko had returned over the fence, the weka launched itself across the ditch stabbing its beak into clump of grass and grabbed the chick again! They must have super hearing. The chick had been hiding right beside me all along.

This time I was able to flail my arms and legs at it, aiming and missing with a couple of kicks as the chick screamed in protest. The weka let go and jumped out of the way and I managed to grab the poor chick in one hand (I'm still holding my camera in the other, nowhere to put it), it continued screeching and next minute a whole pukeko posse, about 6 birds, came flapping from up the back towards the fence at me. Like I was the problem!  Pukeko chicks do fly, 'cause I had to quickly throw the chick over the fence towards an adult as the weka came in for another go. It landed in the soft grass where it disappeared. I watched a while longer and saw it weaving it way back towards the others, safe at last. 

Back at the van, a juvenile weka was doing the rounds, scrounging for scraps and digging in the mud. His mother was still hiding in the grass, I have no doubt she would have brought the chick back to feed to her chick if she'd been left alone. They do prefer bugs and grubs etc and now I know for sure they hunt and catch other birds too. Weka are in my bad books for now, I've seen a nasty streak.

And Mrs Paradise Duck better keep a close eye on her duckling when she's in camp...

Lake Brunner- Trout & Weka

Real-time

In fact this blog is hot off the press. We're back at one of favourite lakes, Lake Brunner, all set up for a weekend of fishing.

The Iveagh Bay freedom camping area has had a major makeover since our last visit.

It's lovely and has been very well done but I'm not so sure we didn't prefer the old site with soft grass underfoot and a more relaxed camping area.

May 2015

A Britz rental motorhome arrived late in the afternoon and the young couple went fishing along the lakeside not long afterwards. They were soon back with a lovely big Brown Trout in a plastic bag. I spotted the guy attempting to fillet it on one of the rail sleeper barriers so David walked down to see if he could help him out.

Next minute (nek minute) he's smoking it for them in our smoker! Kane & Kayleigh were thrilled to sample a trout cooked another way. I say 'another way' because the day before yesterday Kane caught a Rainbow trout at Kinloch, Lake Taupo and they baked it for dinner! Midas touch and a fast mover. 

So, if David has no luck or feels inclined to 'catch and release' all his fish, we can still say we've had some trout- we had a small section of the smoked fish courtesy of our tourist couple.

We've been doing our little bit of PR for tourists lately. Of course we're often asked about places to visit and we readily pass on information (and links to my blog) when talking to overseas visitors. Then there was the foreign couple sleeping in a car at the Featherston free camping area. David felt very sad for them, as they clambered about, hopping in and out of the car in the rain. And even though they shouldn't have been camping in the park he wanted to give them breakfast. So I made them each a bacon & egg sandwich which David took over to them as we were leaving. They were very grateful. Soon after we gave a guy a push out of the mud at Kaitoke and now today we've smoked a trout. 

I love being back on the Coast where there are dozens of weka families with various sized chicks. They are such curious characters full of personality. When I do the ghost town blog, you'll see some tiny newly hatched weka chicks but today the families had elder chicks in tow. 

This family were foraging in the mown grass beside the dump station in Greymouth.

There are three or four families here at Iveagh Bay and I sat myself down on the sleeper beside these guys as they were digging, scratching and feeding in a small boggy hole. Once the mother got going there was dirt and grass flying in all directions and very loud clucking noises coming from down in the hole.

'You say you dropped it down here somewhere?...'

'I see it Mum, I see it!'

There is a distinct size difference between these two chicks, the 'runt of the litter' missed out on many of the worms, its bigger sibling barging in and snatching food at every opportunity. I'm not too sure why one is smaller but perhaps it is because there's just the one adult looking after them. All the other families I've seen have had two adults (and in one case 3) feeding the chicks.

Tasty worms for lunch.

And a few more weka photos (can you tell I love weka)...

The chicks finally settled down for a rest on the side of the bush while their mother carried on digging. 

'A rare two headed weka chick'

Although the bigger chick still kept racing over to get a feed of worms when he spotted her approaching the pair.