Gunns Bush & Milford Sound- Fiordland National Park

Catch-up (Milford Road, Sept 2019)  

The Lake Gunn Nature Walk, a 45 minute loop track beside the DOC camp at Cascade Creek, should be on every Milford Road visitor's itinerary. It's a magnificent stand of beech forest bordered by Lake Gunn, the Eglinton River, Cascade Creek Camp & the Milford Road.

It is oozing in mystical charm, with layers and layers of emerald green mosses and lichen smothering the forest floor, dripping from the overhead branches and inching up the trunks of the beech trees...

The bush and surrounding mountains were used in the Misty Mountain scenes from Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring. 

These photos were taken from the track on various days (hence the light difference in some)

Areas closer to the camp are more open, they have less windfall because campers are allowed to use fallen trees for firewood in the camp fire pits. 

I love the intricate patterns and beautiful colours of the lichen that cling to some of the smaller trucks & branches.

Gunn's Bush is also teeming in birdlife, but as is the case in any of our native forests, you have to be patient (and very quiet) if you want to not only hear the bird song but see the birds up close. Although that doesn't usually apply to the South Island Bush Robin who will introduce himself by silently gliding in when you're not looking. If you rough up the leaf litter or turn over a rotten log he'll be your new best friend.

Aside from the usual suspects; Robins, Riflemen, Tomtits, Brown Creepers, Grey Warblers and several non endemic birds, we briefly saw for the first time, several Kakariki/Yellow Crowned Parakeet. These noisy parakeets usually spend their time in the upper canopy of the forest so it was a thrill to see them down near the ground, if only for a few moments.

You'll have to excuse my bird photos, many of them were taken at the end of my lens reach or with exposure settings wound out as far as possible when shooting in very dark bush. They are quite 'noisy', that's the grain (digital noise) you can see through the photo. 

I had seen (and heard) a flock of Kaka (our large forest dwelling parrot) flying in and out of Gunns Bush while we were parked at Cascade Creek so I knew they were about but I hadn't spotted any while I was bush walking. On one my walks, while I was standing listening for other birds, great clumps of bark and moss suddenly stated raining down on me from above. I thought a branch might have broken lose in the canopy but no, when I looked up...

...I saw that it was a Kaka tearing apart a rotten tree, tossing everything it pulled free over the side.

It took no notice of me below and I had to duck out of the way as some big clumps headed in my direction.

I was disappointed that the Kaka was right up in the top of the canopy but grateful to be able to zoom in and then crop the photos later to see what it was up to.

I followed it from tree to tree for over an hour, I could hear his flock calling but he took no notice of them as they flew off up the mountain beside the lake. He just carried on tearing apart any rotten branch or tree he could get his beak on.

And it wasn't until I processed the photos that I could finally see what he was after- big fat huhu grubs! Check out the 2nd photo. (Huhu grubs are the larvae of a longhorn beetle that is endemic to New Zealand)

This kaka must have been quite happy with his own company, I found him by himself high in the trees most days. I just had to stand awhile and listen for the thuds, rustles, cracks and other tearing noises as his cast offs crashed through the branches and landed on the forest floor nearby.

One day as I was making my way back to camp after taking photos of the bush and checking for the Kaka, David gave me a hell of a fright when he popped out from behind a nearby tree as I passed by. He didn't mean to scare me but he didn't want to step out sooner because I was taking a photo.

He reasoned that I must have seen his head and I'd know he was there. I didn't & when I checked the photos we had a good laugh; there was a tiny wee head peeking out from behind a tree trunk (see red arrow). Yes, you'll need to super-size it to see anything, but he is there.

I love the sign on the DOC loo in the carpark although I can't decide if it means the person disposing of the rubbish will have to remove it by hand or the DOC cleaner will have to. I hope it means the person dropping the rubbish, this should be on the doors of all the DOC loos!

After a few days the weather started to close in so we made a quick dash through to Milford Sound; you can't drive the Milford Road without driving to the end, no matter that we've been to the end twice before. You never know, it may look different this time!

Hollyford River just past Marian Corner

First stop is at the Falls Creek Waterfall which flows into the Hollyford River. I know I've said it numerous times in the previous post but this area, from Marian Corner through to The Chasm, is now badly damaged by the recent rain storm that saw 1.2metres of rain fall over 5 days. You can see why the river above wiped out much of the road here.

Falls Creek Waterfall

The mountains tower over the road past Monkey Creek (a popular place to stop for photo opportunities and where Kea often hang out). Monkey Creek also took out much of the road along this section.

It's disappointing that there are many 'Avalanche Area, No Stopping' signs along the road and around the entrance to Homer Tunnel- a head's up, don't visit in early spring if you're wanting to photograph the stunning views and scenes along much of the Milford Road. There'll also be no stopping today to check for the elusive Rock Wren/Piwauwauout in the Rock Garden which is beside the tunnel entrance.

Our next stop is at The Chasm, I leave David shooing off a kea who is intent on checking out the ute and do the quick loop walk to where the Cleddau River disappears....

...through a very narrow....well, chasm. Hence it's name! And once again this walk is now closed due to damage from the storm. 

I wonder if the large logs that were jammed in some of the crevasses in the chasm have been dislodged. I can't imagine the amount of water that was forced through here during the storm. 

Milford Sound is very busy, we have to drive around a couple of times before we find a carpark. It's early afternoon and many visitors are out on cruises or just about to go. The outlook isn't actually the best as it's low tide and Mitre Peak has her head in the clouds. 

In the reeds on the far side of the the muddy estuary I spot what I think is the elusive Milford Sound White Heron/Kotuku, a lone bird that spends some of it's time here at the top of the Sound. I zoom in on it, only to discover that it's not a heron but a long white stick doing a very good impression.

We walk around to the boat terminal and there, much to my surprise, is the heron in the shallow water on the inside of the wharf. 

This is third time lucky for me. The heron is perched on a submerged log catching little fish that swim by.

We have our own lunch at one of the picnic tables along the wharf pier and watch as tour boats come & go.

On our return along the pier we find the heron now resting on the breakwater rocks, unfazed by all the activity around it and posing nicely for a few more photos as we pass by.

Back at the carpark the tide has now come in a little covering the mudflats and making the scene a lot more pleasant, although the tip of Mitre Peak is still hiding. 

We head off back to camp finding blue sky on the other side of the Homer Tunnel. That's it, our third visit to Fiordland National Park, done & dusted!

White Herons of Waitangiroto

Catch-up (November 17th, 2016)

I've finally managed to complete the White Heron blog- it took awhile because I had so many great photos and it was hard to choose which ones to include. 

The main reason we returned to the West Coast so soon after our disastrously wet winter visit was to take a tour to a very special and magical place deep within the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve near Whataroa. A tour to where the only known nesting site of the White Heron/Kotuku in New Zealand is located, on the banks of the Waitangituna Stream.

Access to the nesting site is restricted and tours can only be taken with one company, White Heron Sanctuary Tours, they have a DOC concession to take limited numbers of people and tours to the site. We based ourselves at the rustic 'campground' behind the pub in Whataroa so we could choose a suitable day weather-wise (based on the rain we'd had so far!) and tour time.

It was a good move, we had one clear day in the middle of a week of rain. And after finding out that there was a full load of 12 people on our original tour, we changed our time from early afternoon to late, when there was just the 5 of us. We boarded the minivan at the tour company's office in Whataroa and were then taken on a 20 minute drive along gravel roads, through farmland and native bush to connect with the jet-boat on the Waitangitaona River.

An exhilarating 20 minute jet boat ride with Dion at the helm followed; down the river...

past the river mouth...

...and into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve which is up a side stream that is part of the river system. It's a quiet and calm oasis surrounded by dense bush and the tall kahikatea trees of an old swamp. 

A small unobtrusive jetty comes into view...

  

And it's here that we disembark and follow a boardwalk through the bush and along the edge of the river, anticipation building as we hear the noisy calls of herons nearby...

...and catch sight of number of large white birds roosting in the bush ahead of us. Our guide Dion puts us straight, those aren't White Herons, they are Royal Spoonbills/Kotuku Nutupapa who also nest alongside the herons. They are still gathering, catching up with each other and checking out who has the best courtship display. They nest a few weeks after the herons.

The boardwalk leads on and then finally into a split level bird hide (complete with binoculars for everyone), which is tucked into the bush across the water from a magnificent sight. Fifty to sixty White Herons in various stages of nesting, feeding and displaying, all located within one tiny section of bush on the outside of a slight bend in the river. 

It pays to have a zoom lens, this is the actual view from the hide

And that is it, no rhyme nor reason for it to be here in an area that looks much like the bush further upstream and down, the only nesting site in New Zealand of these rare and sacred birds. 

The feathers of Kotuku were highly prized by Maori and were used to adorn the heads of chiefs both in life and after death. For Maori, to see one of these birds in a lifetime was considered to be good fortune and to liken someone to a Kotuku was paying them a great compliment.

A few herons were resting in the trees beside and above the hide,
 these made ideal close-up subjects

Along with Maori, European settlers also sought out the White Heron for its ornamental feathers; the feathers becoming fashionable in women's hats. The species was almost exterminated to satisfy the demand after its only breeding site here on the Waitangiroto River was discovered in 1865.

Younger, less mature birds also gather at the nesting site.
They will return each year until sexually mature and ready to breed.

It’s thought the first White Herons were windblown across the Tasman Sea from Australia. It’s not known why the White Herons have only one nesting site or why it’s in the location it is. The population of White Heron in New Zealand has always been small and limited, when first found, the population reported was between 50 and 60 birds. There are still only around 200 birds in New Zealand, breeding is not always successful and many chicks don't reach fledgling stage.

In 1944 just 4 nests were recorded. This was when steps were taken to protect the herons and the nesting site, and in 1949 the area was declared a Flora and Fauna Nature Reserve. White Herons only use this area for breeding, usually from mid-September until late February. 

The nesting site on the banks of the river is not far from the Okarito Lagoon, where many of the birds feed and forage for food for their chicks. Over the autumn and winter they disperse widely throughout New Zealand and are generally seen as a single solitary bird. 

As the White Herons return to the breeding ground in spring they transform into their spectacular breeding plumage phase. Long lacy elegant plumes are grown from their back which they display like peacocks. 

The beak changes colour from yellow to black, and around the eyes a bright turquoise blue colour develops.

Male and female look the same, both have similar plumage. They also don’t mate for life. Elaborate courtship displays include shaking twigs and building a false nest, preening displays and fanning of the nuptial plumes.  

Once the female is attracted, she builds the real nest platform which is placed in trees or in the crowns of tree ferns near to or overhanging the water and at various heights from 3 to 13 metres.

The nests are built of sticks and fern fronds, 3-5 eggs are laid and the chicks are ready to fly in December and January. 

Not only do Royal Spoonbills nest nearby but also scattered in amongst and in sometimes very close proximity to the heron nests, are the nests of dozens of Little Shags/Kawau Paka...

...their chicks being very demanding (and dare I say it, very ugly).

Mind you, the heron chicks must come a close second! 

Many of the nests had newly hatched chicks in them but it was quite hard to see them unless they were demanding food. This was one of the bigger chicks, don't you think he looks like one of those plucked squeaky chicken toys you buy for dogs. At least this ugly duckling will grow into a beautiful bird.

Unlike this poor wee chick who has died in the nest. It was quite sad to watch the parent trying to make the chick sit up. It's early in the breeding season and it's likely this pair will lay another clutch of eggs and try again. In a few weeks time it'll be too late for others who lose their chicks.   

We watched this heron in amazement as it flew in with a small eel and tried to feed it to the chick (small for the adult but huge for the chick-remember to click on the photos to enlarge). 

The chick tried hard to swallow it down but was struggling, the adult kept pulling it back out and trying again. I know there were some nearby chicks that would have snatched it given half the chance.

It's not known why the shags and spoonbills nest in the same area as the herons although it's thought is might be that they gain some sort of protection, all nesting together and being able to warn of intruders.

Royal Spoonbills have been breeding here since 1949 and prefer to nest in the taller kahikatea trees. I always think of the Spoonbills as the comical cousins of the White Herons. They look prehistoric when they fly and kind of weird with their big spoon bill, especially as they sweep through estuarine waters searching for food and looking like mini minesweepers. And then during the breeding season they have bright yellow patches above the eye that gives the impression it is the eye, and a goofy top knot. 

And as if to prove my point, I watched these two hi-jinking about far up in the kahikatea tree above the nesting herons. It was rather strange to see Spoonbills so high up in the trees. I've only ever seen them flying or in estuaries feeding at ground level. It's a pity we missed seeing their nests and chicks, but just another reason to return.

 "Get off my back!" says the bird in the middle shot. The bird in the background chooses to ignore the goings-on burying its head in the 'sand'.

"Hey, what happened to your leg!?"

"Huh....I'm sure it was there yesterday"

I could have stayed all day watching the nests and various interactions between the courting birds, the nesting birds and their chicks...

Bye, bye Shellie...

...but before too long it was time to head back to the jetboat and head home on another exhilarating ride up the river, weaving around the willows and through narrow overgrown gaps, flying across shallow shingle banks, scattering Paradise Duck ducklings and chasing their parents along in front of us for miles (unintentionally of course). The jetboat ride was definitely part of the experience and nearly as good as seeing the herons.

Cloud covered Mt Adams looms over the Whataroa valley ahead of us, as we make out way back to the jetty.

As we were the last tour of the day, the boat was loaded onto the trailer and Dion delivered us all back to the office in Whataroa safe and sound.

We both had an awesome time visiting the White Herons and being able to finally tick off one of our bucket-list items. The tour was well worth doing ($135pp Nov'16) and I'd place it as one of the top experiences we've had on this tiki-touring journey of ours. We visited in mid-November but given the chance again, I think I'd add another 2-3 weeks which would have been a little more ideal, with bigger chicks and the Spoonbills nesting. Of course there might not have been as many courtship displays happening.