Birding Bonanza, Stewart Island- Part 1

Real-time

We're back on the Mainland, back to our home on wheels and still parked on the family's front lawn in Winton. We had a fabulous time on Stewart Island/Rakiura and enjoyed every minute even though the weather was a little fickle. After the initial 2 days of solid rain, the sun came and went as regularly as the rain showers. One day it was hot and sunny, the next cold and blowing a gale. Thankfully we went prepared with our wet-weather gear and as long as we had that on board we were good to go. 

If you are into birds and tramping, then Stewart Island is the place to go. We were in seventh heaven with the amount of bird life we saw and how close we were able to get to a lot of it. And with so many walking tracks both around town and further afield there's plenty to keep you occupied. I'll do some more posts on Stewart Island later but in the meantime here's one for the birds....I mean on the birds!

Of course the kaka and their antics kept me occupied whenever we were in our unit at Kaka Retreat, they are such characters. 

I can see how people fall in love and want a parrot for a pet, I wanted to bundle one up(a gentle one) and take it home! I was taking a photo of a kereru when this photobombing kaka's face appeared in my viewfinder.

They are quite endearing although you do need a healthy dose of caution around those beaks. After a few quick nips I became very wary, I don't think they meant to hurt it was more frustration. I think if they had meant to be nasty they'd have had my finger off, the pressure behind a small nip was amazing- my finger knuckle ached for an hour or so afterwards.  I managed to find some distinguishing feathers on a few of the gentler birds and allowed them to get close each time they visited.

I hadn't realised that not only are the Kaka Beak plants named after them because of the shape of the flower but the bird also eats the flowers. I'm not sure if they're getting the nectar or just playing with the flower. They didn't take them off just shredded the petals a bit.

We have never seen as many Kereru/NZ Wood Pigeon in such numbers as we did on Stewart Island and especially around Oban village. 

Dozens and dozens of pigeons flying here, there and everywhere, the sky overhead was a constant sound of swoosh, swoosh, swoosh as they flew from tree to tree and garden to garden feeding on a variety of ripe berries in the bush. Often they'd crash land in the undergrowth or drop through from the trees above, bumbling about looking for food or chasing rivals away. More than a few times we were startled by a fat pigeon flapping out of a thick bush at head height. If they'd stayed still we'd be none the wiser that they were there. When it rained they were perched in large numbers on the power lines looking very much like over-sized starlings.  

Also enjoying the fruiting bush were Bellbirds/Korimako- here's a male on a Fushia tree... 

And a female with a berry from a Māpou bush...

Quite often we'd stand beside a thicket of bush listening to all the different noises coming from the depths and wait to see what emerged. Often there'd be all of the above birds along with tui, warblers, fantails, tomtits, parakeets and brown creepers amongst others. All feeding, chattering and stumbling about in the bush. Many of the birds had fledgling chicks with them which of course added to the noise. It was certainly a good time to visit because the chicks calling for food often lead us to them and the parents.

One of the first excursions we wanted to do was to Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara, an open bird sanctuary just offshore in Paterson Inlet. After two days of rain and then one of gale force winds we finally decided to try for Ulva the following day. The ferry leaves for the island at 9am and we were up bright and early hoping to catch the first crossing. We had to walk down the hill into the village and then haul ourselves up the short steep climb and over into Golden Bay where the jetty was located. 

We were first in line, paid our $20 each, received our boarding pass; a leaf from the aptly named Muttonbird Scrub and boarded the small ferry. Although it was relatively calm over on the village side of the island, the wind hadn't dropped at all in the inlet. It was wild and rough with squall after squall passing through.

The skipper zipped up the boat's back curtain and told us to hang onto our hats we were in for a rough ride and that usually it was a 10 minute ride to Ulva, today it was going to be 20 minutes! A couple of passengers looked a little nervous. Waves were crashing over the top of the boat as we bounced across the gap between the islands. Unfortunately when we got to the jetty, the swell and waves were just too big for this little boat. The skipper tried to edge into the jetty and then back up to it but the waves kept crashing over the top of us and there'd be no way we could have jumped off the boat with the swell heaving the boat up and down. The skipper made the decision to return to base. 

Back on dry land we made decision not to board the slightly bigger water taxi which was able to land that day; the wind was picking up and rain clouds were forming on the horizon. We wanted a more settled day to explore Ulva, so we said goodbye and decided to head home via a nearby walk around the bays. From a vantage point on the walk we could see the water taxi (top right & bottom above) heading back from Ulva. We heard later that that our skipper was very experienced and had been doing this run for many years and that this was possibly the first time he'd called off a landing.

Later we also got caught in the the most violent rain and wind storm we've ever had while walking, we were about 5kms from home, the rain was horizontal and stung like a thousand needles on our faces. We arrived home totally drenched and cold through to the bone. It would have been no fun on Ulva. 

Post Office Bay, Ulva Island

A couple of days later we made the journey again, this time arriving at Post Office Bay, Ulva Island on a sunny and relatively calm day, although the wind did pick up again later on. Just under 8ha of the 260ha island is privately owned, part of it being here in this bay.

The post office was built in 1872 and used until 1923. There was only one family living here on the island but the irregular mail boat stopped at Ulva to offload the mail for the many families that lived in the sawmilling, boat building and fishing settlements around the inlet and on other islands. A flag would be raised at the nearby Flagstaff Point to indicate the mail had arrived and workers and families would row or sail to Ulva to collect their post. This also became a social occasion as people caught up with friends.

The tracks on Ulva Island are well maintained and signposted. There's a choice of four walks of varying lengths to do depending on mobility and time and they are all linked so you can cover the whole area in a quick three and half hours. We were there for the 6 hours, wanting to take our time exploring and tracking birds. Public access is only to a small peninsula section of the island which includes three beaches where sealions can sometimes be found sunbathing.

Our first sighting was of a juvenile Brown Creeper/Pīpipi who was calling for his mum (or helper) who came flying in with some food. I did learn something new about the Brown Creeper; only the dominant male & female in the flock will breed and a number of helpers assist with feeding the chicks.

We saw the usual suspects many times over; bush robins, warblers, kaka, wood pigeons, rifleman, silvereyes, fantails, tomtits, weka, tui, bellbirds, oyster catchers, terns and gulls. But there were a couple of birds we were keen to sight. The first was the endangered  Mohua/Yellowhead which is found only in the South Island and then only in small pockets of forest in the Catlins, Fiordland and on Stewart Island. 

Mohua are closely related to Whiteheads (which are only found in the North Island) and Brown Creepers, all three species are the preferred hosts of the long-tailed cuckoo. The male Yellowhammer(introduced) is often mistaken for a Yellowhead but the Yellowhammer never enters the forest and a Yellowhead never leaves it. Plus I think the Mohua is a much more handsome bird.

It was a thrill to find our first small noisy flock not long after arriving on Ulva. This was our very first sighting of the yellowhead although we have heard them in the Catlins before. They usually spend most their time in the forest canopy but here on Ulva (where there are no predators) they also forage in the lower canopy and on the forest floor. The flock called to each other incessantly, the females have a distinctive "buzz" and they all move at a fast pace through the bush, often with a posse of other bird species following along scavenging disturbed insects and bugs.

This family group had  approx. 6-7 birds and included at least two and probably three (they were hard to count moving so quickly) hungry and demanding fledglings- that's a baby on the right below. These two birds were right on the edge of the track at head height and although I tried my best, the bush was once again very dark, so many of the photos are a bit noisy (grainy) because of the high ISO.

Mohua, like the Brown Creeper, also have helpers.

The fledglings were keen to learn where their food was coming from, staying on the tree trunks long after the adults has left. Mohua have spikey tails which they use as a prop while hanging on to the side of a trunk while digging around for food. It was a thrill to finally see Mohua and to be able to spend quite a bit of time observing and following them through the bush.

I was also pleased to add another native orchid to my 'have seen' list; the delicately draped and tiny "Lady's Slipper Orchid".

We've seen Red-crowned Parakeets/Kākāriki on many occasions but never this close in the wild and in so many numbers. There were plenty of red-crowned parakeets on Stewart Island too, every morning & evening we would hear their high-pitched chatter as small flocks passed overhead. 

Here on Ulva we often found pairs resting on low branches just off the track, foraging on the path or poking about in hollow tree trunks at ground level.

Another bird we wanted to tick off our virtual list was the much rarer Yellow-crowned Parakeet/Kākāriki, I'd heard they sometimes hang out with their red-crowned cousins and we soon found one of each perched in a tree together.

How exciting is that! And not only did we see one yellow-crowned, we saw several during our visit. 

Not long after we arrived on Ulva we heard a familiar call and we were both quick to identify it, the distinctive call of the Saddleback/Tīeke. We've seen Saddlebacks on a few predator free islands in the North Island, most notably on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua and also in Zealandia in Wellington. But this is the South Island Saddleback and they are distinct from their North Island counterparts in that it takes up to 18 months for their feathers to develop the black colouring and red 'saddle' of the adult birds. Later, on another track, we located a family of two adults and two juveniles (aka 'jackbirds') feeding on the forest floor. They are fast movers, digging under the moss and rotten trees and while not afraid of people, they tend to head off in the opposite direction when they spot you. 

While I was waiting on a seat for David to return to the jetty, this inquisitive and very friendly Stewart Island Robin/Toutouwai came to say good-bye. It reminded me of my little buddy at Mavora Lakes. There were dozens of friendly robins along the tracks, we helped them find grubs and insects by scraping aside the leaf litter whenever we stopped to say hello. They all seemed plumper and darker than their South Island cousins, although this guy wasn't so dark.

We thoroughly enjoyed Ulva Island and actually visited it twice during our stay, the second time the day was overcast and cool and the birds weren't nearly as active as on our first visit. But we were able to spend a bit more time sitting and listening and following a few of our favourite species a little more closely. 

And we had the added bonus of seeing a preening Yellow-eyed Penguin/Hoiho on the ride back to the wharf. Yellow-eyed penguins are resident around Stewart Island and our skipper said he only saw them in the water once or twice every couple of months or so. The penguin quickly disappeared below the surface when he spotted us watching him.

To be continued....Part 2

Take a Tour Through Zealandia

After our night tour to Zealandia to see the famous Kakapo, Sirocco, we returned to the Sanctuary the next day to do a self-guided tour and hopefully see some of the many other endangered birds that live in the park.

Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is a 225ha natural area of regenerating bush and forest just 10 minutes from downtown Wellington. The valley where the sanctuary is located was previously part of the catchment area for Wellington's water supply, the two large lakes were the former dams.

At 135 years old, the historic and distinctive Gothic-style valve tower has pride of place on the lower lake. Beneath the 21 metre-deep water level the cylindrical tower is stock-standard concrete. The tower, and the dam, are classified as having significant engineering heritage by Engineering Heritage New Zealand.

The most important part of Zealandia is the 8.6km pest-exclusion fence that surrounds the sanctuary. Designed to exclude fourteen species of non-native land mammals ranging from deer to mice it has allowed re-located populations of endangered native species to re-establish themselves on a mainland ‘island’. And not only in the Sanctuary, the numbers of sightings of some bird species have greatly increased in the nearby city suburbs too.

Part of the fence can be seen snaking up the hill behind another historic building near the lower lake. The boat shed was used by the governor-general of the time (1872) who had fishing rights on the lower dam.

There are 32km of tracks to choose from within the park, ranging from wheel-chair friendly paths to some serious ‘tramping tracks’ on the extremities of the valley. The main track alongside the lake is the one we followed the previous night when we visited Sirocco. A string of fairy-lights sparkled on the bank above us while a volunteer guide led the way and another was tail-end Charlie so none of us would get left behind. It certainly looked a lot different in the day time, we were unaware the lake was right there below us.

These are Wellington Green Geckos/Moko kākāriki, they were sunning themselves in a rearing enclosure near the entrance. There are many in the wider sanctuary as well but only the keen-eyed would spot them. It’s the same with the Tuatara, there are breeding enclosures and wild populations which are regularly seen on the night tours.

Near the top of the lake on overhanging and fallen trees there are two shag rookeries with three different species of shags nesting. These are Pied Shags/Kawau and they have babies only a mother could love.

At the top of the lake where the Kaiwharawhara Stream forms a wetland as it flows into the dam there are a number of rare Brown Teal ducks and another endangered bird, the Takahe. A cousin of the much lighter and much more common Pukeko/Swamp Hen, Takahe were once officially declared extinct until a very small number were re-discovered in 1948, in a remote Fiordland valley. There is now a current population of 221 birds- due to the incompetence of a few this figure should be 225. Four critically endangered Takahe were shot dead during a pukeko cull on an island sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf last August.

The Takahe pair here at Zealandia are a retired couple who no longer produce chicks, they were moved from their last sanctuary to make way for younger birds.

The path follows the stream up the valley through thick bush and along the way we hear a very familiar bird call.  Rummaging through the leaf litter and bounding up the exposed roots and lower branches are three or four North Island Saddlebacks/Tīeke.

We are very familiar with Saddlebacks, having seen them many times on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua, Moutohora Island off the coast from Whakatane and Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf  near Auckland (all island sanctuaries), but these ones are a lot more confiding than others we have seen. Which is most probably because of the number of visitors passing by, they aren't as fearful. Saddlebacks have been extinct from the mainland since 1910, they are poor flyers and mostly forage close to the ground which makes them easy prey to introduced pests. They have a loud distinctive contact call which once you’ve heard you’ll never forget.

Unfortunately as confiding as the Saddlebacks were I was unable to get a good photo, dark bush and overhanging banks did not help with exposure- for those that understand settings, this was shot at 270mm, ISO 2500, f/5.6 and the killer 1/30sec!

A Kākā feeding station is located halfway up the valley and while the birds of Zealandia can feed and fend for themselves some of them receive supplementary food.

Kākā are a large, noisy, olive-brown forest parrot (with bright orange under their wings), similar looking to their ‘cousin’ the Kea, New Zealand and the world’s only alpine parrot. Kākā have a very loud ‘scraak’ call which can be heard far and wide, the word kākā can mean ‘screech’ in Māori.

Kākā had been extinct in Wellington since the early 20th century until they were transferred back into the wild at Zealandia in 2002. Now they can often be found outside the sanctuary in suburban gardens where they’re not always welcome due to their screeching, and the damage they do, tearing bark and small branches from trees. Just like the Kea they are also very engaging birds, I could easily spend hours watching their antics.

Zealandia has a volunteer workforce of over 450 people helping rangers with everyday tasks such as track maintenance, fence monitoring, conservation work, gardening, bird feeders and guides. Here the Kākā feeders are being replenished and the Kākā know it’s about to happen, they are quietly waiting (which is unusual) in the wings, for the trays and bottles to be refilled.

The bottles contain a high protein liquid and as soon as a they are refilled the Kākā flock to them. They know exactly how to extract the liquid, some have mastered the task extremely well, using their tongue to push the valve up the tube, while the liquid pours down their throat in big slurps.

Others mouth and play with the valve until a little liquid is released.

Other nectar feeding birds such as this Bellbird/Korimako wait patiently in the nearby bushes, flying in, in the hope of collecting a stray drop while the nozzle is vacated for a few short seconds between Kākā . They don’t have the strength to push the valve up themselves.

The tray lids open when the Kākā moves onto the perch in front of the tray, the bird’s weight pops the lid and they can help themselves to the snacks inside. This opportunist Blackbird(male) waits for a Kākā to come along so it can dive in and help himself too when the lid opens. He’s too light to lift the lid. Sitting beneath the feeding station, ducks also wait for an free meal.

Across the way from the Kaka feeding station is another feeding area, this one is for our smallest parrot, the Red-Crowned Parakeet/Kākāriki.

Kākāriki were once common on mainland New Zealand but are now mainly confined to predator-free islands although we have seen them in the bush on the Central Plateau. Like all of New Zealand’s parrots and parakeets, Kākāriki are endemic (found nowhere else in the world).

Once past the parrot feeding stations, there’s a short steep climb to the top dam. Construction of this dam began in 1906. Completed in 1908, it is one of only three gravity arch dams in the country, and an early example of the use of concrete in New Zealand. An engineer’s report done in the late ‘70s found the dam to be an earthquake risk as it was positioned right over the Wellington Fault. The lake behind the dam was lowered and in 1991 the upper dam was decommissioned.

The top lake now looks very natural and being quite isolated, it’s hard to imagine that this is located in central Wellington. What a fabulous asset Zealandia is to have, right in the heart of the city.

We had one last bird to find (well in fact there are a few more we could have found if we’d had more time) but there was one last bird I wanted to see before we headed back down the valley.

This is another one of New Zealand’s rarest birds, the Stichbird/Hihi. Hihi are like many native NZ birds, they didn’t cope well with the arrival of humans and the habitat changes and animal pests they brought with them. Like many natives, Hihi nest in tree cavities close to the ground which makes them especially vulnerable to rats, stoats and cats. It’s also thought that bird diseases carried by introduced exotic species may have also contributed to their rapid decline. By 1885 they were extinct on the mainland, surviving only on Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

It was thought that the Hihi was part of the tui & bellbird family but in fact it belongs to another bird family, it’s closest relatives are the iconic wattlebirds that include the Kokako, Saddleback & the extinct Huia. Hihi are a North Island species only and this is a male, the female, as often is the case in the bird world, is a little more muted in colour and without the bright yellow and solid black. Being the beginning of the breeding season when we visited, there were mostly males chasing each other near the Hihi feeding station. Any females that made an appearance were soon harassed out of there with two or three males giving chase.

Another dark bush, out of focus shot but in this one you can see the how the ear tuffs are used when the bird challenges other males.

Happy with our exploring and the birds we had managed to see, we walked back over the dam where there’s a good view down the valley towards suburbia, crossed a swingbridge and wound our way back towards the entrance along another track...

…tip-toeing past Sirocco’s enclosure on the way. If you missed my blog post on Sirocco, you’ll find it here- How the Dud Became a Stud

We made our way back to Evans Bay ahead of the afternoon rush hour, arriving back to find ‘Out There’ parked up all on her lonesome, the evening influx of motorhomes, sleeper vans & buses yet to arrive. Wellington’s famous wind was just picking up so I took the opportunity of taking a few more photos of the 26 metre high Wind Wand (Zephyrometer) which we’re parked near.

It’s quite mesmerising standing underneath it watching it dip and bow with each gust, not quite silent and with the grace of a conductor it seemed to be guiding the evening rush hour past.

We left Wellington the next morning, stopping at Marton for a night, before one final long haul onto our old home town and eagerly awaited catch-up with family & friends.

We’ve been parked in the campground at Mt Maunganui for the last 4 weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves although the first week was a major culture shock after spending the last few months in the deep South where people (and motorhomes) are few on the ground.

And with that, I've nearly caught up to date again. Just a couple more posts from the Mount and I should be ready to report live again. Just in time because we're on the move again later this week. Hawkes Bay here we come, with a few more weeks of family & friends 'meet & greet' to do. Can't wait.