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Variable Oystercatcher (Haeatopus unicolor).
Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand. |
Our trip to New Zealand in October 2024 was during the
spring of the year in the southern hemisphere.
We saw some lingering winter birds and many that were breeding or had young. I have written about these experiences in several blogs I will finish discussing New Zealand with one final blog
on waterbirds.
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Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica).
Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre, New Zealand. |
Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre in Miranda was teeming with
shorebirds. The most abundant were the
Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica).
These large sandpipers had just arrived in New Zealand after completing
an epic migration. Bar-tailed Godwits
fly from New Zealand to northern Australia, eastern China, the Russian coast
then to western Alaska where they breed during the brief northern summer. Then in September Bar-tailed Godwits make
their most remarkable migration, directly across the Pacific to return to New
Zealand, a distance of more than 7000 miles.
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Bar-tailed Godwits in flight.
Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre, New Zealand. |
When we visited Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre there were many
thousands of Bar-tailed Godwits feeding in the marsh. Every so often the flock flushed, and the sky
was filled with a wheeling mass of Godwits. They would swirl around for a few
minutes then land again to feed or tuck their heads under their wings and
sleep.
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Adult Red-breasted Dotterel (Charadris obscurus).
Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand. |
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Juvenile Red-breasted Dotterel.
Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand. |
The Red-breasted Dotterel (Anarhynchus obscurus) is a
large plover endemic to New Zealand. It
is brown above and in breeding plumage has an orange breast. We found an adult and newly
hatched chick on the beach at Tawharanui Regional Park.
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Double-banded Plover (Anarhynchus bicinctus).
Tasman River, New Zealand. |
Double-banded Plovers (Anarhynchus bicinctus) breed
only in New Zealand with most of the population nesting in braided river
valleys of the South Island. Many
members of this Near Threatened species winter on the east coast of Australia. This is a rare case of east to west migration. Double-banded Plovers are brown above
and white below with two bands, one black and one reddish brown on the
breast. We saw many Double-banded
Plovers along the braided Tasman River in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park.
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Pied Stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus).
Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre, New Zealand. |
Pied Stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus) are found
primarily in New Zealand and Australia but range to New Guinea, Indonesia, the
Philippines and Malaysia. They are small
black-and-white wading birds with long pink legs and long thin beaks. Pied Stilts are common on freshwater throughout New Zealand.
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Black Stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae).
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. |
Black Stilts (Himantopus novaezelandiae) are an
endangered New Zealand endemic bird.
The New Zealand Department of Conservation reported 169 birds in the
wild in 2023 making Black Stilts one of the rarest birds in the world. They breed in the braided river valleys of
the South Island and the Department of Conservation has a breeding facility
near Twizel. Black Stilts live up to
their name with a solid black body and the pink legs characteristic of the
stilts. We were lucky enough to find a pair of Black Stilts feeding in a pond
near Lake Tekapo.
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Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus).
Lake Elterwater, New Zealand. |
We saw three different species of grebes in New Zealand. Grebes
are waterbirds that swim on the surface like ducks and dive for food. Hoary-headed Grebes (Poliocephalus
poliocephalus) are small dark grebes with white feathers on their
faces. Most of the world population is
in Australia where they are widespread and common. A few have colonized New Zealand, and we
found a single Hoary-headed Grebe at Lake Elterwater on the South Island.
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New Zealand Dabchicks (Poliocephalus rufopectus).
Rotoroua, New Zealand. |
The New Zealand Dabchick or New Zealand Grebe (Poliocephalus
rufopectus) is a New Zealand endemic. It has a dark back and head, reddish brown
breast and a striking yellow eye. The
New Zealand Dabchick is found only on the North Island where due to conservation
efforts it has gone from Endangered to a Species of Least Concern in 30
years.
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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).
Lake Wanaka, New Zealand. |
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Great Crested Grebes mating display.
Lake Wanaka, New Zealand. |
The largest and most impressive grebe we found was the Great
Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus). This Old World grebe ranges from
northwestern Europe and southern Africa to Japan, Australia and New
Zealand. The Great Crested Grebe has a
white, black and rufous head with bright red eyes and a prominent crest. They also have extravagant breeding
behavior where males and females face off, stretch their necks and stand up in
the water. We saw Great Crested Grebes
doing their courtship dance on Lake Wanaka on the South Island.
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Pacific Reef Heron (Egretta sacra).
Kaikoura, New Zealand. |
Pacific Reef Herons (Egretta sacra) are found
throughout the western Pacific and reach their southern limit in New
Zealand. These dark blue-gray herons
have a heavy beak and are found in many seaside habitats ranging from mangroves
to rocky shorelines.
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White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae).
Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand. |
The most common heron we encountered in New Zealand was the
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae). This medium-sized gray heron has a white face
and ranges from Indonesia and New Guinea to Australia and New Zealand. The
White-faced Heron is a relative newcomer to New Zealand. The first White-faced Herons colonized New
Zealand in the 1940s and their numbers have increased since then. Now they are
now found throughout both the North and South Islands.
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Nanking Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus).
Wharganui River, New Zealand. |
We saw another heron that introduced itself to New Zealand
from Australia, the Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledoinicus). A small population of these herons is
established along the Wharganui River on the North Island. During the day they roost in trees and as
their name suggests, Nankeen Night Herons feed along the river at night.
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Sacred Kingfishers (Todiramphus sanctus).
Whargunui River, New Zealand. |
The Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphius sanctus) is found
throughout New Zealand, Australia and many Pacific islands. It has a blue back, wings and head with a
white collar, and white and buff underneath.
Sacred Kingfishers feed not just on fish but on a wide variety of
invertebrates and even small birds.
Oystercatchers are large black or black-and-white shorebirds. New Zealand has two species, the Variable Oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor) and the South Island Oystercatcher (Haemoatopus finschi). Both species are endemic. Despite its name South Island Oystercatchers can be found on both the North and South Islands. It breeds on the South Island and winters on the North Island. The South Island Oystercatcher has a black back and head, white breast and belly, a bright orange bill and a red eye ring.
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South Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi).
Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand. |
Variable Oystercatchers are found along the coasts of both islands. They are usually black, but some have white on the belly giving them the name Variable. Both species of Oystercatchers use their long, stout beaks to catch invertebrates, including oysters, in marshes and tidal flats.
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Variable Oystercatchers.
Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand. |
New Zealand has fired my imagination since I was a child. Fueled by movies like Mysterious Island
and In Search of the Castaways, I was convinced New Zealand was a
realm of wonders. Seeing the real thing
did not disappoint. Volcanos and glaciers,
waterfalls and subtropical beaches, forests and salt marshes, and birds, birds,
birds fulfilled my vision of New Zealand. And beyond the natural world the residents of
New Zealand were friendly, open, helpful and just plain glad to see tourists
from half-way around the world.
