Introduction
This was my first visit to New Zealand; my partner Matt and I enjoyed a brief stay with friends in Auckland and a drive up through Northland to the Bay of Islands, coming back through the Kauri Coast region. Not a dedicated birding holiday, but stopped off along the way to a number of spots for birds, walked through a number of forests, and of course spent a day on the famous Tiritiri Matangi island.
Overall it was a great trip, and I did get to see some great iconic New Zealand birds. On the whole I was still surprised at the general scarcity of birds on the mainland; I did not expect to see the rarer natives, but I did expect the more common natives and the introduced species to be more abundant. Lifers for the trip are underlined.
Sites
Tiritiri Matangi
I could not recommend this site higher than is possible, it is an excellent spot, and overwhelming for its birds, many of which are reintroduced back onto the island after predator removal and revegetation. I took the ferry from downtown Auckland, so had a much longer journey than those going over from Gulf harbour on the Whangaparoa Peninsula. Not a lot of water birds on the way out to Gulf Harbour other than the almost ubiquitous Silver Gull and Kelp Gull, but a few White-fronted Terns and some Buller’s Shearwaters added to the mix. We stopped in at the marina at Gulf Harbour where we picked up probably 75% of the passengers (at least I had a seat), and a mixed flock of both South Island Pied Oystercatchers and Variable Oystercatchers were resting on a lawn in the car park. From here to the island, I saw more Buller’s Shearwaters and a small flock of Common Diving Petrel.
It was the land birds which held my attraction here, and whilst we were having our briefing from the DOC ranger, I saw my first Tui, New Zealand Pigeon and New Zealand Fantail. Those of us who were not part of a guided group were allowed to go ahead first, but I misread my map and missed going ahead on the Wattle Track, the best place to see most of the birds. Consequently when I found my way back here, I was sandwiched between tour groups every time I got ahead and stopped to have a quiet listen and look, but I still added NZ Bellbird, Whitehead, North Island Robin and Red-crowned Parakeet to the list. I ended up going ahead to the end of the track and looked around the lighthouse and headquarters area. I quickly saw my first Takahe wandering around a shed and vehicle compound, followed by many more grazing like sheep on the lawn around the buildings.
Eventually I walked back down the Wattle Track again in search of the species I had missed and stopped at one of the water points, where many birds dropped down to bathe – brilliant views of Tui, NZ Bellbird and Red-crowned Parakeet, til another tour group turned up. Chatting to one of the rangers I asked about Kokako and Stitchbird and was told that the 1st water point (I was at the 3rd at the time) was where one group had seen them earlier in the day. I found this spot, and sat on the bench across the way, and watched the birds arrive. And they all did, including Saddlebacks (of which I had only had a glimpse earlier), Stitchbirds, plus many other species including both Blackbird and Song Thrush. Eventually 2 young Kokako whose wattles were small and still pink tinged showed up. I sat here for about an hour transfixed at the birds, but eventually made my way further down the track seeing Brown Quail in the undergrowth. At the first pond near the road I saw the Brown Teal which had eluded me before. I walked on a further series of tracks, seeing the same birds, and eventually came down the Wattle Track for a last time. Minutes before catching the ferry back, I saw the Brown Teal again in the same pond, but joined by a Spotless Crake working its way along the mud. On the return boat trip, huge numbers of Fluttering Shearwater floated past off Gulf Harbour.
Strakas Refuge & Waiwera
We stopped in on our way up north at Strakas Refuge, west of Waiwera. The pond was difficult to see from the road, and on either side of the pond are driveways which are fenced off with private property signs. However, I walked to the western end and stood at the gate here and could get a good view over much of the pond, seeing large numbers of Australasian Shoveler, and smaller numbers of Paradise Shelduck, Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck and Mallard, but missed out on hoped-for NZ Grebe (Dabchick) and NZ Scaup. Land birds were represented only by NZ Fantail. We also stopped off nearby at Waiwera beach and sandspit, missing NZ Dotterel, but saw South Island Pied Oystercatchers among others. From the highway in the vicinity of Waiwera I also saw flying Tui and NZ Pigeon.
Waitangi area
We visited Haruru Falls, which was nice but very crowded (again, Easter weekend was perhaps not the best time to visit). A Mallard loafed below the falls and the ever present Kelp Gulls were flying nearby. A Sacred Kingfisher was patrolling the river, and a few Silvereyes and a single NZ Fantail were flying near the car park. We popped up to Mt Bledisloe, which had great views of the Bay of Islands. NZ Fantail, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow and Common Starling were all seen here, and Tui and Grey Gerygone were calling but remained hidden. The forest around here could be good for Brown Kiwi, but I didn’t give this a go since it was a full moon and this is apparently not good for spotting Kiwis. On the return trip I had a quick look at the mudflats west of the bridge at Waitangi and saw three New Zealand Dotterels, along with a selection of the more usual suspects such as South island Pied Oystercatcher, White-faced Heron, Kelp Gull and Caspian Tern.
On the following day we visited the Waitangi Treaty House and surrounding grounds. This was a fascinating place to visit from a cultural/historical perspective, and offered some regenerating forest patches along with open areas, shore, gardens etc. Birds seen here included Tui, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Grey Gerygone, NZ Fantail, Welcome Swallow, Purple Swamphen, Kelp Gull, Silver Gull and a single California Quail (only one for the trip). We stayed on the southern side of Paihia, only a block away form the bay where a small creek estuary held mudflats and mangroves; flocks of Variable Oystercatcher along with a scattering of other coastal birds such as Black-winged Stilt and Caspian Tern were to be found here. A costal walk between Paihia and Opua passed through here, with some coastal scrub and more coastal forest further along the track although I only explored a small section which yielded some typical native and introduced bush birds.
Puketi Forest
We visited Puketi Forest, doing the short Nature Trail at the park headquarters, and also the Manginangina boardwalk. We visited the boardwalk first on the premise that this would be the more popular of the two, and this turned out to be the case. A surprise here was an Eastern Rosella in the top of a nice old Kauri tree, along with the more usual NZ Fantail and Silvereye, a single Tui and unfortunately Common Myna. The nature trail at Puketi proved to be much less popular and better for Tuis – we had great views of these fascinating birds, along with some of the expected birds. Although I had expected the species diversity to be low, I did expect to see more numbers of birds but whether common native or common introduced, birds were generally either scarcer or just quieter and better at hiding. I dipped on Tomtit at both of these walks. Nearby in countryside I did see some more Yellowhammers and some Chaffinches.
Matauri Bay
This was a spectacular setting, the water looked great, but the air was just a bit cool for my Sydney skin to get in. A few Variable Oystercatchers loafed around on the beach or nearby grass despite the large number of people here, but nothing out of the ordinary here otherwise. Needless to say I saw no NZ dotterels on the beach, and I did see Greenfinch nearby from the car.
Lake Orawheiti
I stopped in at this site as we headed over to the west coast on 24/3. Chambers frustratingly gives contradictory directions to here, and neglects to mention that the turn off onto Ludlow Rd is actually about 100m north of a major intersection with a road to Paihia at a town marked on the map as Pakaraka. Followed the directions and found the lake, which had a great selection of waterbirds, but again no grebes of any sort. Birds here included Paradise Shelduck, Black Swan (the only place other than a single roadside sighting where I saw this species), Little Pied Cormorant and Black-winged Stilt among others.
Waipoua Forest
This is a beautiful place, famous for its last remaining huge Kauri trees and for being the largest patch of this vegetation left in NZ. Birds were hard to see here (not that surprising given that most places where we stopped had a lot of tourists), although NZ Fantail, Grey Gerygone, Silvereye and Tui were around. Seeing the huge trees Tane Mahuta and Te Ngehere Matua was nevertheless an impressive experience and the drive on the highway through the forest was also highly rated. I had hoped to find Tomtit, but again no luck.
Trounson Park
My last chance to see Tomtit was here, and I expected that this place could have higher numbers of birds due to predator control, but this place was perhaps quieter than any of the others. The only birds I saw were (finally) a pair of Tomtit, spotted by Matt, and a single NZ Fantail, but nevertheless did hear Silvereye, Tui, Grey Gerygone (and unfortunately Common Myna).
Mangere coastal walk
This is a walkway along rehabilitated coast of Manukau Harbour in Mangere, where the old settling ponds of the Mangere sewerage treatment plant used to be. I had only half an hour to spare, and had thought that the best place to visit would be the hide located off Ouruarangi Rd which overlooked a sandbank. This is probably great at a higher tide, but at half tide and dropping, it was empty of birds. I had noticed more birds on mudflats off Ouruarangi Rd before reaching the carpark, so ended up setting the cope up on the roadside, but again many of the birds were too far away to see well. If I had walked along the coastal walkway to the area in front of the birds I would have had a closer view, but time didn’t allow for this. That aside, there were vast flocks of Red Knots (at least judging from the closer birds), obvious from the red breasts of many birds going into breeding plumage before departure to the northern hemisphere. I just couldn’t make out many of the surrounding birds of similar or smaller size too much to determine what they were; some did look tantalisingly like Wrybill, but that may have been more wishful thinking. I did make out some (I expected far more) Bar-tailed Godwits, and a single Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (not common in NZ). Waterfowl were well represented with Paradise Shelduck, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Australasian Shoveler and Mallard all present. A good range of other water birds were seen here including Great, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorant, Caspian and White-fronted Terns, Kelp and Silver Gulls, South island Pied Oystercatchers among others. Of course the ubiquitous Swamp Harrier cruised overhead, and I had good views of Chaffinch, one of only two times I saw this bird for the whole trip.
Widespread birds and roadside birding
Some birds were seemingly everywhere. Some of the introduced species fell into this category such as Common Myna, Common Starling, House Sparrow. Other native birds were equally widespread, including Purple Swamphen and the seemingly ubiquitous Swamp Harrier. Paradise Shelduck, although recorded form a few of the places where we stopped was also a common bird seen in paddock from the car. For many of these birds, I saw them from the car but equally saw these at some of the birding sites. I may have under-recorded some of these simply because they were so widespread. A few species were only seen from the car, including the introduced Wild Turkey and Peacock, both seen in the general vicinity of Warkworth but on different days.
1) Buller’s Shearwater: Individuals & small flock on trip to & from Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
2) Fluttering Shearwater: Large flocks off coast near Gulf harbour on return trip from Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
3) Common Diving Petrel: Small flock on water, trip from Gulf harbour to Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
4) Australasian Gannet: Several seen from boat on trip to/from Tiritiri Matangi (21/3) and also seen over Bay of Islands from Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3)
5) Little Black Cormorant: Recorded at Strakas Refuge (22/3) and Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
6) Great Cormorant: Single bird near Gulf Harbour (21/3); several at Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
7) Pied Cormorant: Few birds seen near Waitangi (22/3).
8) Little Pied Cormorant: One seen from road, small creek near Opua (22/3); also seen at Lake Orawheiti (24/3) and at Mangere Coastal walk (25/3).
9) White-faced Heron: seen at small estuary on southern outskirts of Paihia (22-23/3); Waitangi Estuary (22/3); Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
10) Eastern Reef Egret: Single dark morph bird seen at Gulf Harbour marina (21/3).
11) Cattle Egret: Single bird seen in paddocks from northern freeway, northern outskirts of Auckland (22/3).
12) Black Swan: Several at Lake Orawheiti (24/3).
13) Paradise Shelduck: Strakas Refuge (22/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3); many also seen in pasture from car, sometimes in large numbers.
14) Grey Teal: Few at Strakas Refuge (22/3); Mangere Coastal Walk.
15) Brown Teal: Single bird seen on small pond near wharf, Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
16) Australasian Shoveler: Large flocks on Strakas Refuge (22/3); single bird seen in Waiwera estuary (22/3); Mangere coastal walk (25/3).
17) Mallard: Widespread – seen at Strakas Refuge (22/3); Haruru Falls (22/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
18) Pacific Black Duck: Strakas Refuge (22/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
19) Swamp Harrier: Widespread and common, seen throughout much of Northland, including on Tiritiri Matangi.
20) Wild Turkey: two birds seen roadside, near Warkworth (22/3).
21) California Quail: Single bird seen on lawn, Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3).
22) Brown Quail: covey seen in undergrowth, Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3)
23) Spotless Crake: Single bird seen on small pond near wharf, Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
24) Purple Swamphen: Common and widespread in pasture and open countryside, especially near water – recorded at several sites such as Tiritiri Matangi (21/3), Waitangi Treaty grounds and estuary (23/3), Lake Orawheiti (24/3) and Mangere (24/3) but also seen in many places from the car.
25) Takahe: Several birds seen on Tiritiri Matangi, mostly near lighthouse but also on Ridge Road Track (21/3).
26) South Island Oystercatcher: 13 in mixed flock with Variable Oystercatchers on grass in car park at Gulf Harbour (21/3), individuals to small flocks recorded at Waiwera Beach (22/3), Waitangi Estuary (22/3), and Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
27) Variable Oystercatcher: 20 birds together with SIPO in mixed flock on grass in car park at Gulf Harbour (21/3); pair on rocks near wharf, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); flock of 20 on beach or mudflats at seen at small estuary on southern outskirts of Paihia (22-23/3), and several at Matauri Bay (23/3). In general, dark morph birds predominated, with fewer intermediate morphs and light morph birds in the minority.
28) Black-winged Stilt: 2 at seen at small estuary on southern outskirts of Paihia (22-23/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
29) Masked Lapwing: Pair on rocks off beach at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); seen at Matauri Bay (23/3); several at Lake Orawheiti (24/3); recorded at Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
30) New Zealand Dotterel: Three at Waitangi estuary (22/3).
31) Bar-tailed Godwit: Many on mudflats, Mangere Coastal walk (25/3).
32) Red Knot: Many, possibly hundreds, but most too far to ID definitely, with many in breeding plumage, Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
33) Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Single bird seen at Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
34) Arctic Jaeger: Single intermediate morph bird seen off Gulf harbour (21/3).
35) Kelp Gull: Widespread and common, not just over coastal waters, but in coastal towns and in open countryside some distance from coast.
36) Silver Gull: widespread over coastal waters including beaches and mudflats, also around some coastal towns, but more confined to or near water than Kelp Gull.
37) Caspian Tern: Singles to small numbers in Hauraki Gulf near Auckland (21/3), Waiwera Beach (22/3), seen at small estuary on southern outskirts of Paihia (22/3, 23/3), Waitangi Estuary (22/3), Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
38) White-fronted Tern: Singles to small flocks in Hauraki Gulf near Auckland and near Gulf Harbour (21/3), Waiwera Beach (22/3), Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3).
39) Feral Pigeon: Only noted for Myer’s Park, Auckland (24/3); but probably under-recorded, at least for Auckland city.
40) Spotted Turtle-Dove: Several near Mangere (25/3).
41) New Zealand Pigeon: Several at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); few seen over forest on drive, near Waiwera (22/3).
42) Red-fronted Parakeet: Abundant on Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
43) Eastern Rosella: Single bird seen near Orewa (22/3); adult male bird in Kauri tree, Manginangina boardwalk (23/3); single bird near Lake Orawheiti (24/3).
44) Sacred Kingfisher: Widespread in small numbers. Seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); Haruru Falls (22/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3), but also many seen on drive throughout Northland.
45) Skylark: Single bird seen from car in pasture near Orewa (22/3); in pasture at Mangere Coastal Walk.
46) Welcome Swallow: Widespread native species. Seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); Mt Bledisloe near Waitangi (22/3); Waitangi Estuary (22/3); coastal walk near Paihia (23/3); Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); possibly under-recorded due to familiarity.
47) Eurasian Blackbird: Seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); heard at Mt Bledisloe (22/3); seen in scrub on coastal walk at Paihia (23/3); several at Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); Myer’s Park, Auckland (24/3).
48) Song Thrush: Several seen on Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); 3 at Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3).
49) New Zealand Fantail: Widespread native species and recent split from Grey Fantail. Seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); Strakas Refuge (22/3); Haruru Falls (22/3); Mt Bledisloe, near Waitangi (22/3); Coastal walk, Paihia (23/3); in scrub near Waitangi (23/3); single bird seen on nature trail, Puketi Forest (23/3); seen at Waitangi estate (23/3); Waipoua Forest (24/3); Trounson Park (24/3).
50) Tomtit: Pair on trail at Trounson Park (24/3).
51) New Zealand Robin: three seen on Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
52) Whitehead: Several flocks moving through undergrowth and mid-canopy, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
53) Grey Gerygone: Single bird seen on Tiritiri Matangi may have been this sp (21/3); also heard at Mt Bledisloe (22/3); several seen on coastal walk near Paihia (23/3); heard at Manginangina boardwalk (23/3); seen on nature trial, Puketi forest (23/3); few at Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); several in scrub near Waitangi (23/3); seen at Waipoua Forest (24/3); heard at Trounson Park (24/3).
54) Silvereye: Another widespread native bird. Heard at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); seen near Leigh (22/3); Mt Bledisloe, near Waitangi (22/3); Haruru Falls (22/3); Coastal walk, Paihia (23/3); Manginangina boardwalk (23/3); nature trail, Puketi Forest (23/3); Waipoua Forest (24/3); heard at Trounson Park (24/3).
55) Stitchbird: several seen on Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
56) New Zealand Bellbird: Abundant on Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
57) Tui: Abundant on Tiritiri Matangi (21/3), few seen flying overhead on drive north of Waiwera (22/3); heard at Mt Bledisloe (22/3); 1 heard at Paihia (23/3); seen at Manginangina boardwalk (23/3); 5 seen well on nature trail, Puketi Forest (23/3); 2 at Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); 1 seen Waipoua forest (24/3); heard at Trounson Park (24/3); 2 seen at Myer’s Park, Auckland (24/3).
58) Kokako: two immature birds seen on Wattle Track, Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
59) Saddleback: Several seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3).
60) Australian Magpie: quite widespread in pasture up north, with many seen on drives (22-24/3).
61) Common Myna: Probably under-recorded due to familiarity. In urban areas, open habitats and forest. Seen at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); on Coastal walk, Paihia (23/3); Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Waipoua Forest (24/3): heard at Trounson Park (24/3); Myers Park, near our Auckland friends home (24/3); also many seen from car whilst driving throughout Northland.
62) Common Starling: Common and widespread, generally in open habitats or forest edge. Recorded at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3), Mt Bledisloe near Waitangi (22/3), Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3), Lake Orawheiti (24/3) and Mangere Coastal Walk (25/3), but also seen in many areas on the drive.
63) Yellowhammer: Seen roadside near Puketi and Manginangina (23/3); Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); several at Lake Orawheiti (24/3); several individuals to small groups seen on drive, mainly in pasture in the north.
64) Chaffinch: 3 roadside near Manginangina (23/3); 2 at Mangere Coastal walk (25/3).
65) Greenfinch: 2 seen roadside near Matauri Bay; 2 in Myers Park, Auckland (24/3).
66) Goldfinch: Recorded at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3) and Mangere Coastal walk (25/3); but many also recorded on drive throughout Northland.
67) House Sparrow: seen near Lighthouse at Tiritiri Matangi (21/3); on Coastal walk, Paihia (23/3); Waitangi Treaty grounds (23/3); Lake Orawheiti (24/3); Myer’s Park, Auckland (24/3); Mangere Coastal walk (25/3); also recorded on drive throughout.