Page 27 - Dainfern Precinct Living 6 2021

New Zealand,

‘The land of
Otago Peninsula (RS)
the long

white cloud’

prize, we did encounter a number
of forest species, namely the South
Island Tomtit, NZ Bellbird and Grey
Gerygone. The forest, although
warm, was almost totally devoid
of birds except for the vociferous
Bellbirds. Before checking into the
overnight motor park, Papatowai,
A BIRDING TRIP TO a nest of the Variable Oystercatcher
we were shown a NZ Sea Lion and
containing three eggs, on the nearby
beach.

NEW ZEALAND The target bird the following morning
was the NZ Fernbird, resident of
the grasses that grow in the salt
marshes such as at the Tautuku
Estuary. It had rained throughout
the previous night, (a cold front
accompanied by gale-force winds
having moved in across the island),
so my lonely board walk (Maureen
BY RON SEARLE, PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM RILEY OF ROCKJUMPER BIRD TOURS AND RON SEARLE having cleverly remained cocooned
in the camper) in wind and rain was
sheer torture and even the tried and
tested local technique of rubbing a
piece of polystyrene foam against a
glass bottle, creating a high-pitched
squeaky sound to entice the bird out
into the open for easy observation,
failed dismally.

Resigned to a few distant low flights
and one or two equally distant
views of perched Fernbirds, I finally Maclean's Falls (RS)
could not endure the atrocious
weather any longer and made for
the comforts of the camper. Passing
over an area of bracken and mindful
of the origin of the name of the
Fernbird, I once again resorted
to the magic bottle and ‘glory be’
up popped a Fernbird too close
for focussing my binoculars. It’s
a stunning little bird that displays
a white chin and rufous cap, with
black-streaking down the mantle and
back, culminating in a strange and Southern Royal Albatross (RS) Yellow-eyed Penguin pair
wispy tail.
The next stop was Maclean’s Falls
requiring a 40-minute return walk
through rain forest to a spot where
the river plunges 22m into a steep
ravine – very impressive! A loose
bracket holding our camper’s water-
tank in place required a short stop
at a filling station before moving
on through Invercargill and nearby
(22km) Greenhills Bush where I Little Penguin (AR) Brown Creeper (AR)
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DPL
DPL
DPL
DPL
DPL