Page 20 - Dainfern Precinct Living 7 2021

BIRDING

A Birding Trip

to New Zealand

PART 2 Fiordland NP (RS)

BY RON SEARLE, PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM RILEY OF ROCKJUMPER BIRD TOURS AND RON SEARLE

he first-leg of our three-leg Making our way north to Te Anau, Kirsty who easily detected the high-
birdwatching trip to New my first lifer (a new bird for me) was pitched calls of this endemic during
TZealand (NZ) commenced at the Black-billed Gull, a large flock an hour’s walk on a nature trail in
Christchurch on the South Island, of which was feeding on worms the Gunn Lake environs. Next on
followed by a journey down the East and insects unearthed in a newly our hit-list was the rare NZ Rock
Coast to Bluff for a ferry crossing of ploughed field. After checking into Wren at Homer Tunnel. The scenery
the Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island the Fiordland Mountain View Motor on our approach to the tunnel
for three days. Once re-united with Park at our destination, we took was absolutely mind-blowing with
our campervan, my son Des and his an enjoyable late afternoon walk wonderful and ancient moss-covered
wife Kirsty, my wife Maureen, and I along the Kepplers track through beech forest in the valleys and lower
set off on the second leg of our trip, indigenous forest flourishing on slopes of massive snow-clad, jagged
which started at Invercargill, where the shores of Lake Te Anau. The mountain peaks reaching up into the
we first stopped to shop for some weather had been changeable, bluest of blue skies, providing an
necessary provisions. drizzling on and off with intermittent unforgettable spectacle.
bursts of very welcome
sunshine but, alas, the walk The tunnel approach was not,
did not produce any new however, without incident. The traffic
birds. authorities had induced a number
of avalanches to make the area
Our next destination was safe for travel, requiring that tons
a visit to the very popular of snow, ice and other debris had
Milford Sound in Fiordland, to be cleared from the road before
an area of dramatic grandeur traffic was permitted to proceed.
and primeval beauty on the Taking advantage of this essential
south west coast of South stop, our party immediately alighted
Island. Target bird species and set off on a 20-minute walk into
in this area included the an area of tussock grass and giant
miniscule Rifleman, which boulders, ideal habitat for the Rock
we located easily enough Wren, which were quickly located
(three pairs) thanks to the (two pairs), again thanks to the ears
Black-billed Gull (RS) acute hearing of Des and of Des and Kirsty.
2 18
DPL