Page 21 - Dainfern Precinct Living 8 2021

BIRDING

Just beyond what was called the dismay of our group, as not a
Buried Forest, we stopped our single other member had had
camper, alighted and immediately so much as a glimpse of it.
were elated to hear the now-familiar
call we were listening for. Plunging I had now sunk into the
into the forest, our excited group spent depths of despair and was
the next hour with ever-stiffening feeling miserable when my
necks gazing up into the 30m-high wife, Maureen, disinterested
canopy of the podocarp trees, but in in proceedings and sitting
vain. in the front of the camper,
casually drew our attention
Dejected and cold, we made our to a largish bird she was
way back to the camper for some watching on the ground in
front of us feeding
on some part of the
broom bushes growing
at the forest edge.
This time, everyone
experienced saturation
views of this highly
sought-after and
attractive bird, the
Kokako – mission
finally accomplished!
North Island Saddleback (AR) Kokako (AR)
refreshment and warmth. And it was En route to Rotorua, we flushed a boiling pools of mud and many other
while soaking up the sunshine that pair of Californian Quails, a species steamy curiosities before going on to
my son, Des, quite suddenly saw our introduced to NZ some time ago. After do some shopping for provisions in
elusive quarry in a very low nearby booking into the motor park on the Rotorua.
bush. Realising it had been spotted, it shores of Lake Rotorua in the early
immediately disappeared, to the utter afternoon, Maureen and I strolled We then drove to Miranda, a coastal
along the lake shores, mudflat area located at the base of
enjoying scope views of a the Firth of Thames on the western
delightful Australian Little side and, on arrival, immediately
Grebe with two chicks, visited the Shorebird Centre for a
excellent sightings of a location map and information relating
bustling colony of breeding to our target birds. Minutes later
cormorants and flocks of we were scanning, in freezing wind
gulls, ending a reasonably and driving rain, the mudflats for
successful day. shorebirds forced ever closer to us by
the incoming tide.
An early morning visit to
Fletcher’s Challenge Forest
produced nothing of interest,
but it helped kill time before
the opening of Wai-o-tapu,
the Rotorua thermal
wonderland. We completed
a circuit of this famous
tourist attraction with its
remarkable thermal features
on offer, including the
regular 10.30am eruption
each day of the Lady Knox
geyser at Pohutu. We
viewed the collapsed caves,
Pohutu geyser Southern Red-breasted Plover (AR)
2 19
DPL