Page 27 - The Villager July 2021

Birding

of Stewart Island. These last-remaining
wild birds were immediately captured
by the DOC and relocated as part of a
breeding programme to three predator-
free isolated islands off the coast.
This charismatic, endemic, plump,
nocturnal parrot is, although flightless,
able, through its strong legs and
reduced wings, to forage in the tree
Kaka (AR) New Zealand Pigeon (AR)
tops (30m up). It makes one of the
loudest sounds of any bird (it can be
heard 5km away), has a lifespan of up
to 90 years, weighs 2 – 4kg and has an
owl-like appearance (prominent facial
disc), accounting for its scientific name,
Strigops habroptilus.
Breeding is extraordinarily slow, they
lay only one or two eggs per clutch. It
takes nine years to reach maturity and
it is totally dependent for breeding
Tui (AR) Stewart Island NZ Tomtit (AR)
success upon the abundance of the fruit
of podocarp trees which only occurs on
average every six years. With a decline
in population to 50 in 1995, extinction
seemed imminent but due to the
committed and dedicated efforts of the
DOC, the next 12 years saw an increase
in numbers to 86. In the following
12 years, there was another relatively
spectacular increase in the population
to a record 213 individuals in September
New Zealand Fantail (AR) Bellbird (AR)
2019. Needless to say, this species also
of apprehension amongst our family headed for shore. Surprisingly, only one qualified for the book referred to earlier
group pending our planned visit there of our family experienced some slight as it is considered to be amongst the
within the next day or two. discomfort from our boat trip but the most extraordinary birds on earth.
The final day of our Stewart Island continuation of rain and wind into the A fantastic final dinner of
birding visit was to be a pelagic trip out afternoon dictated a period of slumber scrumptious Blue Cod and chips
into Foveaux Strait. Our boat skipper, and relaxation for our somewhat jaded seemed an appropriate end to a highly
Bruce, arrived at an early hour in and disappointed group. enjoyable and successful short sojourn
pouring rain. The weather deteriorated Despite no sighting or even effort on Stewart Island. The next morning,
further as we departed into the Strait, to see this bird, no birding narrative we were collected by Bruce for our ferry
moving from island to island amongst on a trip to Stewart Island would be ride back across the Foveaux Strait to
the Muttonbird Islands in search of birds complete without a short reference Bluff. Pelagic birding on the return trip
in extremely choppy seas. A solitary, to a bird historically resident on the was excellent, as was the weather, with
rather glum-looking Fiordland (Crested) island which, in my view, deserves Shy and Salvin’s Mollymawks, Fairy
Penguin, forlornly standing on the shore, special mention – and that is the story Prion, hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters
a Pied Shag and the unusual discovery of the Kakapo, the world’s only flightless and a solitary Buller’s Shearwater,
of a Southern Giant Petrel feeding out Parrot. Originally widespread on the Common Diving Petrels and a single
at sea on a dead seal provided some mainland, the species was very rare Snares (Cape) Petrel recorded. Once
compensation for the weather which (critically endangered) and on the brink united with our campervan, it was time
had by then deteriorated to the point of extinction when a small population of for some shopping in Invercargill.
where Bruce abandoned the trip and about 80 were discovered in the forests Look out for part 2 in the next edition.

The Villager • Issue 7 2021 • 25