Page 28 - The Villager August 2021

Birding

Returning to Twizel, we stopped at the outlet of Lake
Alexandrina into Lake Tekapo to identify three pairs of NZ
Shoveler and six Grey Teal when Kirsty suddenly spotted a
Black Stilt foraging along the shoreline. The bird’s legs were
banded (green left and yellow right) and its plumage was pitch
black without a trace of white indicating a pure-bred specimen
uncontaminated by the closely related Pied Stilt who regularly
hybridise with their black cousin.
The scenery here was fantastic! Lake Pukaki was the most
incredible turquoise blue colour. Set against a backdrop of
snow-clad mountains, it was an absolutely stunning sight. We
spent the night in the Twizel Motor Park.
Despite yet another day of mist and rain, Des and Kirsty
decided to cycle to Mount Cook, the highest peak (3 754m) in
NZ, whilst Maureen and I revisited the Cass River for a second
viewing of the Stilt before also setting off for Mount Cook,
which we had visited some 20 years previously. Morepork (AR)
Well did we recall the Keas, large alpine parrots that
indulged in noisy antics, alighting on the roof peaks of our
hotel, the Hermitage, then sliding down the roof slope to the
end, before launching into joyous flight screaming kee-aaa,
kee-aaa, kee-aaa. The Hermitage was unrecognisable, having
been completely rebuilt, and Mount Cook itself, shrouded in
cloud and mist, was barely visible so we did not linger and
about-turned back to Twizel.
Just outside the town in gale-force winds we came up behind
Des and Kirsty on their bikes leaning into the cross-wind at
an unbelievable angle to remain in their saddles. Perhaps
Double-banded Plover (AR)
understandably, no resistance was given when we loaded
their bikes onto the back of the camper van and proceeded en Maureen and I visited the Bullock Creek Road as a recce for yet
route to our next beautifully located overnight destination, the another Kiwi-spotting excursion that evening.
Glendhu Bay Motor Park on the shores of Lake Wanaka. We re-united with Des and Kirsty at noon and spent the
During an early morning jog into Wanaka town via a hill afternoon visiting the geologically interesting wonder of
that overlooked the town, Des and Kirsty spotted a pair of Pancake Rocks. That evening, we drove to Razorback Ridge
introduced Californian Quails. Next on our agenda was a to watch for the Westland Petrels that congregate in small
drive to Haast Village on the West Coast via Makarora and numbers offshore before flying in to their breeding burrows in
the Aspiring National Park. Fabulous indigenous forest was the Paparoa forests that overlook the sea.
encountered virtually all the way via Haast Pass to the Village, After dinner, we departed as planned for Bullock Creek
yielding my only lifer of the day, a perched and very elusive NZ Road on a quest for the Great-spotted Kiwi. Parking at the
Falcon. A Morepork (Owl) called all night at our Motor Park in farm gate entrance, which is the start of the Inland Park Track,
the Village. we walked into a promising-looking area intently listening
The next day saw us travelling up the West Coast in the for the tell-tale call of the Kiwis. We heard two or three very
best weather of the trip thus far, with a short detour to take close-by calls from the forest, but the fact that the area is
in views of the impressive Fox Glacier. We then had lunch at part of the Paparoa limestone syncline with numerous sink-
Lake Mahinapua. Although sunny, it was very cold, unseasonal holes, pot-holes and other submergences, made it unwise
snow having fallen overnight on the mountains providing to venture off the track in the dark to search for the birds. I
a continuous postcard-spectacle for our journey north to therefore decided to accept the call as a perfectly legitimate
Greymouth and then Moana for our overnight stop at the Lake justification for marking off the species on my life list as a
Brunner Motor Park. A late evening walk along the Arnold ‘heard only’ record. Numerous calls of the Morepork broke
River in search of Great Spotted Kiwis was unsuccessful. the silence particularly on our return to the main road and
The following day was another fine day weather-wise, one flashed across in front of our camper van, providing just
with an early bike ride for Des and Kirsty to Punakaiki while the briefest of views. Possums were very common with a

26 • Issue 8 2021 • The Villager