Guiding in a winter wonderland
- Matt
- Aug 14
- 15 min read
After returning from Japan I had around at month at home on Stewart Island, with just a couple trips guiding on Ulva Island. This is generally the quietest time of year on the island, with far less visitors. The weather can be cold but very settled.
On 17th July I left home for a couple weeks to lead a private 15-day tour of New Zealand. The tour started in Auckland and the night prior I met mate and fellow guide, Dave Howes for a beer and a meal at local pub.
A winter birding tour of New Zealand is not something myself or Wrybill Birding Tours had done before. We knew that there would be advantages and disadvantages; the disadvantages were that some birds would not be present - like the cuckoos, waders and some migratory seabirds. There would be colder shorter days, and that some businesses would be closed for the winter season.
But now having done the tour, the advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages. Some species were a lot easier to locate, including Blue Duck, South Island Takahe and Nankeen Night Heron to name but a few. Most of the birding sites we had to ourselves and the roads and motels were quieter.
We dipped on NZ Falcon and Fairy Tern, but had great looks at Yellow-eyed Penguins, Orange-fronted Parakeets, Stichbirds and many more.
We were super lucky with weather - a few frosty mornings were not totally unexpected but enjoyed sunny clear days for the most part.
We travelled just over 3700km from Auckland to Queenstown and saw a very respectable 125 species. Proof that winter can be a highly rewarding birding venture.
The trip started with a bit of a bang!
I picked up my clients from their downtown Auckland hotel and instead of heading north we headed south along the foreshore in search of Shore Plover. This tiny endemic wader was found around ten days earlier by fellow Wrybill guide Dave Howes so we parked along the sea wall and soon found the mega rare Shore Plover.
We grabbed some images and counted our first Variable Oystercatchers, Kelp and Red-billed Gulls and Little Pied Shags. All this in amongst the hustle and bustle of New Zealand’s largest city, with dog walkers, joggers and folks heading off to work.
We left the plover and Auckland, and headed north, finding more Waders and wildfowl en route. The final stop on our journey north was in the middle of a modern housing estate proving you can find good birds anywhere! We saw at least 11 Australian Grebes swimming alongside 4 or 5 New Zealand Dabchicks which provided a good opportunity to compare the two species. Also seen were plenty of Pukeko, Australasian Shovelers, New Zealand Scaup and Mallards, and Welcome Swallows hawked over the water. That night we found two North Island Brown Kiwi feeding by the road. In the next hour we watched another 4 or 5 birds and heard more male and female kiwi calls. Plus at least 2 Morepork were heard.
Next morning our wader list took a shot in the arm - a few overwintering Bar-tailed Godwits flew in and landed front of us. They were joined by Banded Dotterels, at least 5 Wrybill, and a lone South Island Pied Oystercatcher was spotted amongst the Variable Oystercatchers. For our first bit of forest birding. We drove into the predator-controlled fenced area and became surrounded by Pukekos. Near the car park in amongst the throngs of Pukeko was their larger cousin – a pair of much sought-after South Island Takahe. These huge flightless rails were only rediscovered in 1948 having thought to have been extinct. We stopped the car and grabbed some images. Entering the bush trails new birds came thick and fast. Whiteheads were feeding and calling above us. A pair of North Island Saddleback eventually gave themselves up. Next a Bellbird joined our trip list. I spotted a skulking Brown Teal sitting quietly by the stream and several Kaka flew above us calling but never really showing well. On the other hand, a New Zealand Pigeon posed very nicely for the cameras. A North Island Robin put in a brief appearance and farther down the track a Buff-banded Rail was spotted as it ran across the track. Other endemic birds seen included Tui, NZ Fantail and more NZ Dotterel. And as we drove from the park we saw more Brown Teal, plus Australian Magpies and a male Ring-necked Pheasant.
The next morning before catching the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi (fondly known as Tiri), we checked a site for Buff banded rail. No luck but we watched Pied Stilts and Masked Lapwings squabble with each other. I heard a couple of familiar calls and with a bit of searching (and luck!) we saw a tiny shy Spotless Crake run for cover. At least three NZ Fernbirds hopped around the small scrubby pondside bushes – awesome!
Tiritiri Mantangi Island is a small predator-free Island only a 25-minute ferry ride from the mainland and is home to many rare endemic birds. With time only for a day trip the pressure was on - first up were a couple of Red-crowned Parakeets feeding in the flax which were joined by four Brown Quail. Then as we entered the trail we heard Whiteheads, Stichbirds and a North Island Robin. There was another call, so we backtracked and found the source – the iconic North Island Kokako sitting in the top of a tree. One of our most wanted birds was on our list- a great start! At the first set of sugar water feeders we saw and heard many Bellbirds. A stunning male Stichbird came to the feeder and was joined by another male and the less colourful female. Often known by their Maori name of Hihi, their call is a sharp electric sounding ‘zip’. The early European settlers thought the call sounded like the word ‘stitch’ and that’s how the bird came by this unusual name.
Walking the Tiri trails we saw North Island Saddleback, more Whitehead, Tui, Bellbird, Robin, Pigeon, Parakeets and Fantail and a tiny Rifleman put in a brief appearance. Out of the trail, we entered a grassland area with plenty of Pukeko feeding on the grass and overlooking the cliffs we found 3 South Island Takahe enjoying the morning sun on their backs as they fed. Magical! In the nearby bushes a small party of Silvereye hunted for food and it was also time for us to have a spot of lunch - while watching Tui and Bellbirds at the feeders and another Kokako played hide and seek in the nearby trees! On the return journey to the wharf we found more Robins, Saddleback, Stichbird and Parakeets plus a lone Brown Teal snoozing in the afternoon sun by a small pond. The ferry ride provided views of plenty of Fluttering Shearwaters and few Australian Gannets.
At Miranda the next day in front of the hide were plenty of Pied Stilts and South Island Pied Oystercatcher. From our right a large flock of Eastern Cattle Egrets flew in and landed in front of the hide – we counted 37 birds, picked out amongst the 30 plus Royal Spoonbills. At the back of the pool, we found the long staying pair of Glossy Ibis which were busy feeding. Around 8 Godwits flew in and landed on the scrapes. With a bit of scanning through the scope we soon realised that 7 of them were the expected Bar-tailed Godwits, that had not travelled north to Alaska to breed. The eighth bird was smaller and more uniformed, grey in appearance. Awesome - it was the Black-tailed Godwit! It had been reported sporadically in this location. To underline our ID the bird started to preen, showing the large black tail band. We also found a closer showier Wrybill. In just under an hour we had added three new species to our growing trip list.
Leaving Miranda for the drive south we added a group of Indian Peafowl to the list; at a native North Island forest we got Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Tomtit, Kaka, North Island Robin, Grey Warbler, Bellbird, Tui and NZ Pigeons.
We were up before the lark the next morning - at a fast-flowing river the fly fishermen were already casting as we scanned the area. I spotted a couple of Blue Ducks close to us. Boom! That’s the way to start the day. We eventually counted 9 Blue Ducks all within close approximately of each other. This sought-after rare endemic duck can sometimes be tricky to locate. Happy with our haul we changed location for Eurasian Coot, Black-billed Gull and Little Black Shag along with plenty of Black Swans, Canada Geese, NZ Scaup and NZ Dabchicks. Then some incredible luck - an Australasian Bittern exploded from the reeds in front of us and flew across the reed bed. Wow!
Mount Ruapehu was cloaked in a dusting of snow. Driving through some stunning scenery we encountered large flocks of Indian Peafowl. Time for a cup of tea and cake. The café we stopped at is one the best places in New Zealand to see Nankeen Night Heron. This fairly recent naturalised coloniser to New Zealand can be super shy. But winter is probably the best time to look for them. We counted at least 7 birds, ranging from adults, sub-adults, and speckled juveniles. The tea and cake was pretty good as well!
Across to the South Island on the Wellington to Picton ferry, it was rather quiet bird-wise. The following morning our charter boat slipped away from the wharf just past 8am heading for Queen Charlotte Sound. A pair of Little Blue Penguins swam around us, preening and soon more Little Blues joined. Heading towards the headland, in amongst the Spotted Shags was one of main targets for the morning – King Shags – three to be exact, standing taller and heavier than their smaller cousins. This rare endemic is only found around the waters of Marlborough Sounds and has an estimated population of less than 800 birds.
On the way to our next destination, a small predator-free island, we found another group of 23 King Shags and our attention was caught by a small pod of Dusky Dolphins. These playful, often curious animals provided us with great views. On arrival at our destination, we climbed down the ladder from the bow of the vessel to set foot on the island. Two or three Weka fed on the shoreline along with a few Variable Oystercatchers. A pair of Orange-fronted Parakeets (sometimes known as Malherbe's Parakeet) gave themselves up. They preened and chatted right in front of us, and amazingly were joined by a juvenile South Island Saddleback, in its all over chocolate brown plumage. We had two of New Zealand rarest species right in front of us. Wow! Other birds seen on the island were Silvereye, Bellbird, Tomtit and Tui. On the way back to Picton we saw plenty of Pied and Spotted Shags, Fluttering Shearwaters, Australasian Gannets, White-fronted Terns, Kelp and Red-billed Gulls, and a few New Zealand Fur Seals sleeping on the rocky shoreline.
Back on dry land we visited the musical toilets (which play classical music!) and hit the road south. Lunch was enjoyed at a small roadside lake which also happens to be the best place in New Zealand to find Hoary-headed Grebe. This small grebe is a recent arrival to NZ from Australia, where it’s fairly common. We soon scoped three new species: at least couple of Hoary-headed Grebes swam at the back of the lake. They were joined by another new bird for the tour, the larger grand looking Australian Great Crested Grebe, and we also saw a couple of New Zealand Dabchicks. There can’t be many places in New Zealand where you can see three grebe species on the same lake. Also seen were plenty of NZ Scaup, Australasian Shovelers, Black Swans, Canada Geese and our first Grey Teal. I was surprised that we had not encountered these ducks earlier on the trip, but better late than never! Other birds seen included Pukeko, Little Pied Shags, Masked Lapwings, and a fly over Black-billed Gull.
On the way to Kaikoura we stopped to admire (and smell) more New Zealand Fur Seals and before heading to bed headed out with hope of finding Little Owl but no luck. The next day in Kaikoura the weather was warm, calm and very little breeze, probably not ideal for our pelagic. But we found 1x Gibson’s Wandering Albatross, 1x Northern Royal Albatross, 9x White-capped Albatross, 2x Salvin’s Albatross, 9x Black-browed Albatross, 3x Northern Giant Petrels and 7x Cape Petrels. So not too shabby. Other birds seen: a couple of stunning Black-fronted Terns that were almost in full breeding plumage and soon would be heading inland to start breeding again.
It wasn’t all birds - we found a few Dusky Dolphins that weren’t that interested in us, caught sight of a distant breeching Humpback, and saw a few more snoozing NZ Fur Seals on Barney’s Rock. The highlight on the mammal front was a small pod of super cute Hectors Dolphins. These tiny rare endemic dolphins are often found swimming around shallow stirred up water and can be picked out by their Mickey Mouse-shaped dorsal fin. We were fortunate to encounter around 10 of these amazing creatures. Later that evening we tried again for Little Owl, again no luck - however we were rewarded with a large European Starling murmuration as they headed to roost in some large Poplar trees.
At a tidal estuary on the way to the South Island’s biggest city, Christchurch we picked up the vagrant Little Egret that had been in this location for a while. On the dropping tide line were also Royal Spoonbills, Australasian Shovelers, Grey Teal and Paradise Shelducks. A few waders were also present: Variable and South Island Pied Oystercatchers, Banded Dotterels, Masked Lapwings and, in amongst the Pied Stilts, was a lone hybrid Pied x Black Stilt.
A bit further down the road we added Mute Swan to our growing trip list. This introduced graceful swan’s stronghold seems to be around the Canterbury region of the South Island. We also saw more NZ Scaup, Canada Geese, Black Swans, plenty of Eurasian Coot, not forgetting the black phase New Zealand Fantail.
Heading inland towards the spine of the South Island, the Southern Alps and onwards to the snow-capped peaks and the tiny village of Arthur’s Pass. Almost immediately we saw a couple of Kea in the car park, our main target for the day. A wander around produced six more birds. We heard our first South Island Robin but the bird never showed itself.
As a bird watching guide in New Zealand, it’s wonderful to show birders from all around the world their first Kea but unfortunately this wonderful alpine parrot is in serious decline due introduced pests, and the bad habit of humans feeding them. I always find it quite uncomfortable watching them around human settlements.
From Arthur’s Pass we drove south through arguably some of New Zealand best scenery,
into Mackenzie Country with one bird in mind. The trick to finding the world’s rarest wader is to check out every location you have seen one before! We drove down the road checking every muddy puddle, lake and pond. Nothing! The sealed road turned into a gravel road, then I hit the brakes. BOOM! Spied through the roadside trees were two black shapes. Bins up ... yes two Kaki, or Black Stilts, feeding on the flooded area close to a lake. We parked the car and enjoyed distant but good enough views of these wonderful all black waders, with their constant yapping call. We checked out another couple of sites for Stilt and Chukar but apart from the stunning views we didn’t find any new birds.
A stop at Mount Cook/Aoraki rewarded us with stunning views of New Zealand’s highest peak standing over 3700 metres high (or in old money over 12,200 feet). Even in the summer months this peak has snow on it so she was looking very white at this time of year. We walked around riverbeds that flowed from the mountains into the lake and soon picked up another 10 distant Black Stilts, all in adult plumage. A single Banded Dotterel seemed early back on the breeding grounds, and a large count of South Island Pied Oystercatchers plus a few distant Black-billed Gulls.
At the Victorian town of Oamaru we added a new species to the list - a large number of Otago Shags roosting on the old towns wharf, coming in two colour phases Pied and Bronze. These are large heavy looking shags and they shared the wharf with plenty of the smaller, but equally smart looking Spotted Shags, and even smaller Little Pied Shags. Further down the coast towards a private reserve, possibly our only chance to try find the rarest penguin in the world. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is really struggling to maintain a grip on being a mainland species, due to climate change, bycatch in fishing nets, starvation due lack of preferred food source, habitat loss for breeding sites, and human disturbance. Throw in dogs, sealions and avian malaria – it’s not a great looking future for this wonderful bird.
Patience was the name of the game. We sat and waited at a spot where I had seen them in the past. We waited and waited. Then I caught sight of something out the corner of his eye. Yes, two Yellow-eyed Penguins came ashore, and preened in front of us. They were soon joined by another three birds, purposefully porpoising in towards the beach. We watched five birds together preening and calling and shared the scope with other visiting folks, happy to add this mega rare endemic bird to our list, we departed.
The ferry crossing from Bluff to Stewart Island was super calm, but we still spotted a few new birds: Buller’s Albatross, Common Diving Petrel, and plenty of Foveaux Shags were seen. We also saw White-capped Albatross, Cape Petrel, Blue Penguins. That evening we found a couple of showy Stewart Island Brown Kiwi to finish up another great day’s birding in the south, and I get to sleep at home for 2 nights!
Main targets the next day at Ulva Island were South Island Robin, Pipipi and Yellowhead. Almost instantly on arrival to this predator-free island a pair of South Islands Robins appeared and happily fed in front of us. Like the Kiwi this a distinct sub-species of South Island Robin, often called the Stewart Island Robin – it is a lot whiter on its breast than its northern cousin. The Robins were soon joined by a Red-Crowned Parakeet, Kaka and our next target Yellowhead, at least half a dozen birds fed high in the canopy and were seen well along with their buzzy calls. Along the trail we found a couple more Robins, our first Pipipi/ Brown Creeper was heard but not seen and then we found a small family group feeding close to the path. They were joined by a single, Yellow-crowned Parakeet.
As we got closer to the beach, we heard the roar of a New Zealand Sea Lion. At the sheltered beach we witnessed and added a new endemic animal to our list - six young male New Zealand Sea Lions jostled and jousted with each other. This play fighting is practice for when they are mature and need to defend and impress the females. A small rusty coloured Stewart Island Weka fed on the beach in front of the sea lions, oblivious to their noise. Other birds seen as we strolled through the native forest, were a shy pair of South Island Saddlebacks, a Rifleman, Tomtit and better looks at some closer Pipipi.
The afternoon was spent on a large comfortable catamaran, skippered by Nate. Leaving Paterson Inlet we headed south in the open waters, where couple of Buller’s Albatross soon joined us. Forty minutes later we arrived at Wreck Reef and put some chum in the water. It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by 40+ Buller’s Albatross, a small but very attractive Albatross with bright yellow upper and lower mandible. They were soon joined by our seventh Albatross species of the tour, the very large Southern Royal Albatross.
This huge albatross is always a pleasure to see, we counted at least eleven individuals. Another two species of Albatross were seen, the more common White-capped Albatross, a single Salvin’s Albatross plus couple Black-fronted Terns. These were joined by three Northern Giant Petrels and several chatty Cape Petrels. We were surprised at the lack of smaller birds, and of course just as we were about to depart a single Southern Giant Petrel showed up! Heading back to shore we added two Southern Brown Skuas to our days haul of good birds, more Foveaux Shags, and picked up two distant, Yellow-eyed Penguins before finding our final great bird of the day - five Fiordland Crested Penguins! These migratory penguins had only just arrived back to their breeding grounds.
Stewart Island had given the trip and list a shot in the arm - we had seen seven new species of bird, and better looks at others.
An earthquake over 10,500km away put a bit of a spanner in the works the next morning! A huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka, Russia had the potential to cause a tsunami throughout the Pacific. Our ferry to leave Stewart Island was delayed by Maritime NZ who oversee the safety of New Zealand’s ferries.
So, with a bit a spare time I showed my clients around my island home. First stop Observation Rock for stunning views overlooking Paterson Inlet, Golden Bay, Iona Island and Ulva Island. Then to the end of the road - Lee Bay where the trail to the National Park starts and where we added a new bird for the trip – a small flock of Redpoll feeding on grass seed heads along the side of the beach. As we watched a large New Zealand Pigeon soaking up the morning sun, we got a call to say the ferry was going to be further delayed until late afternoon so our Plan B kicked in and we got the last three seats off the island on the 1:30pm flight. We arrived at Invercargill airport at 2pm, I jumped into a cab back down to Bluff to pick up the car, drove back to collect the clients from the airport for the drive to Te Anau, where we’d stay that night.
The final morning of the trip the clients were on a glow worms cave tour so I walked the lake front, seeing 18 species but adding nothing new for the tour. The afternoon drive to Queenstown we saw our last Australian Swamp Harrier hawking over the Southland fields flushing Australasian Magpies and Masked Lapwings. We said our goodbyes at their lake front hotel in Queenstown with a bag full of memories and lifers from our 15-day birding tour of New Zealand from Auckland to Queenstown!
I’m home for around five weeks before heading overseas so I’m back into the Nonu walking team. I’ve been enjoying the slower winter pace of the island and watching the Silvereyes feeding on the sugar water from the office window.
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