This Wandering Day
I hadn't seen my friend Heidi and her family for a long long time. It had been something like 20 years. We went to school together. We were roommates in college together. And beyond all things, we loved exploring and discovering amazing places around the world together. That is until we moved on in our lives after graduation and began our life's journey.
Gandalf attacks from on top the great Eagles of Manwe
During the planning of my first trek into New Zealand, I wanted to spend time with my friend and her family. As I progressed into my research, I realized that I could do much of the endemic bird part around Wellington. I could accomplish both hanging out and birding at the same time. There are 2 more trips that are needed for down the road. One to the South Island and another for pelagics and the penguins during their summer.
Black-fronted Tern
The flight was LOOOONG! Next time I go, it will include one or two stops in Australia. Each day my friend Heidi and I searched a new place for birds. I was so ready for the bird challenge that when we did stop at a place, I began listing off birds left and right. It was overwhelming! I studied for months the exotic sounds of their endemics.
I felt safe and happy in New Zealand. I have loved all my travels around the world, but this was a place where I could see myself actually retiring. The weather was wonderful and the people were very forward thinking and kind. Never have I been to a place where people truly cherished and protected their wildlife. Even the money reflected the pride in their birds. I nicknamed their money "Bird Bucks!"
In the past, the Polynesian people inhabited many islands including places like Tahiti, Hawaii and New Zealand. In this corner of the world, as with most of the islands, birds have had a difficult time surviving due to historical missteps. Many of these places have witnessed their birds disappearing due to rats and other invasive rodents. Many birds had evolved into birds that didn't fly. So they were open to attack once human settlers brought with them domestic animals and wild rats that hid on ships. These rodents have caused the mass extinctions of so many bird species. Then came the Europeans, British, Americans and on and on. Each one making it more and more difficult for the native species to survive. In Hawaii, it is a very sad place to bird due to the continual decline of their native birds. In fact, while I was in New Zealand, we received a report that the Akikiki, a native honeycreeper on Kaua'i, went extinct:(
But on that same day, we also received news that the very endangered Kākāpo populations have grown over the past couple years and needed to be moved into other sanctuary islands and now for the first time in a long time, 3 males will be released in a sanctuary on the North Island! This is fantastic news.
Gray Teal
In New Zealand, they are reversing the "declining" trend by creating "sanctuaries" for birds to recover. The sanctuaries have fences around large land areas that allow their endemic birds to nest without the fear of having their nests raided by a rat or a stoat. Or just get plain eaten by anything and everything!
Heidi is a specialist in plants. In fact, she's a doctor of plants and works at the world renown Te Papa Museum doing research. But she also loves nature, something we both have in common. She taught me about the plants and I shared some bird things that I learned during my research.
Tui
While on the trails, we encountered so many kind people who shared so many interesting things with us. The one thing I heard the most from everyone living in or around Wellington was that they were thrilled to have their native birds flying over their homes again. While I stayed at my friend's place, I saw Kākā fly over their house! I didn't count them because I wanted better views. However, I knew it was them because they are quite vocal:) Because of their sanctuaries and islands wide rodent/rat traps, the birds are coming back! And who doesn't like to hear a story like that?
The now extinct Haast's eagle at the Wellington airport, the largest known eagle to have existed
And during our hikes in Wellington, we had fun searching for a few of the Lord of the Ring's sites where they had filmed several scenes for the first movie. Some we reenacted.
The only swallow around was the Welcome Swallow. It looks very much like our Barn Swallow.
While some birds looked similar to species back home in Arizona, there were some that were completely bizarre and unique to the islands. The Australasian Magpie is found anywhere there are soccer/football fields. About a half mile from Heidi's house, we had such a field. And there we found several of these really cool birds.
Australasian Magpie
I had thought Sacred Kingfishers would be difficult to photograph, but surprisingly, this species of kingfisher was easy! Found along estuaries, tidal wetlands and wherever tidal pools were exposed, the kingfishers would grab crabs and other critters that dared to peak out of their mud holes or skim too close to the surface.
Sacred Kingfisher
There were 3 types of gulls making the ID's an easy one. This Kelp Gull was a favorite because it's the largest and easiest one to ID:) They were very common and often found around the ocean's shores.
I fell in love with Wellington and surrounding areas. It was hard to leave. We all pick paths in life. This is one I wouldn't mind choosing down the road. Someone said to me, from their birding point of view, "There's not a lot of birds to find in New Zealand." There are over 200 birds seen on these islands and personally, I think that's a lot. But again, it's also about the journey. It's not just about the birds, although the birds guide us.
In the next post, we'll explore a really great area of wetlands near Wellington. Until next time......
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