| Birding
On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002 Emmalee Tarry |
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| Tiritiri Matangi - An Island Sanctuary | Page 3 / 5 |
We began the climb to the lighthouse on the wattle trail. The wattle trail was named for a winter blooming plant introduced by one of the lighthouse keepers to provide flowers for nectar eating birds. One of the first birds we saw was the Red-crowned Parakeet. The large green parakeet was the first bird restored on the island. While locally common I would not see this bird again until I got to Stewart Island.
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The vegetation planted by volunteers about 20 years ago is
today a good height for birding. The Stitchbird another rare endemic introduced on the island is now relatively common here and easy to see and photograph. Stitchbirds and Bellbirds are honeyeaters and nectar feeders. They could be found easily at the Hummingbird feeders maintained by the volunteers. Cages around the feeders have holes large enough for the Stitchbirds, but too small for the more aggressive Bellbirds. |
| The robins of Australia and New Zealand are dear little
birds. This is the North Island Robin introduced here. Notice the bands
on this bird. Sally scratched on the ground with a stick to attract this bird. Another honeyeater is the remarkable Tui. It is a common endemic.that you will see many times. It was one of my favorite birds because it makes remarkable noises and has two white tuffs under the chin. |
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The Bellbird was common throughout New Zealand and on
Tiritiri. It was one of the birds that survived the devastation of agriculture
on the island and did not need to be reintroduced. Also look for the Silver Fern the national tree of New Zealand although there is some controversy regarding one of the athletic teams claiming to have the rights to the silver fern logo. This large tree fern is identified by the silvery backing to the fronds. A KingfisherHalcyon sancta vagans perched in the open. This bird is known in New Zealand as Kingfisher because they have only this one kingfisher and in Australia as the Sacred Kingfisher. It is an abundant native bird. |
| The Brown Quail was self-introduced to the island
after the restoration began. It is relatively common and I saw several
The Brown Quail is not a New Zealand native. It was an introduced from Australia and is listed as locally common. The quail is not a threat to the native species and welcome on the island. |
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The locally common Whitehead usually feeds in flocks. On my summer trip a flock moved across the boardwalk and I was able to take this picture. It is closely related to the rare endemic Yellowhead of the south island which I never did see. The Whitehead was introduced to Tiritiri because it was not found in the Auckland area. Otherwise it is not uncommon. |
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