Birding On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002 Emmalee Tarry Comments | Table of Contents Tiritiri Matangi - An Island Sanctuary Page 4 / 5 Summer Visit I returned to Tiritiri Matangi in December just before I left New Zealand to fly home. My guide on the second trip was Mel and we climbed the Kaweran Bush Trail. This trail has boardwalks and stairs like the Wattle Trail. It is an easy but steadily uphill climb to the Ridge Road and on to the lighthouse. Most birds were seen on both trips with some easier to see in the winter when they were not breeding. Saddleback The Saddleback is a member of the New Zealand Wattlebirds family (Callaeidae). The Kokako and the extinct Huia also belong to this family. The rare endemic Saddleback was introduced to the island in 1984. It was easy to see on both my winter and summer trips. A ground forager it tends to bound from limb to limb without flying. I found it rather hard to photograph as it always seemed to keep behind the leaves. This photograph shows the chestnut saddle and rump. Kokako or Blue-wattled Crow The Kokako is the only member of the Wattlebird family to survive on the mainland. On Tiritiri it is much harder to see than the Saddleback and I missed it entirely on my winter trip. On the summer trip I saw two individuals. It is not a strong flier and sits quietly in shrubby vegetation. The Lighthouse The guided walk ends at the lighthouse where volunteers have a gift shop and offer tea and coffee. You can retrieve your lunch you left on the tractor at the dock and eat at the picnic tables. There are toilets with running water. This is also the location of the YHA bunk house where you can spend the night. You then have about 2 hours to explore the island on your own before making your way back to the dock for the return ferry at 3:30 PM. The enthusiastic young Kiwi birder in the blue hat was anxious to see a Fernbird. A recent introduction to Tiritiri, it is not easy to find here or elsewhere. The revegetation of Tiritiri was accomplished with volunteer workers. Seedlings were started in the plant nursery at right. While exploring the nursery I saw the Pied Fantail, Common Blackbird, and a New Zealand Pigeon. Kiwi on Tiritiri Mantangi When New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis they are not talking about a little green fruit but about their beloved native bird. There are at least three species of Kiwi: Great Spotted, Little Spotted, and Brown Kiwi. The Brown Kiwi has three sub-species, North Island Brown, South Island Brown and Stewart Island Brown Kiwi. All species are nocturnal, flightless and very endangered. No birder can come to New Zealand and not want to see a Kiwi in the wild. You may have to be satisfied to hear one in the wild and even that is not easy. Fourteen Little Spotted Kiwi were introduced on the island. Today there are 50 birds. The Brown Kiwi has also been introduced on Tiritiri. You cannot expect to see or even hear either on a day trip. Read more about seeing a Kiwi in the chapter on Kiwi. Tiritiri Matangi Next Page 5-> Back       Table of Contents