Day 3: Driving Tour

Tuesday 14 January 2014 73 °F

Hi all,

Today my mom took our family on a driving tour around the area. Before that, though, I took a short walk around the hotel grounds and saw this beautiful California Quail again:

On the first leg of the driving tour, I spotted a productive birding spot, so we stopped the car and I got out and snapped a few photos. Here they are:

This is a photo of a Marsh Harrier. This species is a common soaring raptor in New Zealand, kind of like a cross between two common raptors in North America: Northern Harrier and Red-tailed Hawk.

Spur-winged Plover

The first planned stop on our hike was a beautiful hike around weird, volcanic boulders scattered throughout native sub-tropical rainforest. I saw a few birds, including this beautiful Common Chaffinch:

The next and last stop was for lunch and some birding on the mudflats near there. I saw some nice birds, including SACRED KINGFISHER, WESTERN REEF and WHITE-FACED HERONS, WHITE-FRONTED and CASPIAN TERNS, SILVER, RED-BILLED, and KELP GULLS, as well as VARIED OYSTERCATCHERS. Here are a few photos:

Sacred Kingfisher

Caspian and White-fronted Terns

White-fronted Tern in flight

That's it for today folks. Tomorrow I will be going on an all-day pelagic birding trip (on a boat, of course) with the rest of my family. I am hoping to see gannets and boobies (the bird, not the breast), and possibly shearwaters, petrels, or rare gulls or terns. Stay tuned for the excitement!

Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 457 (up from 450 yesterday)

Posted by skwclar 22:50 Archived in New Zealand