The Booby Saga
I’ve always been a birdwatcher. From a young age I’ve sat quietly in hides with a pair of binoculars, wandered rainforests staring up into the canopy, and awoken at frankly…
Cape Vultures
Cape vultures are endemic to Southern Africa - they occur nowhere else in the world. There are breeding populations in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and Mozambique, and historically also in…
Bearded Vultures
Bearded Vultures - or Lammergeier - (Gypaetus barbartus) are a distinctly un-vulturine-looking vulture. They are found in most of the mountainous regions throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa. Most of their…
Baby Grebes
What's cuter than a baby grebe? FOUR BABY GREBES! This is high up on the list of favourite wildlife encounters of the year. Sitting on the shore of Lake Wanaka…
Wanaka and Grebes
I’m in Wanaka at the moment, where it is windy and mostly warm. It’s great to get back into the photography groove after exams, and these Australasian Crested Grebes were…
New Zealand Dotterels
At the mouth of the Waiwera Estuary, there are round wire cages in the dunes. Enclosed within a taped-off section of the beach, these mark the nests of New Zealand…
Bar-tailed Godwits
New Zealand is home to some amazing birds. We have endemic species that live nowhere else in the world. We also play host to some migrant species that travel a…
Hihi – Stitchbird
Have you ever seen a Hihi? These beautiful little birds were very poorly known until the 1990's. They are also known as Stitchbirds, and were confined to a remnant population…
Little Blue Penguin
Today is all about the tiniest penguin in the world, the aptly named Little Blue Penguin! Of course I couldn't do a blog series on New Zealand Birds without including…
Kōkako
The voting for New Zealand's Bird of the Year has changed my blogging plans slightly. The next few will be about New Zealand birds! We're going to start with my…
Black Stilts – Kakī
One of our main goals while we were staying in Tekapo was to find and photograph Black Stilts - Kaki. They were once one of the most endangered bird species…
Friendly Fantails
Fantails are one of our ubiquitous native birds that are known for following people around. Friendly fantails don't really like us personally, but they do enjoy feeding on the insects…
Australasian Crested Grebes
We don't see Australasian Crested Grebes in the North Island. They're impressive waterbirds that look ridiculous on land because their legs are set very far back on their bodies! It…
Welcome Swallows
Welcome Swallows are usually quite difficult birds to photograph, in my experience. They're small and very swift, so flight shots are a serious achievement! Even when perched they don't stick…
Morepork
There's nothing I love more than falling asleep to the plaintive hooting of Moreporks. It's something that speaks of home to me - we live near a forest and they…