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If you’re into family ticks, and into armchair ticks, well, I hope you’ve been to NewZealand, because the island just got another endemic bird family. That the three species of mohoua (genus Mohoua ) are NewZealand’s newest family is hardly a surprise. Say hello to the Mohouidae.
Since NewZealand is currently consumed by rugby fever and we haven’t the time to indulge in anything so tedious as birdwatching, I thought I’d dive back under the sea to introduce one of NewZealand’s most iconic aquatic organisms, the Australasian Snapper ( Pagrus auratus ). Used with permission.
Conservation was in the news again in the last few weeks here in NewZealand, and unfortunately not in a good way. As most people know cats, both feral and domestic, have a pretty big impact on wild birds and other wildlife, and the effect of mammals is particularly profound in NewZealand.
People ascribe near mythic status to the members of the family Delphinidae (and other related families). If you love the idea of swimming with dolphins, NewZealand is a great place to do it. Not, may I hurry to add, because I had some issue with swimming in the ocean in NewZealand on South Island in near winter.
When it comes down to it NewZealand is all about islands. As I have explained before these islands are the best place for a lot of the birding here because they are more easily protected from introduced mammals which wreck such havoc on the wildlife here. Red-crowned Parakeet foraging near a NewZealand Fur Seal.
Mainland island sanctuaries are popular in NewZealand for any number of reasons. Dunedin sells itself as the wildlife capital of NewZealand, in no small part due to its impressive seabird colonies (more of which later this month), but in Orokonui they now have a sanctuary to find rarer forest birds. NewZealand Pigeons.
Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. There is a large family of frogs, Bufonidae, that includes most of the warty, hoppy creatures we think of as toads.
It’s kind of an odd spot, a mix of protected wetland and mangroves mixed with some manicured lawns and parking. Also known as the Flyeater, this tiny bird is the only representative of the Australasian warbler family found in mainland Asia, and very similar to my own Grey Warblers in NewZealand, even their songs.
Nice. ((** all names have been changed to protect identities and have been substituted with (almost) randomly chosen substitutes suitable for a family of Alpine Accentors.)) small families putting less pressure on the adult members of the family). In this case, they would be exhibiting polyandry.
In particular they evoke the New Hampshire lake my extended family descends upon each summer and has done so from before I was born. NewZealand: The Didn’t Bloody Even See It Award. I saw a number of lifers this year in NewZealand, but my bird of the year is one I heard but didn’t see.
home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Stalking a Kiwi Icon Stalking a Kiwi Icon By Duncan • March 16, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share Most people, if asked, would confidently name what they thought the National Bird of NewZealand was.
Not forever mind, I’ll still be living here in NewZealand and carrying on as its beat writer here (I may even write about NewZealand again some time). Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once. Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year.
It is a fascinating book that teaches while it entertains, that offers research-informed arguments for bird protection and conservation in the guise of vibrant design. The Takahe, a large flightless bird endemic to NewZealand, was thought to be extinct, and then was rediscovered in 1948.
This location is great as it is close to Jeanne’s Family, as well as a very short drive to the Billy Frank Jr. In 1974, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect the delta and its diversity of fish and wildlife habitats. Despite all this red tape stuff, I am still making some time for birding. Nisqually NWR.
NewZealand had been good, Australia was incredible, and South Africa was almost life altering. We have been dragging him thru every bird spot possible, so he could go to Scotland to see where his family is from. Speaking of Bank Swallows , here is one of those family groups. Where do you go from there?
On my last visit, which lastes four days, I didn’t have much time to sneak away from family, but I did get to check out two new sites. The reserve protects a stand of mahogany swamp that attracts large numbers of nectar feeding birds when they flower in the winter.
Royal National Park is one of the jewels of Sydney, a massive park that protects a huge swathe of coastal bush (bush in the Australian sense meaning anything from rainforest to coastal scrub) to the south of the city. And reach it I did earlier this year, after I got back from my jaunt up north to Cairns but before I returned to NewZealand.
So, inspired by a similar article on road birding in Thailand, I present road birding in NewZealand. As with any kind of road birding, birding as a car passenger in NewZealand generally restricts the kind of birds you’re going to see. 2) Masked Plover Masked Plover ( Vanellus miles ) by James Reed.
Another native bird that quickly showed itself to me in the capital was the Polynesian Triller , a member of the cuckoo-shrike family. In particular there was a large are protected on the eastern side of the island (about a third of the island) as ‘Eua National Park.The island is less populated and quieter.
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