Surprisingly, New Zealand only has a few speicies of gulls so it was easy enough to identify them. Here we have the Red-Billed Gull.
Female Blackbird
This Cormorant was difficult to identify. It seems they are sometimes called "Shags" or "Kawau". I think this one is a Little-Pied Cormorant, possibly also called "Little Shag" (Kawaupaka).
Having just come across several unidentifiable, domesticated water fowl at the time I started looking through these pictures, I figured I had no chance at identifying these ones. I couldn't have been more wrong. I found a picture of these guys that could almost have been my exact photo. Male and female (white head) Paradise Shelduck.
Southern Black-Backed Gull
Pukeko
Australian Magpies
Either a female Grey Duck or Mallard or maybe even a hybrid?
California Quail
Fantail
Song Thrush
A Grebe of sorts. Reminds me of a Pie-Billed Grebe, but could never quite figure this one out. I also saw a little yellow bird, but the only picture I could get of it was a blurry yellow blob. Maybe a Waxeye? We shall never know for sure.
OMG -- this is great!! when I was in NZ i had not become obsessed with birds yet.
ReplyDeleteso where were you? I love the Pukeko! and I was enamored with the fantail when i lived there - so awesome that you got a shot of that one! they would always flit around us as we hiked in the beech forests - i learned from a kiwi it was because as we walked we stirred up flying insects and the fantails would move around us to eat them up!
I had never seen the paradise shelducks before or the song thrush! way to go! the grebe cracked me up since i know how you feel about the poor pie-billed ;)
did you get into the mountains and see the Kea? the cheeky alpine parrots that act like our Grey Jays?? They were too much.
hhmmm,, i have to talk to you more, i see us in NZ in the future.... we can go in search of the elusive kiwi bird!
That's so awesome! I didn't know you use to live in NZ!! Yes, much to discuss. I was mostly in Christchurch and spent a few days visiting a friend in Auckland. Where were you? We didn't make it to the mountains, unfortunately, Jeff was there for work. That sounds so cool!
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