CURLEW SANDPIPER

Photographed at Miranda, North Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*   414)                   CURLEW SANDPIPER                    Calidris ferruginea  

NEW ZEALAND                    120

Uncommon Arctic migrant. Breeds in the Arctic Asia. Regular summer visitor to NZ, and some overwinter. Favours tidal flats, brackish pools and margins to coastal lakes, mainly at Firth of Thames, Lake Ellesmere and Awarua Bay.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Photographed at Miranda, North Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  499)                       PECTORAL SANDPIPER               Caladris melanotos 

NEW ZEALAND                119

Rare Arctic migrant. Breeds in Arctic North America. Migrates to South America. A few reach NZ each summer, often with Sharp-tailed Sandpipers on open marsh-turf flats of coastal lakes, especially Lake Wairarapa and Ellesmere, or in low-growing salt marsh of estuaries.

SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER

Photographed at Miranda, North Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  255)                  SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER                   Calidris acuminata

NEW ZEALAND                 118

Uncommon Arctic migrant. Breeds in Siberia, migrates tio Australasia. In New Zealand favours low-growing salt marsh of estuaries and open marsh-turf flats of coastal lakes, mainly at Kaimaumau, Firth of Thames, Ahuriri and Manawatu estuaries, Lake Wairarapa and Ellesmere, and Awarua Bay.

EASTERN CATTLE EGRET

Photographed at Westport, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  216)                 EASTERN CATTLE EGRET                Ardea ibis or Bubulcus coromandus

NEW ZEALAND                 117

Uncommon Australian migrant. Usually associated with livestock, especially cattle, in damp pasture. May return to same farms for autumn and winter year after year.

NEW ZEALAND FALCON

Photographed from Slaughterhouse Lodge, Hector, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

1291                           NEW ZEALAND FALCON                Falco novaeseelandiae

NEW ZEALAND                  116

Also known by Maori name Karearea. Uncommon endemic. Found in forests and bush patches, open tussock land of South Island. Juveniles wander to cities, orchards, and offshore islands.

NOTE: Very distant photographs of the falcon resting on the next hill spur. Will replace with better shots when able to.

CIRL BUNTING

Photographed at Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

1290                     CIRL BUNTING              Emberiza cirlus

NEW ZEALAND                  115 

Uncommon European introduction. Found in dry pastures or arable farmland with scattered scrub, and pine and macrocarpa shelterbelts, mainly in Nelson and eastern South Island, especially Marlborough and Central Otago.

KING SHAG

Photographed on Blumaine Island, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019.

1289                   KING SHAG                   Leucoccarbo carunculatus

NEW ZEALAND                 114

Rare endemic. About 125 pairs in coastal waters of Marlborough Sound only.

FLUTTERING SHEARWATER

Photographed in Queen Charlotte Sound, near Picton, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019.

(*   790)                       FLUTTERING SHEARWATER                   Puffinus gavia

NEW ZEALAND                 113

Also known by Maori name Pakaha. Abundant endemic. Breeds on many islands around North Island and Cook Strait. Flocks common in coastal waters and harbours, some visit Australia during breeding season.

MARSH CRAKE

Photographed at Timber Yards Road, Leeston, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  412)                   MARSH CRAKE                   Porzana pusilla

NEW ZEALAND                 112

Known also as Baillion's Rail and by the Maori name Koitareke. Uncommon native. Inhabits dense beds of reeds and rushes in freshwater and estuarine wetlands. Found over most of New Zealand.

GIBSON'S ALBATROSS

Photographed off Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(* 1237)                   GIBSON'S ALBATROSS                Diomedea gibsoni

NEW ZEALAND               111

Also known as Auckland Island Albatross or Gibson's Wandering Albatross. Considered by some to be a subspecies of Wandering Albatross and by some to be a subspecies of Antipodean Albatross and by others to be a full species. Breed only on the subantarctic Auckland Islands archaepeligo of New Zealand. Breeding females feed mainly in Tasman sea while male forage further in the sub Australian or mid Pacific sectors of Southern Ocean. Feed mainly on fish, cephalopods and crustaceans; feed on surface or shallow dives just below.

WHITE-CHINNED PETREL

Photographed off Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  965)                 WHITE-CHINNED PETREL                Procellaria aequinoctialis

NEW ZEALAND             110

Also known as Shoemaker. Breeds circumpolar subantarctic, including Antipodes, Auckland and Campbell Islands. Occasionally seen near mainland New Zealand but mainly ranges to south and east.

WESTLAND PETREL

Photographed off Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  1254)                  WESTLAND PETREL                 Procellaria westlandica

NEW ZEALAND             109

Uncommon endemic. About 4000 pairs breed only in the forested coastal foothills of the Paparoa Range between Barrytown and Punakaiki, West Coast, South Island. In breeding season seen mainly off east coast, Cook Strait and West Coast but ranges west to Australia; migrates to central or eastern South Pacific.

BLACK STILT

Photographed on Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

1288                BLACK STILT              Himantopus novaezelandiae  

NEW ZEALAND              108

Also known by Maori name Kaki. Breeds on riverbeds, lake margins and ponds of Mackenzie Basin, inland South Canterbury. After breeding, most of the c 70 adult birds move to river deltas of major lakes in the Mackenzie Basin, and some to estuaries of eastern South Island and western North Island.

AUSTRALIAN CRESTED GREBE

Photographed at Kellands Ponds, South Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*  466)                AUSTRALIAN CRESTED GREBE                 Podiceps cristus 

NEW ZEALAND             107

Also known by Maori name Puteketeke. About 600 birds found on open lakes of inland South Island. Usually in pairs but gather on some Canterbury lakes in winter. Rare vagrant to North Island.