NEW ZEALAND, PART I (1/17/03)

New Zealand is a country of interesting statistics and history, as well as spectacular scenery. Its 3.85 million people are greatly outnumbered by the 47.5 million sheep. The Maori, the original Polynesian settlers, and the British who arrived two centuries later in the 1700’s, co-mingle, and everyone speaks both languages.

In some ways, New Zealand is an odd destination for birdwatchers, for unlike Uganda and Thailand, which I wrote about earlier this year, New Zealand birding is more difficult to describe. Why? Because there are almost no birds to speak of in the manner to which we North Americans are accustomed. Other than gulls and terns and a very few other birds, one can go for hours along any road without seeing a bird perched on a wire or fence, sitting in a tree or feeding in the lush grass.

Yes, there are birds on New Zealand’s islands, but the most commonly-seen ones — English blackbird, English sparrow, song thrush, European goldfinch, redpoll, skylark, chaffinch, starling, European greenfinch — are not native but were brought there from England after most of the native birds were wiped out as the forests were cut down. The Maori started the deforestation work, but the British did an especially thorough job as they converted various habitats into sheep pastures and later to vineyards for wine production.

Not until the late 1970’s did biologists began to notice the rapid decline of the remaining native species in various pockets of forests and to look for solutions that would protect them from further decimation. Not only did the loss of habitat contribute to the birds’ demise, the introduction of stoats, possums, rats, mice, dogs and cats, some of which became feral, was truly deadly. These predators had an easy time killing the many ground-nesting and flightless birds and eating their eggs, something the only natural predators in New Zealand, one owl and one hawk species, could not do. The only native mammal in New Zealand is a bat, which certainly does not prey on birds.

Nonetheless, it is possible to find a good number of native birds, as long as you have a knowledgeable guide who knows where the remnant forests and island sanctuaries are. Because New Zealand has remained isolated for millions of years since the split of the continental plates, it has around 43 bird species not found elsewhere in the world, some of which are considered to be among the most threatened on earth.

Our first destination was a small predator-free island in Auckland harbor, an ark of sorts where many endangered and beautiful birds with wonderful names have been introduced. On our way there, we witnessed a most amazing scene: A pod of dolphins from below leaping out of the water in pursuit of fish, while droves of gannets dove into the water from above — an extreme feeding frenzy, if ever there was one!

When we got to the island, we were most anxious to see the stitchbird, since this was the only place where we would encounter this unusual honeyeater. Fortunately, it was not difficult to locate this medium-sized bird, the male with a velvety black head, breast and back, all bordered by a band of yellow. Its was named by its discoverer who thought its call sounded like “stitch.” If you would like to know more about this rare bird, go to www.mtbruce.doc.govt.nz/hihi.htm.

In the same woods, we also saw the large saddleback and the bellbird, the former with a glossy black head and body and a bright chestnut “saddle” across its back, the latter, olive green with a red eye and a loud, clear ringing call.

After two full days on North Island, we flew to South Island, the largest of New Zealand’s principal islands. New Zealand is known as one of the cradles of seabird evolution and is extremely rich with a variety of these birds. Our first outing on South Island was aboard a fishing boat which took us out a short distance offshore from Kaikura, a rocky, coastal area set against a gorgeous mountain backdrop. For me, it will always be a trip of a lifetime, as we were soon surrounded by a bewildering assortment of albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels, each a new species for us.

Our boat captain was chumming with frozen blocks of fish in a wire cage to which all the birds were “pushing and shoving” in an effort to get their share. It was a supreme moment when a wandering albatross, the bird with the largest wingspan of any bird, arrived! Albatrosses are seabirds with long, narrow wings, a short tail and large webbed feet. They have long, heavy hooked bills that are covered with horny plates and have nostrils in small tubes on the sides near the base. In addition to the wandering, we also were entranced by royal and shy albatrosses, as well as Cape and giant petrels, fairy prions and fluttering shearwaters. Just imagine the scene!

It couldn’t get better than that — or could it? This tale will be continued in a few weeks.

GRAPHIC: Wandering Albatross