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Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:07 pm
by Oscar Thomas
Drive to the end of Hardings Road in Blenheim, you might see the ibis in the trees over the sewage ponds but if you continue past them to the Wairau Lagoon walk, I have seen Cirl buntings along there in shrubs.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:09 pm
by Jim_j
Grahame - if you luck out on all those suggestions for Yellowhead then:-

Start of Routeburn near Glenorchy is usually realiable

Blue Mountains (Rankleburn) near Tapanui is still supposed to be good - although you need to access Forestry roads so probably need a 4wheel drive (or Mountain Bike or long walk!) and go in the weekend (last resort if all else fails...).

There is also a population on Bluemine Island in the Marlborough sounds which you can reach via one of the Nature tours that go to Moturara Is/Ship Cove - it also has o/f parakeet which you probably wont get anywhere else....(and probably King Shag on the way out).
Be a bit expensive and the Yellowhead maybe hard to find but worth a shot - OF Parakeet are often seen I believe (I saw one right where the boat dropped me!).
No jetty - you have to wade - so very weather dependant.

If you just go to Motuara Is you will get y/c parakeet & SI Saddleback

cheers
Jim

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:13 pm
by Davidthomas
Yep the north west end. And as mentioned above Cirl buntings at the Wairau sewage lagoons is a relatively reliable spot.

Blumine is also a good option as Jim suggests, OFPs are relatively reliable near to where you land the boat, and yellow head usually a bit further in. King shags breed on the southern tip of the island so should be seen if you go out there. It’s also worth noting that there’s a colony/roost of birds that are viewable from the Interislander ferry that are relatively reliable. See Colin Miskelly’s thread in the sightings subforum for more information.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 8:15 am
by Grahame
You people are all so very helpful, so thank you all once again. I'm sure I will be in with a good chance due to your help.
Cheers
Grahame

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 8:20 am
by kengeorge
We got very lucky with yellowhead/mohua on the Lake Wanaka to Haast highway over to the west coast a couple of years ago. A few kms north of Makarora is a carpark for the Blue Pools Walk on the main highway; we pulled in to the carpark and there was a group of 8-10 mohua in the trees right above the carpark, crossing back and forth across the road and sitting calling loudly in the trees right there. The Blue Pools Walk is beautiful too, worth doing. Makarora is a nice spot to stop for the night too, it's just a truck stop, restaurant, accommodation chalets but the surrounds are worth the stop-over.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:34 pm
by Jim_j
Good call Ken - I'd forgotten about that spot.
Grahame if you end up going through Haast then well worth a night or two at Okarito - there is a guy there that does night tours which are apparently vey realiable for Rowi.
It's also a fantastic spot - fernbird, bittern, waders etc.
Fiordlnd Crested Penguins at Knights Point?

Sort of depends on how much money and time you've got....

One thing with Yellowhead is that they can be reasonably common at places then just pretty much gone - depending on beech masts and the resultant mouse/rat/stoat plagues - so pays to have a few options or rely on islands like Ulva & Bluemine

cheers
jim

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 8:23 am
by kengeorge
Grahame, a way of greatly increasing your chances of seeing the yellowheads is using a bit of playback. The Yellowheads, like their cuzzies the Whitehead (North Island) and the Brown Creeper (South Island), will respond within about 60 seconds if they're within hearing range. So will Bellbirds, Grey Warblers and Tomtits (to Yellowhead call). The Yellowheads tend to stay high in the foliage, the Bellbirds, Warblers and Tomtits will come right down close to have a look at you.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:50 pm
by TedHoward-Huttons
There are usually cirl bunting by Nga Niho Pa on Scarborough Street in Kaikoura.

We have huttons shearwaters here too, that breed only here in Kaikoura.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:32 am
by David Riddell
kengeorge wrote:We got very lucky with yellowhead/mohua on the Lake Wanaka to Haast highway over to the west coast a couple of years ago. A few kms north of Makarora is a carpark for the Blue Pools Walk on the main highway; we pulled in to the carpark and there was a group of 8-10 mohua in the trees right above the carpark, crossing back and forth across the road and sitting calling loudly in the trees right there.

Thanks for the tip Ken - we stopped in at the Blue Pools on our way through the Haast Pass on Thursday last week on a beautiful sunny day, and a family group of yellowheads came across the path literally at knee height less than five minutes from the carpark. Saw and heard them again higher in the trees on the way out. Spoke to some DoC staff we met, who say there's lots of predator control in the area, which seems to be working. Beautiful area, well worth a stop.

Re: Request for help in South Island

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 7:37 am
by kengeorge
I've found another great spot for mohua - we've just come back from a campervan trip in the Eglington Valley which is about half of the road between Te Anau and the Homer Tunnel. There are a number of DOC campsites in the valley, the best one for mohua is the Kiosk Creek campsite. Park at the rear section of it, up near the DOC long-drop, and the mohua are all around you. I mention the campervan because if you stay the night at that spot then you'll be woken up by a dawn chorus of mohua - absolute magic. The mohua at this location will come down out of the high canopy, almost to ground level, an added bonus. Be wary of the resident SI robin, he/she is a real scavenger and quite unafraid of humans and will just about take the food off your plate while you're eating.