Hi all
If you have a good pair of binoculars, there is a small king shag roost on a headland between Blackwood Bay and Ruakaka Bay on the northern side of Queen Charlotte Sound, west of Tory Channel (note that the inner section of Queen Charlotte Sound runs approx west to east). We suspect this is the headland east of Okahu Bay, but it is conspicuously splashed white with guano, even if the birds are hard to make out. We saw ten king shags there from water taxis on both 20 and 22 December and at least three there from Bluebridge ferry this afternoon (note that water taxis travel closer to the northern shoreline than the Cook Strait ferries do).
Approximate location on images pasted here.
Colin Miskelly & Kate McAlpine
King shag roost visible from Cook Strait ferries
-
- Posts: 912
- Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm
-
- Posts: 699
- Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:04 pm
Re: King shag roost visible from Cook Strait ferries
Thanks for the detailed info Colin - very useful
cheer
jim
cheer
jim
-
- Posts: 1310
- Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:05 am
Re: King shag roost visible from Cook Strait ferries
Thanks for the info Colin! I was successful at seeing four of the birds on the Roost on Saturday after getting out of the horrible storm.
- Oscar Thomas
- Posts: 932
- Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 7:15 pm
- Location: Dunedin
- Contact:
Re: King shag roost visible from Cook Strait ferries
There were two King shags there yesterday afternoon. You were right about the views, I'm really glad I got closer to the Duffer's Reef colony several days before! Nothing amazing on the Cook Strait crossing but there were many White-capped albatrosses, Cape petrels, Westland petrels, Fluttering/Sooty shearwaters and Fairy prions, as well as two Arctic skuas in Queen Charlotte Sounds.
- David Riddell
- Posts: 961
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:46 pm
Re: King shag roost visible from Cook Strait ferries
Had a look for these last night about 7.45pm. Nothing on the roost itself but about 15 minutes earlier as we turned from Torey Channel into Queen Charlotte Sound a king shag flew by quite close, wheeling around to give a nice view of its white underside and all black head. Great intro to the South Island.