10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2013

Crossing New Zealand’s Cook Strait. where Duncan saw albatrosses and other tasty pelagics !). Now that April Foolery is over (but not forgotten ) we can turn our attention to more serious matters.

New Zealand 150

New Zealand 2013 Albatross Cooking 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2017

Of course, I could also see the theory that wren-hunting kept energetic young boys out from underfoot all day for two days in the dead of winter when everyone else was cooped up in the house and busy cooking for a series of religious feasts, getting steadily more sick of each other. Or does it?

Ireland 130

Ireland New Zealand Hunting Cooking 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2014

Earlier this year a cyclone blew through New Zealand and uprooted a lot of native trees on government land on South Island. The focus of the Department of Conservation has seemingly been turned from conservation to extracting maximum economic benefit out of New Zealand’s large amount of conservation land.

Rhinos 166

Rhinos Hunting New Zealand Science 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2018

We have finally broken away from Christchurch, New Zealand. It was given that name by Captain Cook, who thought it would be doubtful that he could sail his boat back out of there if he entered. The afternoon was spent fishing for Blue Cod, and diving for Lobsters, or Crayfish as they are called here in New Zealand.

New Zealand 101

New Zealand Dolphins Cooking Ducks 101

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2013

My Easter Weekend plans were up in the air until Tuesday evening, which is hardly the best way to do these things seeing as how Easter in New Zealand is still the tail end of summer (especially this year), and it can be hard to make plans so late. Personally I prefer flying, but the trip can be pretty spectacular.

Cooking 140

Cooking New Zealand Albatross Penguins 140

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2018

Our trip thru the South Island of New Zealand, is coming to a close, and in finishing the trip, we complete a “figure 8” pattern. Our last day on the South Island was in Picton, where we were to catch the Blue-Bridge Ferry out through Queen Charlotte Inlet, and across Cook Straight to Wellington.

New Zealand 100

New Zealand Opossums Charlotte South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2011

In that particular spirit I hope to set the record straight on two separate issues that revolve around a genus of parakeets found mostly, but not exclusively, in New Zealand. Heather and Robinson, in the definitive field guide for New Zealand, list only three, lumping the Orange-fronted Parakeet as a morph (not even a subspecies!)

New Zealand 145

New Zealand Fiji Parrots Tonga 145

4 The Love Of Animals

JULY 13, 2009

It’s unnecessary for dog owners to live with and be frustrated by their dog’s poor behaviour,” says Jeff Cooke, President, Bark Busters Canada. In fact, of the 500,000 dogs Bark Busters has successfully trained world-wide, 80 per cent of them were past puppyhood. Since then, Bark Busters has touched the lives of more than half a million dogs.

Dogs 100

Dogs Dog Training Belgium 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2012

And reach it I did earlier this year, after I got back from my jaunt up north to Cairns but before I returned to New Zealand. There are plenty o other places to go as well. But Royal was a place that I really wanted to reach. I had a day, one, and I rose very early for the multi stage journey to reach the park. Note the tail.

New Zealand 180

New Zealand Cooking Species Collecting 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2019

Thunder will be stolen if I reveal how this was done, but another country has been added to our territory list and a new splash of colour to the profile page. Without including the new pin in the map, countries this month featured; USA, Australia, Serbia, Bahrain, India, Kuwait, New Zealand, UK, Ghana and of course, Costa Rica.

2019 113

2019 Ghana Australia Jamaica 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2019

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. New Zealand Pigeon – Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae. Cook’s Swift – Apus cooki. New Zealand Fantail – Rhipidura fuliginosa. Sultanpur National Park. 02 Mar 2019.

2019 113

2019 Ghana Australia Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2019

New Zealand Fantail – Rhipidura fuliginosa. New Zealand Pigeon – Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook’s Swift – Apus cooki. Tunnel Gully–Tane’s Track.

2019 113

2019 Australia Ghana Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2019

Cook’s Swift – Apus cooki. New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. New Zealand Pigeon – Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Fantail – Rhipidura fuliginosa. 20 Feb 2019. 20 Feb 2019. 20 Feb 2019.

2019 113

2019 Australia Ghana Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 117

2016 Sanctuary Australia Wildlife 117

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

The species is absent, however, from the neighbouring New Caledonia group; here instead you’ll find the closely related (and similar) Sacred Kingfisher , which also occurs in inland Australia and New Zealand. Subspecies albicilla , Saipan, Micronesia. Subspecies sacer , ‘Eua, Tonga. Photo by author.

Samoa 166

Samoa Vanuatu United Arab Emirates Tonga 166

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

These medium sized parrots, related to the rosellas of Australia and kakariki of New Zealand, are endemic to Fiji but were so valued for their feathers that they were introduced to Tonga before Cook arrived. A cheap holiday looking for the sun didn’t mean I was going to leave the binoculars at home, however.

Tonga 160

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary Ghana Australia 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 154

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2016

New Zealand King Shag – Phalacrocorax carunculatus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section).

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary Ghana Australia 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary Ghana Australia 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary Ghana Australia 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). Cook Strait Ferry (Open Ocean Section). 12 Jan 2016. Western Australia.

2016 101

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 101