10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2018

After an amazing trip thru Doubtful Sound, New Zealand, the next stop was to be in Bluff, just south of Invercargill. Up to this point, the weather had been just about perfect, but Mother Nature had some special plans for my arrival on the southern tip of New Zealand. All these newly introduced vermin had a field day.

Penguins 115

Penguins New Zealand Albatross Feral Cats 115

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

The birds had evolved without a predator like this, and with the new snake having no predators, it had no problem decimating the island’s birdlife. If you, animal lover, have no interest in providing wildlife a healthy environment, then your efforts and passions are brought into question.

Animal Rights Movement 206

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Rights Wildlife 206

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

December’s numbers looked like this; 10 beats visited 11 countries (Bahrain, New Zealand, USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Australia Nigeria, Uganda and Serbia) during December. New Zealand Bellbird – Anthornis melanura. Irvine Regional Park. 22 Dec 2019. Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Tyrannus savana.

2019 165

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 165

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

The lake was filled with families of Dusky Moorhens and Purple Swamphens (or Pukeko as we call them in New Zealand), all tending small groups of black chicks. Rounding off the waterbirds were Australian Pelicans, Eurasian Coots , the iconic Black Swans and feral geese.

New Zealand 171

New Zealand Ducks Australia Japan 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2012

In the event I’m in a life or death struggle with an Oregon Junco or a particularly feral Dunnock I’d rather my birding companion was at least nominally on my side. Australian Magpies are found across Australia, southern New Guinea and have been introduced to New Zealand (along with just about everything else).

New Zealand 149

New Zealand Birds Australia Kangaroos 149

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2011

So, inspired by a similar article on road birding in Thailand, I present road birding in New Zealand. As with any kind of road birding, birding as a car passenger in New Zealand generally restricts the kind of birds you’re going to see. Feral Turkey are also quite common.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Birds Thailand Falcons 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

2013 was a strange year for me, staring in the UK, ending in Borneo and spending large tracks of the year not really seeing many birds in New Zealand. Since I’m the New Zealand beat writer I’ll be using their names for their species, but for clarity I will give other commonly used names if a species has them.

2014 150

2014 New Zealand Singapore Rhinoceros 150

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2013

Tibbles did contribute, but it was a population of feral cats that did the bulk of the killing. For the wren, that advantage was taken away in 1894, when a pregnant cat escaped (Tibbles was a pet taken from the subsequent feral population). Ironically these are the same feral cats that exterminated the wren in the first place.

Feral Cats 194

Feral Cats Eggs Cats Feral 194