10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2016

As I said last week , I’ve decided to try and knock off a few of the New Zealand endemics and specialities that I haven’t seen before over the coming year, and the first place that sprung to mind was pretty close, just across the Cook Strait in the Marlborough Sounds. Spotted Shags are endemic to New Zealand.

Charlotte 111

Charlotte New Zealand Seals Fur 111

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2011

Although the only pine forests found in New Zealand are recent plantations of Northern Hemisphere Pinus species like the Monterey pine, the country does have native conifers. This is the kauri , Agathis austalis , the largest tree in New Zealand. This is the kauri , Agathis austalis , the largest tree in New Zealand.

New Zealand 163

New Zealand Fiji Protection 2000 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2012

New Zealand has one of the direst records of extinction is modern times, second on really to Hawaii in terms of bird species lost. I’ve also touched on how New Zealanders have responded to these extinctions, but not in as much depth. Where does New Zealand go from here? Well, people are talking big.

New Zealand 172

New Zealand Rats Mammals Possums 172

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Since New Zealand is currently consumed by rugby fever and we haven’t the time to indulge in anything so tedious as birdwatching, I thought I’d dive back under the sea to introduce one of New Zealand’s most iconic aquatic organisms, the Australasian Snapper ( Pagrus auratus ). Used with permission.

New Zealand 150

New Zealand Goats Fish Protection 150

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

Wildlife conservation is concerned with protecting wildlife at the level of species or perhaps population. This is a very serious business here in New Zealand. New Zealand has been the recipient of a higher than average number of introduced species, in particular a range of mammals from elk to mice.

Animal Rights 257

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 257

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Conservation was in the news again in the last few weeks here in New Zealand, and unfortunately not in a good way. As most people know cats, both feral and domestic, have a pretty big impact on wild birds and other wildlife, and the effect of mammals is particularly profound in New Zealand.

New Zealand 114

New Zealand Possums Cats SPCA 114

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

My agenda is to help to make the Ross Sea an international marine protected area. I studied them for 20 years, published one paper and half a dozen blogs about them, talked to the media more times than I can remember and helped the state Institute for Protection of Nature to draft a protection proposal, which went to the City Assembly.

Agenda 162

Agenda Protection New Zealand Argentina 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Yesterday i introduced you, gentle reader, to the lovely work done by the acclimatisation societies of New Zealand in making the already interesting biogeography of this country even more complicated. The solution, as you might imagine from this go getting era, was to bring some better ducks to New Zealand.

Species 165

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2017

Although not federal “lands,” these federal marine protected areas— Channel Islands , Cordell Bank , Greater Farallones , Monterey Bay and Olympic Coast —provide critical foraging areas for seabirds. These sanctuaries include some of the most productive waters in the Pacific.

Albatross 137

Albatross Hawaii Alaska Puerto Rico 137

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

This brings me, in a roundabout way (as is my want) to New Zealand birding and listing. This is something that would be quite a big deal in New Zealand. Birds in New Zealand, the rare ones, are actively and aggressively managed. It’s a fact of life, and their ongoing existence. Merely that some might.

Species 176

Species New Zealand Zoos Chickens 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Petrel Paradise Petrel Paradise By Duncan • March 2, 2011 • 4 comments Tweet Share I’ve mentioned before that New Zealand is a great place for enjoying petrels.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

If you love the idea of swimming with dolphins, New Zealand is a great place to do it. The village wouldn’t look out of place on the coats of New England, but in spite of being utterly charming and close to a major city on Easter Sunday, you could move about. Birding dolphins marine mammals New Zealand endemic'

Dolphins 154

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Stalking a Kiwi Icon Stalking a Kiwi Icon By Duncan • March 16, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share Most people, if asked, would confidently name what they thought the National Bird of New Zealand was.

New Zealand 142

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 142

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2011

Last Sunday marked the end of an era in New Zealand with the sad passing of the conservationist and ornithologist and all round inspiration Don Merton. Kakapo were moved around New Zealand before all eventually being placed on one island off Stewart Island. They are our Tower of London, our Arc de Triomphe, our pyramids.

Species 217

Species New Zealand Rats Endangered Species 217

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. Hopefully some shorebirds north of Auckland, and a private visit to Tiri Tiri Matangi Island should just about fill up my New Zealand list.

New Zealand 100

New Zealand Opossums Charlotte South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

When it comes down to it New Zealand is all about islands. As I have explained before these islands are the best place for a lot of the birding here because they are more easily protected from introduced mammals which wreck such havoc on the wildlife here. Red-crowned Parakeet foraging near a New Zealand Fur Seal.

Penguins 165

Penguins Parrots New Zealand Seals 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2012

They are now protected by Taputeranga Marine Reserve , a marine reserve created in 2008 and to protect marine life around Wellington. I’ve spoken before about the positive impacts marine reserves are having around New Zealand, so it is nice to have one around here. A sea hare, something of a novelty for me.

Seals 156

Seals New Zealand Fur Marine Life 156

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. 10%: Australia, Papua New Guinea. 15%: Colombia, New Guinea (irrespective of the part/country). A lot more needs to be done to protect and sustainably utilise that biodiversity, although with the Brazil’s current president, it seems highly unlikely.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Not forever mind, I’ll still be living here in New Zealand and carrying on as its beat writer here (I may even write about New Zealand again some time). Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year. This Laysan Albatross died from ingested plastic.

Uganda 160

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 160

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

In July 2013, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources held a meeting in Bremerhaven in Germany, to decide whether to turn the Ross Sea into a marine protected area. Back to the Future – the Case for Protection. Finally – the Seabirds. The snow was falling, the wind was blowing… what else to do?

Russia 164

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 164

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. People, they argue, are more important than bugs, and besides, the money will help pay to protect other conservation land. Shot a rhino? Unsustainable hunting leads to extinction.

Rhinos 166

Rhinos Hunting New Zealand Science 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2018

When we were planning this trip, New Zealand, Australia, and most certainly South Africa got all my attention. This remarkable area is best know for its huge wall that was used for centuries to protect the city from invasion, but for me, the Conwy RSPB refuge was fantastic. New Zealand species 104.

South Africa 100

South Africa New Zealand Costa Rica Qatar 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

One bird I apparently heard at the landing (although it didn’t register to me) was the Fernbird , New Zealand’s only Old World warbler (or more accurately megalurid warbler ). Greg the Naughty Takahe ( Porphyrio hochstetteri ) Tags: Destinations , new zealand • Have you seen the cool 10,000 Birds t-shirts?

New Zealand 147

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

In particular there was a large are protected on the eastern side of the island (about a third of the island) as ‘Eua National Park.The island is less populated and quieter. A cheap holiday looking for the sun didn’t mean I was going to leave the binoculars at home, however.

Tonga 159

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 159

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

In 1974, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect the delta and its diversity of fish and wildlife habitats. There will be an odd little trip or two in the next few days, but unless I track down something amazing, my next posting will be from the South Island of New Zealand.

Fox 121

Fox Washington Geese Sparrows 121

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

This Lion should not be shot, as it is a protected reserve that forbids shooting. Similarly, the property protects an impressive large mammal fauna; it contains globally significant populations of African elephant (Loxodontha africana) (106,300), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) (2,135) and wild hunting dog (Lycaon pictus).

Lions 181

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2017

New Zealand: The Didn’t Bloody Even See It Award. I saw a number of lifers this year in New Zealand, but my bird of the year is one I heard but didn’t see. Singapore is a densely populated city-state which still manages to protect a number of species. I hired a guide to find one for me and I saw it.

United Arab Emirates 100

United Arab Emirates Ethiopia 2016 New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

It is a fascinating book that teaches while it entertains, that offers research-informed arguments for bird protection and conservation in the guise of vibrant design. The Takahe, a large flightless bird endemic to New Zealand, was thought to be extinct, and then was rediscovered in 1948.

Albatross 191

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 191

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2014

Thing is, I saw, as I logged into eBird, that the milestone had already passed, which was odd, because I hadn’t seen many birds in New Zealand this year, and certainly would have remembered a lifer (my last was the Parasitic Jaeger ).

Tonga 173

Tonga Fiji Samoa Vanuatu 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

New Zealand had been good, Australia was incredible, and South Africa was almost life altering. With my Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) field guide in hand, off we set to put a few Scottish birds on the list. After leaving Africa, I was fearing a real let down in my birding. Where do you go from there?

Qatar 112

Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 112

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2013

The reserve protects a stand of mahogany swamp that attracts large numbers of nectar feeding birds when they flower in the winter. There were also several Grey Ducks and even a Mallard or two, mercifully the two hadn’t started interbreeding yet in Australia like they have in New Zealand.

Albatross 151

Albatross Rats Belize New Zealand 151

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2016

They manage a number of reserves around the UK to protect waterfowl, the most famous being Slimbridge (another iconic place I haven’t made it to yet). I’m happy in New Zealand, but I do miss London too, and now it seems London is better than when I left.

Geese 100

Geese New Zealand Germany Ducks 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

I used the collections in Australasia to examine how climate and isolation affected the sized and shape of birds across New Zealand. One look at his bio and you know he’s trouble. But we still need to know about morphology and use it to unravel their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary histories.

Collecting 156

Collecting Papua New Guinea Science Birds 156

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

It’s kind of an odd spot, a mix of protected wetland and mangroves mixed with some manicured lawns and parking. Also known as the Flyeater, this tiny bird is the only representative of the Australasian warbler family found in mainland Asia, and very similar to my own Grey Warblers in New Zealand, even their songs.

Thailand 102

Thailand New Zealand Family Bats 102

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2012

Royal National Park is one of the jewels of Sydney, a massive park that protects a huge swathe of coastal bush (bush in the Australian sense meaning anything from rainforest to coastal scrub) to the south of the city. 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.

New Zealand 180

New Zealand Cooking Species Collecting 180

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. This seemingly boundless diversity comes through in every chapter of this book, and is both its strength and its weakness.

Reptiles 181

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 181