150 species of wild birds live in, or visit, Southland and its surrounding ocean. In pre-human times there were more species and perhaps ten times as many birds. Several became extinct after the arrival of the Maori and Polynesian rat and others disappeared after European settlement. At least 20 species in Southland were deliberately introduced from overseas and at least seven have arrived in Southland as self-introductions from Australia since European settlement.
Southland has several unique bird features. It has the largest takahe population, the only kakapo breeding programme, the only kiwi-spotting trips, a harbour which attracts significant numbers of wading birds, a muttonbirding industry, the only town (Oban) where kakas are a common bird, most of the world’s black-billed gull population and an island (Ulva) with an important assemblage of uncommon species.
| 
|
| |
Scientific bird work is mostly carried out by the Department of Conservation. Current projects include captive breeding of kakapo and takahe, tui and pigeon longevity and dispersal research, predator control on Stewart Island and in Fiordland and the re-introduction of threatened species to rat-free islands. Other major conservation work includes a PhD study of black-billed gulls, the Forest and Bird Society’s Te Rere penguin reserve, predator-proof fencing installed by the Dancing Star Foundation at Horseshoe Bay, and the adoption of Coal Island in Fiordland by a trust which will rid it of predators.
| 
|
Dutch tourists observe wading birds | A tour group bird-watching at the Gunpit Track at Bluff |
Bird watchers are drawn to Southland for several species which can only be found here or for which Southland provides the best viewing opportunities. Examples are fernbirds, Fiordland crested penguins, kiwis, yellow-eyed penguins, New Zealand dotterels, kakas, wekas, yellowheads and saddlebacks.
General bird enthusiasts visiting Southland see the birds on Ulva Island, keas at the Homer Tunnel, kiwis on Stewart Island, wading birds at Daffodil Bay, yellow-eyed penguins at Curio Bay, native bush birds on Stewart Island and elsewhere and waterfowl at Redcliff Wetland and elsewhere.
Day activities
Here are some suggestions for day activities classified as easy and medium. Medium requires a bit of walking, wading or climbing.
Easy: Visit the aviary at Queens Park and the Wildlife Centre at Te Anau. Bird display in Southland Museum Stewart Island Township and Walking Tracks Birdlife at Daffodil Bay (waterfowl, waders, bush birds) Birdlife at the sewage ponds (waterfowl) Seaward Bush birds Keas at Homer Tunnel River birds at Otautau Birds of the Bluff waterfront Birds at Haldane Harbour Waipohatu River Track at Haldane Estuary birds at Riverton Seaward Downs Track Birds of the Fortrose foreshore Ulva Island Birds
|
 |
Medium Gunpit Track at Bluff Forest Hill Track Dolamore Park Tracks Cayford Track at Dipton Wading birds at Awarua Bay Wading Birds at Waituna Lagoon South Borland Track at Monowai Burnt Ridge Track at Monowai | |
Forest birds
The easily accessed forests will support populations of fantails, tomtits, silvereyes, grey warblers, brown creepers, bellbirds, tuis, pigeons and chaffinches. Shining cuckoos are summer migrants from the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. They lay their eggs in grey warblers’ nests.
In remoter forests we find other species. Examples are riflemen, robins, yellowheads, parakeets, moreporks, kakas and long-tailed cuckoos.
The birds you see in pine forests are a mixture of introduced species and native birds which have adapted to the pine forest habitat. Typical pine forest birds are fantails, chaffinches, starlings, grey warblers, magpies, brown creepers and bellbirds.
Birds of the open country
The open country is the abode of the seed eaters, the scavengers and the worm eaters. Flocks of finches feed along roadsides on weed seeds; goldfinches, in particular, work through thistle heads extracting the seeds. Sparrows and greenfinches have beaks stout enough to tackle wheat but the other seed eaters have to be content with smaller seeds. Harrier hawks circle, their keen eyes picking out birds and animals as well as the sick, injured or young.
They have a useful role as a scavenger. New Zealand’s only other bird of prey, the falcon, is an active predator. It is widespread but nowhere common. In recent years falcons have bred near Borland Lodge and one of them, Ford (right), can be fed by hand. One of the most characteristic birds of open country is the skylark. Skylarks and thrushes have become quite uncommon in their native Europe and travellers from Britain appreciate their abundance in New Zealand.
Water birds
Several bird species are specialised freshwater feeders. These are in two broad groups - the swamp dwellers and the riverbed species.
The swamp dwellers like the mud, the weedy pools and the close cover around freshwater pools. Bitterns are widespread but well camouflaged. White-faced herons feed on mudflats, pasture and around ponds, eating insects, tadpoles and fish. The pukeko is a common swamp bird, its broad feet supporting it as it works its way across the mud. The marsh crake and spotless crake both occur in Southland but they are even harder to find than a bittern. The coot is still a rare bird but its range throughout New Zealand is expanding and we can expect it to become more common. Three shag species inhabit freshwater. Colonies of pied shags nest in dead trees in swamps close to the coast and feed a little way upriver although they are more at home in a marine environment. Black shags and little shags are commonly seen in our rivers, lakes and ponds.
The crested grebe is one of the rarest birds in New Zealand. A few live on Lake Te Anau and other Fiordland lakes. Most of New Zealand’s waterfowl species live in Southland. The Canada goose is a pest, common in large flocks in estuaries, harbours and on lakes. Feral geese live in small gaggles in coastal lagoons and on remoter riverbeds. Black swans live in large numbers on lakes and estuaries. Paradise duck numbers have recovered from a time when they were almost shot to extinction and they are now a pasture pest in some places. Grey teal are abundant on the Invercargill Estuary and many lakes and rivers. The grey duck has been largely displaced by the mallard with which it hybridises. The mallard is a European duck introduced for sport in 1925. In is now the commonest duck in New Zealand although hunters harvest 20-30% of the total population annually. The birds continue to thrive in the wetter, more intensively farmed areas of New Zealand. The shovellor is distinguished from other ducks by its large bill. It is widespread but rather shy.
Riverbed species feed amongst the stones and along the edge of a flowing river. The commonest of these is the black-billed gull. They nest in large conspicuous colonies in riverbeds or on adjoining farmland. Black-billed gulls are useful to agriculture as they eat grassgrubs, porina caterpillars and other insects damaging to pasture. They are one of the few species which are obligate colonial nesters - always in a nesting colony with between 50 and 8,000 nests. They have become the focus of a conservation effort aimed at counting the population, controlling predators and seeing how far they travel. Black-fronted terns nest on riverbeds often near black-billed gull colonies. Swallows nest under bridges, under the eaves of buildings and on cliffs. They are commonly seen working their way up and down waterways catching insects. Banded dotterels are a bird of stony riverbeds as well as mudflats and the sandy shore. They feed on insects amongst the rocks. A smaller dotterel, the black-fronted dotterel, is a rarity in Southland. Odd pairs nest on the Oreti and Aparima riverbeds. Pied stilts, South Island pied oystercatchers and spur-winged plovers are common inhabitants of the riverbeds. Kingfishers are rare birds in Southland.
Oceanic birds
In many parts of the world, pelagic, or open-sea birding is a major attraction. Aurora Charters runs a Pelagic bird watching trip from Stewart Island. In Southland Stewart Island is one of the best places to view pelagic birds with Foveaux Strait having a range of species such as albatrosses, mollymawks, sooty shearwaters, prions, diving petrels and a few Antarctic species that come north to escape the winter weather in August and September. These include fulmars, blue petrels, Kerguelen petrels, cape pigeons and Antarctic petrels. Because of sea conditions in Foveaux Strait and the uncertainty of seeing anything worthwhile, these trips are not widely advertised and are mostly arranged by small groups with one of the operators. There are a few species nesting on islands in Foveaux Strait which do not breed further north in New Zealand. Examples are the brown skua, South Georgian diving petrel, Antarctic tern and Bullers Mollymawk, but only the latter is regularly seen and it is the only one of the species which is attracted to a boat by fish offal.
Wading birds
Another significant area of birding worldwide is wader-watching. Waders are shorebirds, typically with long legs and bill and they tend to live as a flock and to migrate. Southland has a number of endemic waders such as oystercatchers, stilts, banded dotterels and most significantly – the New Zealand dotterel, the southern subspecies (left) of which breeds only on Stewart Island. It is one of the world’s rarest waders and one of the target species for visiting bird enthusiasts. In October thousands of migrant waders arrive in Southland, especially at Awarua Bay. In March they return to Siberia or Alaska to breed. The commonest of these is the godwit with smaller numbers of knots and turnstones. A dozen or more other species regularly migrate in smaller numbers. Examples are golden plovers, stints, curlews, sandpipers, sanderlings and greenshanks.
Interest in wading birds is growing, especially as they have been suggested as possible vectors for bird ‘flu. There is also concern for their conservation as large portions of their feeding area in Asia are being taken for development and they are freely hunted in many countries. An international banding effort means that many are being caught and fitted with coloured leg tags, each colour combination denoting the area where they were caught. Wader trapping has been done a few times in Southland using large nets.
Te Rere Penguin colony
The Te Rere yellow-eyed penguin colony has been the special responsibility of the Forest and Bird Society since 1980. The 72 hectare reserve is the breeding area for 20 or more pairs of yellow-eyed penguins and the society traps predators and has an extensive monitoring and re-vegetation programme. Volunteers are always welcome. Viewing the penguins is possible but access is difficult. At present the best viewing for yellow-eyed penguins is at Penguin Place on Otago Peninsula. Other places are Roaring Bay at Nugget Point and Curio Bay near Waikawa Harbour. As the birds are sensitive to human disturbance any viewing should be from recognised vantage points and not from beaches where the penguins are entering or leaving the sea.
Little blue penguins (below) are common in Southland waters. There is no specific place from which they can be reliably seen but I have seen them at the Bluff wharf, in Foveaux Strait, in Paterson Inlet, at Sydney Cove on Ulva Island and along the track leading to Acker’s Point.
Fiordland crested penguins are most often seen in Milford and Doubtful Sounds but they can come ashore anywhere on the Stewart Island coast and between Riverton and Jackson’s Bay.
Several other species turn up in Southland occasionally. These include the Snares crested penguin, erect crested penguin, royal penguin and white-flippered penguin. There is one record each of the chinstrap penguin and emperor penguin . The latter (left) is the only one ever seen away from Antarctica.
Gulls and terns
Few birds are as widespread as the Caspian tern, the name alone referring to one of its Northern Hemisphere strongholds. In New Zealand they are seen around our shores and frequently a long way inland as they follow up a likely river looking for small fish. Of the five terns we see around the Southland coast, the Caspian tern is the largest. It is the size of a black-backed gull, with which it frequently associates, and has a white body, black cap and bright red bill. A few dozen pairs nest each year in our harbours and estuaries but a number of factors limit their breeding success. The favoured nesting site is a gravel bar or shell bank, not much above water at high tide, and vulnerable to spring tides, storms, human and animal disturbance and predation by black-backed gulls, cats and harriers. Fortunately the terns are long-lived and they have good years as well as bad. The commonest species is the white-fronted tern (below).
There are three gull species in Southland. Red-billed gulls are strictly coastal but the others come inland. The largest is the black-backed gull which is a common scavenger particularly common at refuse sites. It forms nesting colonies on coastal gravel bars and inland in swamps. The third species is the black-billed gull whose population seems to be declining. A PhD study by Rachel McLellan is underway and she hopes to build up a picture of the size of the population, how mobile it is and what threats there are. The study involves aerial photographs of colonies and banding chicks with coloured markers. A team of volunteers assists with the banding each year.
Southland’s large tidal estuaries and coastal lagoons also make up some of the most important bird habitat areas in Southland. Awarua Wetlands, southeast of Invercargill, is the largest area of protected wetland in southern New Zealand and provides a feeding ground for native and migratory birds. Awarua Bay itself attracts rare visitors to New Zealand such as Siberian tattler, greenshank and sanderling.
Operators in Southland that offer bird watching trips include:
Aurora Charters (Stewart Island)
Catlins Wildlife Trackers, Ecotours Walks and Accommodation (Catlins)
Kiwi Wilderness Walks (Stewart Island)
Ruggedy Range Wilderness Experience (Stewart Island)
Stewart Island Water Taxi and Ecoguiding (Stewart Island)
Ulva's Guided Walks (Stewart Island)
