FIORDLAND CRESTED PENGUIN, PATERSON INLET, STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 11/9/2017

   We can ID this penguin as a Fiordland Crested Penguin by its short, very stout, orange bill; black head and throat with distinctive yellow eyebrow extending back to become a short plume  (see plumes on penguin to left in last photo); whitish cheek patch and dark back and top of flippers.

   The Fiordland Crested Penguin is endemic to New Zealand.   It currently breeds along the southwestern coast of South Island,  as well as on Stewart Island and it's outlying islands. 

   The Fiordland Crested Penguin is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 760.

   

SOUTHERN BROWN KIWI, RAKIURA NATIONAL PARK, STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

   After our boat the "Stewart Island Experience" completed the Pelagic Birding tour (see previous posts) we went on to Rakiura National Park  to see if we could sight a Kiwi,  which is a nocturnal,  flightless bird.  We arrived at Little Glory Cove, where the visitor's center is located.

   We were broken up into two parties, each with its own guide.  During this trek our group encountered a Southern Brown Kiwi several times.  We were allowed to take photos, but not use flash.  The guide used a red flashlight to see the kiwi, as it didn't seem to bother it too much.  Because of this the kiwi appeared pink with a red background around it.  We couldn't see the Kiwi's color in the photo, but we could definitely see that it had the shape of a Kiwi.

   Visually we were able to ID this bird as a Southern Brown Kiwi by its size, color and markings.  The second photo is a stock photo of a Southern Brown Kiwi.   The Kiwi we saw was very similar to the one in the second photo. 

   The Southern Brown Kiwi is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 759.

   

FOVEAUX SHAG, FROM "STEWART ISLAND EXPERIENCE ", NEAR STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

   The Foveaux Shag is endemic to New Zealand and is only found on Stewart Island and islands in the Foveaux Straight.   It breeds colonially from September onward on islands and sea cliffs.  The Foveaux Shag comes in two plumages: pied (dark and white) and all dark.  In general, roughly 1/2 are pied and 1/2 are all dark.

   We can ID these shags as Foveaux Shags by their location (a colony on a rocky island near Stewart Island) and their seemingly being present both pied and all dark plumages.

   The Foveaux Shag is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 758.

   

YELLOW-EYED PENGUIN, FROM "STEWART ISLAND EXPERIENCE ", STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

   We can ID this penguin as a Yellow-eyed Penguin by the yellow on it's face (mostly eye, but parts of face and neck may be yellow), pink legs, dark slate-grey upperparts and top of flippers, white underparts and dark chin.

   The Yellow-eyed Penguin is endemic to New Zealand and is the only extant member of the genus Megabytes.

   The Yellow-eyed Penguin is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 757.

SEA LIONS, FROM "STEWART ISLAND EXPERIENCE ", STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS ON WATER & IN FLIGHT, FROM "STEWART ISLAND EXPERIENCE ", STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

   We can ID this albatross as a White-capped Albatross by its white cap that contrasts with a pale grey face and a darker brow; dark grey mantle; black tail; rest of body white; pale blue-grey  bill with yellow tip and underwing pattern.

   The White-Capped Albatross is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 756.

ADULT PARADISE SHELDUCKS & DUCKLINGS, BEACH IN OBAN, STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND