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Thursday 26th of October 2017 and we left the hotel at 7 thirty south bound. We will pass the Botanical Garden where they have a very rare bird, the New Zealand grebe, only 2000 birds remaining in the world and all of them on New Zealand. So we will make a stop at the Botanical Garden to have a look as my Guide have seen a pair of the New Zealand grebe in the big pond. The weather left a lot to wish for, gloom and grey for long as I could see. Raining and this was for sure not looking to be a good birding day. But as yesterday, we had good luck and it stopped to rain when we arrived to Auckland Botanical Garden. We walked by the pond and no sign of the New Zealand grebe. There was a guy clearing the pond from grass in a boat. He asked if we were looking for the dabchick. My Guide is also calling the bird for the New Zealand dabchick, but the official name is the New Zealand grebe in the rest of the world, at least NON New Zealand web pages.  The weather leaves a lot to wish for
 Auckland Botanical Garden
 Auckland Botanical Garden
 Auckland Botanical Garden
  Welcome swallow
 Welcome swallow
 Called New Zealand dabchick, or Weweia on New Zealand
 BABY - New Zealand grebe
Called New Zealand dabchick, or Weweia on New Zealand
 New Zealand grebe
Called New Zealand dabchick, or Weweia on New Zealand
 BABY - New Zealand grebe
Called New Zealand dabchick, or Weweia on New Zealand
 New Zealand grebe
Called New Zealand dabchick, or Weweia on New Zealand
 We got pictures of the New Zealand grebe, the bird we had come to see. We also spotted two Mallard ducks and a Welcome Swallow. The Welcome Swallow landed at our feet and this bird was for sure not scared and I could get a few “Close up” pictures. We left the pond and the guy driving the boat clearing the pond from grass told us that he had seen 6 North Island Kaka flying around this morning. My Guide and I went to look but we never spotted any Kaka. But we saw several Tui. We spotted a Common Chaffinch and when we left we saw a European Greenfinch, the picture was not any good so the European Greenfinch are not coming up on my list. Auckland Botanical Garden might be the best Botanical Garden I have ever been to. It was very beautiful, but it is far from the city. Botanical Gardens are usually located in the city.  Auckland Botanical Garden - A very beautiful place to visit
 Auckland Botanical Garden - A very beautiful place to visit
 Auckland Botanical Garden - A very beautiful place to visit
 Bathroom
 Auckland Botanical Garden - A very beautiful place to visit
 Auckland Botanical Garden - A very beautiful place to visit
 European Greenfinch
 Well well...
 We stop to buy lunch at Penny's Bakery
We leave Auckland Botanical Garden and we stop 100 meter down the Hill Street and we stop at Penny's bakery to buy lunch. I bought some pies and a bag of Pepsi MAX. We will enjoy our lunch down in the Miranda area when we watch the birds. We left Penny's Bakery and we drove to Miranda and Kaiaua. If you go to Miranda you need to be there at high water. And today the high water is just after 12 o'clock. So we start at Kaiaua just north of Miranda. First stop at Kaiaua and the first bird we spotted was the Black-billed Gull. Looks almost identical with the Red-billed Gull. A little difference on the bill, but not the colour, both of the gulls can be seen with a red or a black bill. But I only took pictures of birds with a black bill. Not all that easy as the Red and Black-billed Gull can stay in the same group.   Black-billed Gull
 Black-billed Gull
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Called Pied Oystercatcher on New Zealand
  Ruddy Turnstone
  Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Variable Oystercatcher
 Called New Zealand dotterel on New Zealand
 Eurasian Skylark
 We drove around the beach area in Kaiaua and we spotted many birds, among them the endangered New Zealand plover. We saw both of New Zealand's Oystercatchers on the beach. The Ruddy Turnstone was seen together with the South Island Oystercatcher. Time approached 12 and we started to drive south towards Miranda. We passed a big group of the Bar-tailed Godwits and two Australian Pied Cormorants on the way to Robert Findlays Wildlife area in Miranda. We drove slowly towards south looking for birds on the way. We reached Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve and we parked the car and we went through a gate in the fence and we walked down to the bird hide. A beautiful area with excellent walk paths.  Bar-tailed Godwit in Kaiaua
A big group of Bar-tailed Godwits
 We arrive to Robert Findlays Wildlife area
 Click HERE for bigger picture
 Click HERE for bigger map/ information
 We arrive to Robert Findlays Wildlife area
  Walking to the bird hide
 We leave the bird hide
 At the stilt pond
 At the stilt pond
 Wrybills at the Stilt Pond, but too far away
 Wrybills at the Stilt Pond, but too far away
 Wrybills at the Stilt Pond, but too far away
 My Guide and Mikko
 Two Wrybills closer
  Mikko taking beautiful pictures At the Robert Findlays Wildlife area Stilt Pond
 At the Robert Findlays Wildlife area Stilt Pond
 At the Robert Findlays Wildlife area Stilt Pond
We were unlucky, it was the “lowest” high water of the month. We finished our excellent lunch from Penny's Bakery and we left the bird hide. My Guide took me to the Stilt Pond and I cannot say that I was very keen. I want up close bird pictures. But the Wrybill came closer and closer. Me and my new friend Mikko took some rather pointless pictures of 3 Wrybills at a distance.
We were busy with this when my Guide discovered a Wrybill quite close. We walked as close as we could. BE CAREFUL! If you come here, it looks like sand/ mud but if you walk out from the vegetation you will sink down to your thighs. My new friend Mikko had a 600 or 800mm lens and I asked him if he could please send some of his pictures to me. I only want my own pictures, but now it was “almost” as I had taken them myself. And what a difference between his pictures and my shit.   Wrybill - Ngutuparore (Māori)
 Wrybill - Ngutuparore (Māori)
 Wrybill - Ngutuparore (Māori)
 Wrybill - Ngutuparore (Māori)
The sky turned dark over the mountains, very dark so my Guide and I decided to leave. We will drive back for some ice cream in Kaiaua, and of course, we will keep our eyes open for birds. We spotted several birds on the way to Kaiaua. We passed Kaiaua and we drove back south on the beach to the marina or whatever it is they have there. We saw a few Kelp Gulls before we drove back to get ice cream at the Pink Shop. There is a tongue sticking out to the sea at low water and we went out to have a look at the White-fronted Terns. Of course, I had not been walking long before I sank down to my thighs in the mud/ sand mixture. But there is a petrol station across the road so I washed my shoes there when we had taken the pictures.  View over the Stilt Pond when we leave the area.
  Kelp Gull
 Kelp Gull
 Kelp Gull
  White-fronted Tern
 White-fronted Tern
 White-fronted Tern
 White-fronted Tern
White-fronted Tern
 Also known as the pied cormorant or pied shag. Older sources may refer to it as the “Yellow-faced cormorant”
 Australian pied cormorant
Also known as the pied cormorant or pied shag. Older sources may refer to it as the “Yellow-faced cormorant”
 Australian pied cormorant
Also known as the pied cormorant or pied shag. Older sources may refer to it as the “Yellow-faced cormorant”
 Australian pied cormorant
Also known as the pied cormorant or pied shag. Older sources may refer to it as the “Yellow-faced cormorant”
 Kelp Gull
 Kelp Gull
 White-fronted Terns, Australian Pied Cormorants and the Kelp Gull
 The Pink Shop in Kaiaua and we buy ice cream
After cleaning my shoes we went to the Pink Shop 25 meters away form the petrol station and we had ice cream. I discovered a House Sparrow outside the shop so I got a few pictures. We finished our ice cream and is was late afternoon I asked the Guide to take us back to Auckland and the hotel. We have been on the “GO” for man hours now. - We need some rest as well, I said - OK, we stop on the way to see if we can find anything, he said. I wished to see the European Greenfinch up close. Never heard of the bird and Finches are quite beautiful so this bird I wanted to get on picture.   House Sparrow
 House Sparrow
 House Sparrow
We left Kaiaua driving towards Auckland and the Puketutu Island where there should be some interesting ducks. And there was also a possibility to see the European Greenfinch. We had been very lucky with the weather today. Rain while in the car and as soon as we have gone out to look for birds the rain have stopped. The road from the mainland to the Puketutu Island was on a wall to some water treatment plant. Plenty ducks, some very rare that I have forgotten the name of. The side of the roads was full of Common Chaffinches, European Goldfinch and the European Greenfinch. But darn, were these bird scared or what? They flew away as soon as I came close. I managed to get one bad picture of an European Goldfinch. Not a very good picture... 
I walked along the road and every time I passed a tree the finches took off. My Guide went back to get the car while I continued walking, now I really wanted a picture of the Greenfinch and the Goldfinch. And as there were a couple of the beautiful Chaffinch I wanted picture of that bird as well.  The road to Puketutu Island
 European Goldfinch
 Sacred Kingfisher
 Common Chaffinch
 Common Chaffinch
 Silvereye or Wax-eye
We came to the end of the road and there was a lake/ pond. It was full of Black Swans and we could also see one white swan. As soon as we stopped the car we spotted a Sacred Kingfisher and I tried to sneak up on the bird. Of course, the Kingfisher took off, but I discovered a Common Chaffinch sitting in the top of the tree. The tree was more like a bush and I could get a picture. I also saw the beautiful Silvereye. We started to walk along the west side of the lake/ pond. As I understand it this is the last lake before the waste water goes out in the ocean. So to come to the island we have to drive on one of the sides of the canal leading the water to the Swan Lake from the waste water treatment plant. Looks like they are doing a good job cleaning the water. Plenty birds and fish in the area.  Watercare's Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant
 Watercare's Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant. An aerial view of the plant looking towards Mangere Mountain, the Manukau Harbour and Rangitoto Island. Click HERE  Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
 Black Swan
So, another day have come to an end with Wrybill Birding Tours. My Guide dropped me at my hotel and I will see him on Monday again. I'm of with Habitat tours tomorrow and we will go explore the Waitakere Ranges. And I will  hopefully be lucky and spot a lot of birds. Click HERE to find out exactly how lucky I was finding birds.
    
  You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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hotel after I collect you, I suggest that collection would be at 7.30am but if a bit later suits you better, please let me know. After Miranda, options would be to go to a forest for NZ Tomtit, Tui, and some more common endemics and perhaps stop at a point overlooking a swamp to look for swamp birds
Thanks’ to Mikko for the beautiful pictures
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