zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Not really a zoo visit, but a review of one of the best places to go birdwatching in New Zealand.
I visited the Miranda Shorebird Centre (Miranda Shorebird Centre - Keep the birds coming), near the small village of Miranda on the Firth of Thames, south-east of Auckland, North Island on December 12, 2012 (http://www.zoochat.com/680/doc-signage-miranda-2012-a-302371/). I had never been here before. The Centre is a small building located a couple of hundred metres from the coast, which was closed when we arrived just after 8.00am. From the carpark, we walked for almost half an hour, across paddocks and tall thickets of fennel, and then along the chenier plain past the mangroves, salt marshes and a small stream, as well as a small pond network, occupied by a noisy family of Pied Stilts (a bird I had never seen in the wild before - http://www.zoochat.com/680/pied-stilt-miranda-2012-a-302366/).
Eventually we arrived at the coast, where we saw a large expanse of sand and mud flats, with the stream flowing through a deeper channel to the sea. The tide was around 30-40m out. Given the very low gradient of the flats, the tide moves out very quickly, and the birds follow them closely, feeding on the newly exposed flats. As such, the birds can only be seen two hours either side of high tide, which had occurred at 7.00am. Two hides had been built just above the high tide mark, from which the birds could be observed (http://www.zoochat.com/680/overview-miranda-2012-a-302370/).
Nearest the hides, the stream channel and immediate surrounds were dotted with resident White-faced Herons and Variable Oystercatchers, as well as some South Island Pied Oystercatchers spending the non-breeding season in the north. Some Black Shags were resting nearby. Further out, at least 30m away, was the main migrant flock, dominated by Bar-tailed Godwits, interspersed with the smaller Lesser Knots. There were over 4000 godwits known to be at Miranda at the time, but I don't know how many were in the flock I saw (http://www.zoochat.com/680/shorebirds-miranda-2012-a-302367/). There may have also been other migrants – stints, sandpipers, plovers, etc – but these could not be clearly identified. These birds have flown south from Siberia, and spend the northern winter here, usually from September to March.
On a low spit (the currently developing chenier ridge) was a smaller flock of gulls and terns. The noise from the birds grew louder, and then the whole flock lifted up, flapping haphazardly a few metres before settling down again. While all the birds rose together, the Red-billed & Black-billed Gulls landed first, while the White-fronted Terns stayed airborne a bit longer (http://www.zoochat.com/680/tern-flock-miranda-2012-a-302369/). This movement spooked the migrant flock, and as the terns settled, the godwits and knots took off, and settled further away, nearer the water’s receding edge (http://www.zoochat.com/680/godwit-flock-miranda-2012-a-302368/).
Further along the coast from the hides, not quite as far out as the big flocks, but further from the hides, was a scattered grouping of birds, which could only be seen semi-clearly through our cameras’ zoom lenses. As well as more herons, oystercatchers and godwits, there were also Black-backed Gulls and Wrybills (an endemic wader, with a curiously curved bill).
After almost an hour observing the birds, we crossed the salt marshes and then walked (another 30 minutes) up the road back to the Shorebird Centre. On our way, we saw a number of introduced birds, including House Sparrows, Indian Mynas, Australian Magpies & Skylarks, as well as native Sacred Kingfishers and Masked Lapwings. One interesting thing we saw were large numbers of introduced Garden Snails clinging to the shady sides of road marking posts, which I haven’t ever seen before (http://www.zoochat.com/680/snail-colony-miranda-2012-a-302372/). A small pond by the Centre was occupied by some Mallards.
The Centre was open now, and we had a look around the shop and museum displays inside, which featured a number of stuffed specimens and interpretive signage (http://www.zoochat.com/680/bird-list-miranda-2012-a-302373/). The shop had a number of interesting books, notably Extinct Birds of New Zealand by Alan Tennyson & Paul Martinson for only $30 (I have wanted a copy for ages, and couldn’t resist at less than half price). They also have an online bookshop, which includes this book: https://shop.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/?product=extinct-birds-of-new-zealand.
Overall, we saw 19 species (out of the 134 species that have been recorded there), three of which I have never seen before (white-fronted terns, lesser knots and wrybills), and two that I have only seen captive before (bar-tailed godwits and pied stilts). The area is very interesting, with many interesting landscapes and plant species, as well as the birds themselves. In the future, I would try to arrive just before high tide, so as to see the birds best. Highly recommended for a visit.
I visited the Miranda Shorebird Centre (Miranda Shorebird Centre - Keep the birds coming), near the small village of Miranda on the Firth of Thames, south-east of Auckland, North Island on December 12, 2012 (http://www.zoochat.com/680/doc-signage-miranda-2012-a-302371/). I had never been here before. The Centre is a small building located a couple of hundred metres from the coast, which was closed when we arrived just after 8.00am. From the carpark, we walked for almost half an hour, across paddocks and tall thickets of fennel, and then along the chenier plain past the mangroves, salt marshes and a small stream, as well as a small pond network, occupied by a noisy family of Pied Stilts (a bird I had never seen in the wild before - http://www.zoochat.com/680/pied-stilt-miranda-2012-a-302366/).
Eventually we arrived at the coast, where we saw a large expanse of sand and mud flats, with the stream flowing through a deeper channel to the sea. The tide was around 30-40m out. Given the very low gradient of the flats, the tide moves out very quickly, and the birds follow them closely, feeding on the newly exposed flats. As such, the birds can only be seen two hours either side of high tide, which had occurred at 7.00am. Two hides had been built just above the high tide mark, from which the birds could be observed (http://www.zoochat.com/680/overview-miranda-2012-a-302370/).
Nearest the hides, the stream channel and immediate surrounds were dotted with resident White-faced Herons and Variable Oystercatchers, as well as some South Island Pied Oystercatchers spending the non-breeding season in the north. Some Black Shags were resting nearby. Further out, at least 30m away, was the main migrant flock, dominated by Bar-tailed Godwits, interspersed with the smaller Lesser Knots. There were over 4000 godwits known to be at Miranda at the time, but I don't know how many were in the flock I saw (http://www.zoochat.com/680/shorebirds-miranda-2012-a-302367/). There may have also been other migrants – stints, sandpipers, plovers, etc – but these could not be clearly identified. These birds have flown south from Siberia, and spend the northern winter here, usually from September to March.
On a low spit (the currently developing chenier ridge) was a smaller flock of gulls and terns. The noise from the birds grew louder, and then the whole flock lifted up, flapping haphazardly a few metres before settling down again. While all the birds rose together, the Red-billed & Black-billed Gulls landed first, while the White-fronted Terns stayed airborne a bit longer (http://www.zoochat.com/680/tern-flock-miranda-2012-a-302369/). This movement spooked the migrant flock, and as the terns settled, the godwits and knots took off, and settled further away, nearer the water’s receding edge (http://www.zoochat.com/680/godwit-flock-miranda-2012-a-302368/).
Further along the coast from the hides, not quite as far out as the big flocks, but further from the hides, was a scattered grouping of birds, which could only be seen semi-clearly through our cameras’ zoom lenses. As well as more herons, oystercatchers and godwits, there were also Black-backed Gulls and Wrybills (an endemic wader, with a curiously curved bill).
After almost an hour observing the birds, we crossed the salt marshes and then walked (another 30 minutes) up the road back to the Shorebird Centre. On our way, we saw a number of introduced birds, including House Sparrows, Indian Mynas, Australian Magpies & Skylarks, as well as native Sacred Kingfishers and Masked Lapwings. One interesting thing we saw were large numbers of introduced Garden Snails clinging to the shady sides of road marking posts, which I haven’t ever seen before (http://www.zoochat.com/680/snail-colony-miranda-2012-a-302372/). A small pond by the Centre was occupied by some Mallards.
The Centre was open now, and we had a look around the shop and museum displays inside, which featured a number of stuffed specimens and interpretive signage (http://www.zoochat.com/680/bird-list-miranda-2012-a-302373/). The shop had a number of interesting books, notably Extinct Birds of New Zealand by Alan Tennyson & Paul Martinson for only $30 (I have wanted a copy for ages, and couldn’t resist at less than half price). They also have an online bookshop, which includes this book: https://shop.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/?product=extinct-birds-of-new-zealand.
Overall, we saw 19 species (out of the 134 species that have been recorded there), three of which I have never seen before (white-fronted terns, lesser knots and wrybills), and two that I have only seen captive before (bar-tailed godwits and pied stilts). The area is very interesting, with many interesting landscapes and plant species, as well as the birds themselves. In the future, I would try to arrive just before high tide, so as to see the birds best. Highly recommended for a visit.
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