No this is not a Kiwi. Kiwis are active at night which makes it hard to catch them on a photo. This is a Buff Weka – also a flightless quite large bird – but active during the day :-). The species is endemic to New Zealand and the poulation vulnerable.
If you want to see a Kiwi my recommendation is to visit the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown (https://www.kiwibird.co.nz). The mission of the park is “to help protect and restore the native taonga species through managed conservation projects and education”. There I also learnd about the Tuatara. These reptiles exist for over 200 million years and have therefore survived the dinosaurs! They can live longer than humans – but they also grow super slow – and they have a thrid eye (covered by skin) in the middle of their head. They use it to determine a day-night-rhythm to optimize their energy level. Unfortunately predators such as rats that have been introduced by humans threaten the population.
Another interesting place to go is the Harington Point at the Otago Peninsula. At http://www.natureswonders.co.nz a super passionate family aims to preserve the natural habitat of certain Penguins and Sea Lions in a self-funded conservation effort. The picture above shows a Yellow-Eyed Penguin and below a few Sea Lions.
The Harrington Point is also the home of the Royal Albatross Center. Here you can see the Albatrosses fyling in circles over the cliff. They plane quite fast with hardly any movement of their wings. Very impressive!
At the Glenorchy Lagoon I saw this Silvereye bird with its green head. And at the Nugget Point I saw a Royal Spoonbill bird family breeding on a rock in the sea.
On the North Island at Lake Mangamahoe I saw this Australian pied cormorant.
At the Glenorchy Lagoon and at the Lake Mangamahoe I also saw a couple of ducks. Pacific black duck, Paradise Duck male & female and a Crested Duck.
One and a half hours drive south east from Auckland at the Firth of Thames I visited the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve – a go-to place for bird watchers: Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, Wrybill standing on one leg.
I can’t finish my post without mentioning the thousands and thousands of sheep in New Zealand.
structures & shapes 