Dunedin Penguins

It was a little overcast for our late afternoon wildlife tour of the Otago peninsula with a 3:00 pm pick up, because you have to wait for the penguins to come home from work (or from deep sea fishing!). So Tony from Elm Wildlife Tours picked us up along with 6 others for our adventure across a private farm to a refuge for yellow eyed penguins. 

 As we drove out of Dunedin around Macandrew bay, Tony stopped to show us a colony of black swans blissfully feeding in the calm water. These birds can live here only because they swim near where fresh creek water flows into the bay.  They cannot survive without the fresh water. The black ones are so plentiful that they can be hunted.

Continuing along the Otago Harbor, we passed a beautiful cove called Victory Beach. 

Then we came to Taiaroa Head and stopped at the Royal Albatross Center for a viewing from the
cliffs. We saw flocks of red beaked gulls (Tarapunga) which are native to New Zealand. We also saw a large black Petrel which is a cousin of the Albatross.  However we were too early in the year to see any of the large, white, black-winged Albatross that live on the sea for all the months of the year that they are not nesting. They mate for life and they have records of one living over 64 years. 

Following the shore road we circled out to Mount Charles, and driving through the farm gravel road, Tony stopped to show us various NZ birds.  One very cool one, bright blue with an bright red beak, was the Pukeko.


We also saw black and white pied stilt (Poaka) with very long legs and a fine long black bill. He reminded me of a tiny egret.










There were lots of Paradise Shell duck pairs, ans some of them with chicks.  They are a striking pair because the female has chestnut plumage and a white head, while the male is mostly black. They are usually seen around lagoons and are plentiful.  We also saw these when we were horseback riding on the Cape of Farewell.

              We also spotted this spur winged plover, who looked like he was wearing a little black wig.  He has a yellow bill and face.

Then Tony parked the van and we began the trek 330 feet lower in elevation to the beach from the peak.  As we approached the beach he showed us how the conservation efforts has planted wind and sight break vegetation back from the beach as hiding areas for the penguins to nest.  These Hoiho Penguins were yellow eyed penguins, a very rare breed.  And unlike the emperor penguins
from the Happy Feet movie, these penguins find their nesting areas in private nucks and crannies in the trees and bushy vegetation near the beach.  The tour company had set up rug paths for visitors and blinds where you could watch these little guys without scaring them off. The little guy with his wings out had just come in from fishing and climbed the hill.  He was cooling off from his exertion. Climbing the hill was hard work for his short legs - hard for me too!

 We saw a penguin come out of the surf and run quickly across the beach to get to shelter.  The  beach itself is a danger zone. Sea lions also frequent here and and have been know to kill multiple penguins for dinner.  The penguins would be the buffet.                                                      





 These penguins were about 20-30 inches tall and the yellow band around their heads appears when they are about two years old. 







This couple had found a great nesting place underneath a tree.  We took these pictures from inside a blind.                                            





So now we have seen blue penguins, the fiord yellow crested penguins and the yellow eyed penguins (3 of the 5 existing species).  The latter two of these are very rare.  




The climb back up the hill was difficult and tiring for me, so I rested in the van while the others went to find the fur seals with a long trek on the other side of the cliff.  Tom brought back cute pictures of the seal pups.

Tom and I ate apples in the car as the afternoon moved into evening. As we returned to Dunedin along the Otago Harbor road. dusk was falling and you could see the lights coming on in the city.  It was 9:00 pm when we got back and we forgot dinner and opted for showers and bed instead.