The Wild Wild World of
PLANET SCOTT
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Fiordland National Park, New Zealand (
Center on Interactive Map
)
Map of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Map of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Milford Sound
Gertrude Valley
Kea (
Nestor notabilis
) - In Love
Kea (
Nestor notabilis
)
Rifleman (
Acanthisitta chloris
)
Tomtit (
Petroica macrocephala
) - Female South Island
Kea (
Nestor notabilis
)
Rainforest covered mountains next to the ocean.
Trips
New Zealand
1/9/2012
: After wasting a couple of days in Queenstown and Te Anau, we made the drive over to Milford Sound. We had heard all of the superlatives about the area, and in reality it had some top-notch scenery. It reminded me a lot of the panhandle region of Alaska. We would have liked to hike into the area on one of the Great Tracks, but since we could not plan our trip years in advance, we had to settle for the numerous day-hikes that the Milford Road had to offer. The hikes were interesting, and a couple of them will take you to the areas above the tree line. We spent a lot of time looking for the blue ducks and rock wrens with nothing to show for it other than kea induced damage to our rental car.
We had heard all of the reports about blackflies (locally called sandflies) in Milford Sound, and we were not disappointed as we were swarmed by them from the moment we stepped out of the car. We spent the night in the "lodge" where we had a small comfortable bed in a small shipping container.
After fighting blackflies early the following morning, I sought reprieve by doing a scuba dive in the sound. After all, the flies aren't going to bite underwater. The world underwater is supposed to be unique in the area due to the low light conditions. The water was very cold with not a huge amount of visibility, but I did see a bunch of fish, nudibranches, black coral, lobsters, and even a fur seal.
Back above the water, we tried a trivia contest in the pub at the sound. We finished somewhere around third place, not so great.
After two nights in the sound, we were ready to move along to our next location. Leaving the sound, we got our first dose of rainfall for the trip.
Previous Visit (Te Anau: 1/8/2012)
Next Visit (Manapouri: 1/11/2012)
Species Recorded (21)
Birds ( 19 )
Honeyeaters ( Meliphagidae )
New Zealand Bellbird -
Anthornis melanura
Tui -
Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
Swans, Geese, and Ducks ( Anatidae )
Mallard -
Anas platyrhynchos
Pacific Black Duck -
Anas superciliosa
New Zealand Scaup -
Aythya novaeseelandiae
Rails, Gallinules, and Allies ( Rallidae )
Baillon's Crake -
Zapornia pusilla
Oystercatchers ( Haematopodidae )
Variable Oystercatcher -
Haematopus unicolor
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers ( Laridae )
Black-fronted Tern -
Chlidonias albostriatus
Silver Gull -
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Kelp Gull -
Larus dominicanus
New World Parrots ( Psittacidae )
Yellow-fronted Parakeet -
Cyanoramphus auriceps
Kea -
Nestor notabilis
Thrushes and Allies ( Turdidae )
Eurasian Blackbird -
Turdus merula
Song Thrush -
Turdus philomelos
( Acanthisittidae )
Rifleman -
Acanthisitta chloris
( Eopsaltriidae )
South Island Robin -
Petroica australis
Tomtit -
Petroica macrocephala
Cardueline Finches and Allies ( Fringillidae )
Common Redpoll -
Acanthis flammea
Common Chaffinch -
Fringilla coelebs
Lifelists
Australasia
World
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