Since we had been so successful on Stewart Island there was nothing to target for this final morning. Still, I wanted to try and see the Fiordland Penguins out of the water, so I decided to try again early morning for the birds supposedly moulting in one of the small coves near Oban. Despite this, I was still not able to see any birds, and when we left the island on the ferry, my first real chance to look properly into the cave, it looked like there were no birds in there. It looked like they had finished their moult and dispersed. Still, it was nice to be out and about on the island early morning, with Tui and New Zealand Pigeon both being very common and conspicuous.
For the rest of the morning, exhausted from my recent hikes,
we relaxed around Oban before taking the ferry back across to the mainland. Before
boarding the ferry, we found a fledgling Tui sat by the side of the road, so
carefully moved it up into the bushes, where it continued to be attended by the
adults. The ferry journey was choppier than last time, and there was a noticeable
increase in overall number of birds. Most of the birds were Sooty Shearwaters,
which numbered in excess of 100 individuals. Common Diving Petrel was also
quite common, with at least 20 individuals seen. However, overall diversity was
much lower and the albatross count was well reduced, although a Bullers Albatross
flying close was a nice bonus.
In the afternoon and evening we relaxed in our AirBnB in Bluff,
in preparation for another long day out tomorrow.
Stewart Island Ferry: New Zealand Pigeon, Variable Oystercatcher, Silver Gull, Kelp Gull, White-fronted Tern, Little Penguin, Buller's Albatross, Shy Albatross, Sooty Shearwater, Common Diving Petrel, Spotted Shag, Foveaux Shag, Welcome Swallow,
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