Microbirdology

  We were lucky enough to be able to take a family holiday in New Zealand, Tasmania and Western Australia in Oct and early Nov 2024. Birding was very much a secondary activity but I took the camera, so pictures were inevitable! Waterfowl were not a priority for me, but, when seen, many of them were 'lifers'.   The Musk Duck ( Biziura lobata ) is a unique, large diving duck native to Australia, found in freshwater lakes, swamps, and wetlands. Known for its musky oduor during breeding season, males have a distinctive leathery lobe under their bill. They are excellent swimmers and feed on aquatic invertebrates, plants, and small animals. Musk Ducks are solitary and secretive, often spotted gliding low in the water. The Pink-eared Duck ( Malacorhynchus membranaceus ) is a small, unique waterfowl native to Australia, named for the small pink patch near its ear. Its striking features include zebra-like black-and-white stripes and a distinctive spatula-shaped bill. Found in shallow

This was a family holiday, not a birding expedition, so photography was on an 'ad hoc' basis. I shouldn’t have been, but I was stunned by the birding situation in NZ. The introduction of rats, stoats, cats and possums has devastated the native bird life, which evolved without exposure to many natural predators. On top of these challenges, the European settlers introduced an array of familiar birds to out compete the local fauna e.g. Blackbirds, Swallows, Starlings, Song Thrush, Yellowhammers and Mallards.  Really sad to see. Seabirds We had good views of seabirds from the whale watching boat from Kaikoura, although I'm not sure of the species level ID.       Albatross          Shearwater        Petrel Banded Dotterel The Banded Dotterel (also known as the Double-banded Plover) is a small, native shorebird found throughout New Zealand.  These birds inhabit coastal areas, estuaries, riverbeds, and sandy beaches, often nesting on open ground. Banded Dotterels are seasonal migr