Day 2: Abel Tasman National Park by Kayak

So, our second day in Abel Tasman National Park, our first full day, and our last day. This, due to the amazing birding from the day before, was not nearly as great a day, bird-wise, than yesterday. There were only six new species for the trip, though five of them were life birds.

The day started out with a quick breakfast, after which we headed over to the water taxi building to meet up with our kayaking guide, Leane (pronounced Lee Anne). She took us over to the kayak building to get suited up in wetsuits, polypro tops, and spray jackets. After all four of us were fully geared up, we headed back over to hop onto the water taxi. A quick note about the water taxi is that the boat is actually hauled to the building by a tractor, the passengers then get on the boat, and then the boat and passengers ad hauled back to the boat launch. We happened to be on Mike’s boat again, which was great fun.

Because the tide was out, the tractor dragged the boat over the beach to the water, passing by a few Variable and Pied Oystercatchers and several Kelp Gulls. This time Mike had some other passenegers too, who were getting out after we were, so he was not able to take us around the far side of Adell Island in search of penguins. Even so, he made up for it by having me identify the birds we saw to the rest of the passengers and Leane. We saw, just like the day before, the requisite hordes of Spotted Shags and smaller quantities of Pied Shags, though there was no Little Black Shag this time around. Another upside was that I still managed to spot two Little Penguins off the stern of the boat.
Australian Pied Shags on nests

Mike dropped us off, along with Leane and the kayaks, in Tonga Bay. After about fifteen minutes of talking and learning the ins and outs of these kayaks, we pushed off. Sarah and Dad were in one double kayak, and Mom and I were in the other; Leane had her own single kayak. As we were drifting along talking, I spotted an Australasian Gannet flying twenty meters or so away in the bay. We then paddled out to and around Tonga Island, which hosts a New Zealand Fur Seal colony. Also on the rocks were many more Spotted Shags, which look a lot cooler than the Double-crested Cormorants back in New York. Up in the trees covering the small island were eight or nine New Zealand Pigeons, their white chests making them stand out against the dark green of the rainforest. As we were about to leave the vicinity of Tonga, one of the seal pups decided to get down into the water and come have a look at the kayaks. This playful creature surfaced several times within a foot of each kayak, and, due to the clarity of the water, we were able to watch him or her swimming about beneath us. After five or so minutes, he or she left the kayaks to go join three or four other pups frolicking in the surf on Tonga’s rocky shore. We headed south.

After around two hours of kayaking, we reached Bark Bay, where we changed into our hiking clothes while Leane made lunch; ate lunch, which Leane said a traditional Maori blessing over; and headed off on the hike to Torrent Bay, while Leane kayaked back down to Marahau on her own. The walk was rather uneventful, with a few Silvereyes moving about in the trees, though I did get a good view of one Bellbird and a great view of a Tui only two or three meters away. The most eventful part of the hike was crossing over a wooden swing bridge spanning the wide Falls river. The bridge is probably around twenty-five meters long and hangs about twenty meters over the rushing river below, and crossing it was quite an experience. On the south side of the bridge, I got a good look at a Tomtit, the first for the trip. The rest of the hike had no new bird species, though there were some House Sparrows among the houses in Torrent Bay and we could hear Bellbirds from
Male Tomtit

Mike picked us up at Torrent Bay, having picked up the other people we had gone out with further north at Bark Bay. The ride back to Marahau involved lots of Spotted Shags, only two Pied Shags, and five Dusky Dolphins. When we got back to Marahau, we saw Leane again and thanked her for the great kayaking experience, and she gave me a map of where to find coastal birds in Abel Tasman National Park. We then bid her and Mike a fond farewell and headed back up to the Lodge, only forty meters or so from the water taxi building. Dad and I had decided earlier to return to the very active pond where I had seen the Mallards, Eurasian Coots, and Welcome Swallows yesterday, so we tossed down our packs, took out the cameras, binoculars, and a map, and popped into the car.

The drive back to the pond was about half an hour, and it was worth it. We pulled in on the far side of the pond since we saw it was the right pond once halfway past it. The first birds I saw were Mallards and a pair of Gray Ducks, but then I looked a little bit further and saw two magnificent Black Swans sitting on the shore. These elegant birds slid into the water as Dad and I tried to move closer, and we watched them for a few moments before turning the car around and driving to the other side of the pond. The pole in the middle of the pond held two Little Pied Shags and one Great Cormorant. On the other side of the pond there was even more bird life. Even as we pulled in on this side, I could see six or seven Eurasian Coots and around thirty New Zealand Scaup. Just beyond them was a pair of Australasian Shovelers. Dad and I then had to call it quits due to the lack of light, and we drove back to the Marahau lodge for the night.

37. Australasian Gannet – 621
38. Tomtit – 622
39. Black Swan – 623
40. Great Cormorant
41. New Zealand Scaup – 624
42. Australasian Shoveler – 625