The Manawatu Estuary
The Manawatu estuary is one of the best places for seeing shore birds and waders in the lower North Island. We recently had a one night stop over at Foxton beach on our way to Wellington so had a good chance to explore the estuary and see the wonderful variety of bird life that we just don't see in Taranaki. My favourite was the bar tailed godwit, a bird which I think is absolutely amazing with its extraordinary migration from Alaska to New Zealand.
Next on my list is probably the Pacific golden plover. A bird that is normally farely wary but I got lucky when one came and landed near me amongst the wrybills I was watching.
A bar tailed godwit or kuaka
A pacific golden plover with a wrybill in the back ground
Huahou, the lesser knot or red knot
a huahou in flight with a variable oyster catcher in the background
A royal spoonbill (kotuku ngutupapa), grooming itself after feeding in one of the water channels.
Tawa, the white fronted tern.
A pair of juvenile caspian tern (taranui)
A wrybill or ngutuparore
A banded dotterel (pohowera)
A juvenile banded dotterel (pohowera)
The ever so common red billed gull (tarapunga)
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