Flowers and Birds

I have wanted to share some photos of the amazing plant and bird life here but I keep getting caught up in the gorgeous scenery. Today I am doing a post compiling shots of birds and flowers. The next post will be about our "Grand Traverse" hike.

This bird was at Zealandia, a conservation area in Wellington where the habitat is clear of predators to allow threatened species to recover. It's working!

This flightless bird, the weka, is fairly common. They like to scavenge around picnic areas.

I think this is a southland robin. There are 2 types of this bird and several other small ones that look similar. All are very friendly as they like to get the insects you kick up when walking.

Mt Cook Lilly, a rare alpine flower.

One of many types of alpine daisies.

We saw this Pukeko at the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown. We also saw kiwis but they are nocturnal so the viewing was in a very dark room with no photos allowed.

The Tui has a fascinating call. It reminds me of R2 D2! They woke us each morning in Wellington.

Kaka is a kind of parrot. This one frequents the B&B for treats.

Wood pigeons are the second largest pigeon in the world.

Oyster catchers at Ulva Island, just of Stewart Island.

Forest Orchids