Adam and I saw Little Spotted Kiwis at Zealandia near Wellington on a night tour on Friday November 29, 2025. Having seen a species of Kiwi cleared the way for me to not go on the Brown Kiwi night tour on Stewart Island on December 7. On December 7, therefore, I went on the day tour to Ulva Island conducted by Ulva’s Guided Tours after which at a little after noon, I left Stewart Island and flew to Auckland. I spent the night at the Ibis Hotel near the airport, left Auckland on the flight to Whangarei the morning of December 8, met my driver at the Whangarei Airport, drove to Tutukaka, spent the night at Quality Hotel Oceans adjacent to the Marina, and walked to the Marina at sunup on December 9 in time to join the Petrel Station pelagic tour.
Petrel Station Seabird Tours has a very good website. Anyone considering birding in New Zealand should check it out. Scott Brooks is the guide, and more, as he is a fine communicator who was immensely helpful to me in arranging details at Tutukaka. Up to the last minute he kept me informed of weather conditions, which were not ideal, and threatened to cause cancellation of the tour, but did not. Luke, the skipper, demonstrated skill with our small craft to allow the 7 birders, plus Scott and Luke, to see an immense number of seabirds well.
The boat trip itself is worth the money, not to mention the great numbers of seabirds we saw. Having been forewarned, I had supplied myself with a big package of ginger chewies to prevent seasickness, and they worked despite the choppy conditions, but they could not prevent a few scrapes and bruises when waves jolted the boat.
I am not good at using my cell phone but I managed to get a poor video of the great masses of pelagic birds at the Poor Knights Islands. The Poor Knights Islands themselves are spectacular. They are within a marine reserve famed as a scuba diving and snorkeling destination. The Marine Reserve produces lots of small fish for birds to eat. The Fairy Prions were unbelievably numerous, followed by the Buller’s Shearwaters.
Buller’s is a North American Shearwater, but they all (2,500,000 of them) nest only at the Poor Knights Islands. Following are pictures of the scene at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve:
Here is the list of the birds we saw as prepared by Scott and sent to the 7 of us at 7:46 P.M. December 9, the day of the tour (which lasted 10 hours, from 6:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.)
4 X White-capped Albatross (2 were previously seen by all 6 of us earlier off the north coast of Stewart Island). 48,000 X Fairy Prions (New species for me) 97 Cook’s Petrels (New for me) 1 Pycroft’s Petrel (New for me) 5 Grey-faced Petrels (New for me) 12 Black (formerly Parkinson’s) Petrels (New for me) 1,150 Fluttering Shearwaters (New for me). 6 Little Shearwaters (New) (New for me). 1 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 9 Short-tailed Shearwaters1 Sooty Shearwater 61 Flesh-footed Shearwaters 23,500 Buller’s Shearwaters (I saw 1 off California years ago, but they all nest at Poor Knights). 45 White-faced Storm Petrels (New for me) 7 New Zealand Storm Petrels (New for me) 40 Common Diving Petrels 2 Little Blue Penguins 6 Grey Ternlets (Gray Noddies) (New for me) (for a total of 10 new species for me). 2,050 Australasisn Gannets 1,190 Red-billed Gulls 2 Black-backed (Kelp) Gulls 76 Pied Shags (Cormorants) 1 Little Black Shag (Cormorant)
After the tour I was met at the marina by my driver (a retired New Zealand Government crop geneticist who spent time in Des Moines, Iowa working on the application by Pioneer Hi Bred Seed to sell seed corn in New Zealand). He drove me back to the Oceans hotel to pick up my bags, and then to Auckland, sometimes through heavy rain, to the Auckland Airport where I stayed the night at the Ibis Hotel, took the early Yellow Bus to the International Terminal, and flew to Sydney to rejoin my family on December 10.
The next New Zealand segment (No. 3) will feature Rotorua, the first stop on our itinerary.
My last series of posts in emptynestbirder.com covered 10 days of birding in Ghana in January 2024. In late November, 2024 I went to New Zealand with five family members. I spent time primarily in areas where endemic bird families of New Zealand could be found. I wanted to see one species in each of the 6 bird families endemic to (i.e., found only in) New Zealand.
A bit of history is helpful to understanding New Zealand and its birds. There have been 2 main theories about the origins of New Zealand as a landmass. Until recently, the predominant theory was that New Zealand separated from Gondwana, the super-continent, when it broke up many millions of years ago. Recent evidence has tilted toward a different theory: that New Zealand was created as a result of eruptions of volcanos under the ocean over many millions of years. Either way, New Zealand has been isolated from other land masses for many millions of years. During those millions of years birds populated the islands but not mammals (other than 2 species of bats). In the course of millions of years some of the birds evolved to become unable to fly, and many others lost their ability to cope with mammalian predators.
Until man arrived. The Maori people from Polynesia arrived in New Zealand around 800 AD, just a minute of time ago, if I may indulge a bit of possible hyperbole. They brought with them animals that found easy pickings of creatures that could not fly, as well as flying birds that had lost their defenses against predators. They hunted to extinction the largest flightless bird known to history, the Moa. Then about 600 years later, just a minute in time, European navigators discovered New Zealand and soon people came by the hundreds of thousands from the British Isles seeking a better life. With them, or earlier with the Maori, came rats, mice, pigs, and ultimately, Australian Possums, stoats, cats, and other mammalian predators. The endemic bird families suffered a sharp decline. In the past 100 years or so, New Zealanders of both heritages recognized that saving these endemic families was an important challenge. And so, off-shore islands and other obstacles to predators have been created and maintained and there is reason to hope that the endangered families can be saved.
I refer to bird families. Typically and historically, birders have sought out species. There are about 250 bird families and over 11,000 bird species. As my twilight years have grown numerous, I have lost my desire to see more than 4,000 species (now about 3,960) but I still hope to maximize the number of bird families that I have seen. Ghana provided 6 new families for me. New Zealand had promise of 6 more: Kiwis (4 species), New Zealand Parrots (3 species), New Zealand Wrens (2 species), New Zealand Wattlebirds (3 species) , Whiteheads (3 species) and Stitchbirds (only 1 specie). No other place in the world could come close to 6 new families for me.
My first new family was a Kiwi at Zealandia in Wellington where Adam and I saw several during a night walk. A Little Spotted Kiwi to be exact. Shortly thereafter I bailed out of a night walk for Brown Kiwis on Stewart Island, where the other 5 of my family saw and got really good pictures of 2 or 3 Brown Kiwis on video, which follows. Since Kiwis are nocturnal, the time to see them outside their burrows is at night with only a small red light. The red light allows humans to view the Kiwi without disturbing them because Kiwis’ eyes do not have the receptors to see red light. Be sure to have your volume ready for the eerie sound:
Kiwi calling in the night. Note the red light is so humans could observe without disrupting the Kiwi
Meanwhile, I left Stewart Island, flew to Auckland, and from Auckland to Whangarei and Tutukaka, where I had arranged to join a pelagic tour sponsored by the Petrel Station Seabird Tours. The oceans around New Zealand are famous for their seabirds and I did not want to miss the chance to see them. That will be covered in my next installment.
I signed on with Caribbean Conservation Trust for a 10-day bird survey in Cuba, followed by a day in historic Havana. My son-in-law Adam and I joined 7 other survey participants on the Southwest flight from Fort Lauderdale to Havana on January 9th. Our itinerary covered central and western Cuba where we found most of the possible endemic species. Our objective was to enhance the scientific information relating to the numbers and distribution of birds in Cuba in order to facilitate their survival in an increasingly problematic environment.
My personal and specific objective was to see one of the two species of the Endemic Cuban Warbler Family: either a Yellow-headed Warbler or an Oriente Warbler. We succeeded in finding both.
As a secondary objective, I also hoped to see the smallest bird in the world. That was achieved when we were able to observe this Bee Hummingbird at the feeders at a private home.
Well, now that I started with the punch lines, I will write in a little more detail about Cuba and the tour.
Cuba is our closest neighbor in the Caribbean. It lies within 100 miles of Florida. The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Havana is less than an hour. American and Southwest airlines, and probably others, fly between Fort Lauderdale and Havana on a regular basis. Notwithstanding the Trump administration “restrictions” it is still legal (and not especially difficult) for United States citizens to visit Cuba. But because of the (intended) fear and uncertainty created by the “new” restrictions and sanctions, visitors from the U.S. are currently many fewer than they have been in recent years, causing considerable privation among the Cuban entrepreneurs and workers who have developed and depended on tourism for their livelihoods. U.S. fear and sanctions are hurting Cubans. And now, the Corona Virus.
Cuba is a little over 700 miles long and about 120 miles wide at its widest point. It is the largest island in the Caribbean. It has about 11,000,000 inhabitants. The second largest Caribbean island is Hispaniola, which is divided between Haiti and Dominican Republic, each with about 11,000,000 inhabitants. These 3 countries account for 75% of the population of the Caribbean. There are many other islands in the Cariibbean, some independent and some owned by other countries. The ones with over 1,000,000 inhabitants are Jamaica with 3,000,000, Puerto Rico (a U.S. possession) 3,000,000, and Trinidad and Tobago, 1,500,000. Some of the independent countries are surprisingly small and sparsely populated. All in all, there are over 700 islands, and 11 independent countries.
While there, a Cuban summarized the accomplishments of the Cuban Socialist Revolution since 1959 as follows: excellent education system, excellent medical system, excellent sports events and participation; but not much to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food is rationed. Here is a “store” where people go to get their basic foods on a weekly basis.
For car afficionados, it is a mecca for observing vintage autos, often brightly painted, which are on display everywhere, and used as every-day operating vehicles.
We spent a lot of time driving through the countryside. The land is beautiful, with low lying mountains, valleys and green pastures dotted with trees. There is much pastureland. There are cattle, horses, pigs, chickens and goats. There are fields of sugar cane, tobacco, bananas, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.
The history of Cuba is fascinating. One of the most interesting books I read before my trip is Havana Nocturne, which well and entertainingly describes the situation in Cuba as it existed and changed in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, up to the ouster of the Batista government by the Castro led Socialist Revolution on January 1, 1959. I recommend it as necessary background for understanding present-day Cuba and the relationship between Cuba and the United States.
We were surprised that we did not need malaria pills for this trip. Malaria has long been extinguished on this island. We felt very safe wherever we went, in the country-side or in the cities.
We arrived in Havana on the 9th and drove directly to Vinales, to the west. We arrived too late to do any birding, and stayed there for nights 1 and 2 with night 2 following our Day 1 of actual birding. This area produced for me Yellow-headed Warblers, fulfilling my primary objective of the trip, as one of the 2 species in the endemic Cuban Warbler family. We also had a brief in-flight view of Gundlach’s Hawk.
Also seen in the area (or on the drive to the Zapata area) were the endemic Cuban Blackbird and the following West Indian Endemics residing in Cuba, or Cuban subspecies: Great Lizard Cuckoo, Antillean Palm Swift, Cuban Emerald, West Indian Woodpecker, Stygian Owl, American Kestrels, Cuban Peewee, Loggerhead Kingbirds, Red-legged Thrush, Cuban Bullfinches, Western Spindalis, Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark (hypocreppis), and Greater Antillean Grackles.
Here is the Stygian Owl, one of a pair seen.
From Vinales we went east to the south coast town of Playa Larga for nights 3 and 4. I was unable to participate in Day 3 of Birding because I became ill during the preceding night, suspicious of food poisoning, and missed the day. Adam was able to get a picture of Blue-Headed Quail Doves.
The rest of the group also saw several Endemic Species most of which I was able to see before or after that day, except for the Blue-headed Quail Dove and the Gray-fronted Quail Dove (which our guide Nils does not believe is deserving of species status separate from the Hispaniolan Gray-headed Quail Dove, which I have seen there).
A boat tour of the Zapata Swamp on Birding Day 4 was a highlight the trip, with Zapata Wrens and Zapata Sparrows showing well; but, like everyone else, we did not see the Zapata Rail.
I also saw the following Endemics on Day 4: Bare-legged Owl, Greater Antillean (Cuban) Nightjar, Bee Hummingbird, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Cuban Parakeet, and Cuban Oriole.
Day 5 was spent on the road north across to the northern coast, to Cayo Coco (“Key” Coco). The ride was long. It terminated with a drive across a 35-mile causeway built on the shallow seabed between the coast of Cuba and the northern keys. There we lived in luxury for 2 nights at a plush tourist hotel with lots of international guests. A big pool, all-inclusive meals and drinks, a room above the water, evening live music, and other amenities enhanced the birding experience.
The most notable new Endemics added to my personal count during our stay at Cayo Coco or on the drive back to Havana via Sancta Spiritus (where we spent the night), Trinidad and Cienfuegos were: Cuban Black Hawk, Cuban Tody, Cuban Gnatcatcher, and Oriente Warbler, the second species of the new Cuban Warbler family.
In Havana we stayed at a unique, small hotel (about 10 rooms) converted by German investors from an Oldtown residence to a hotel. It was ideal as a base for our day-tour of Havana. Among the highlights of the day tour were these.
Several of our group in front of the Fidel Castro mural on an administrative building in Revolution Square
Also at Revolution Square is the Jose Marti Memorial, at 358 feet in height, the largest memorial in the world in honor of a writer. Long planned, and much delayed, it was finished in 1958 in the final days of the Batista regime. Governments of Cuba whether pre-revolution or post-revolution, deem it important to honor Marti. From Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Jose Marti, born January 28, 1853, Havana, Cuba—died May 19, 1895, Dos Rios. Poet and essayist, patriot and martyr, who became a symbol of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain. His dedication to the goal of Cuban freedom made his name a synonym for liberty throughout Latin America. As a patriot, Marti organized and unified the movement for Cuban independence and died on the battlefield fighting for it. As a writer he was distinguished for his personal prose and deceptively simple, sincere verse on themes of a free and united America.”
Jose Marti Memorial, Adam in foreground
The fight for independence from Spain began in the 1870s and ended in 1898 when the United States, after the sinking of the Maine in Havana Harbor, went to war with Spain and drove it from Cuba.
The 29 new species I saw in Cuba brings to 3,825 my total species seen. Adding the Cuban Warblers to my family list brings it to 223 out of 248. That leaves only the Sapayoa as my single Western Hemisphere unseen family. When the Corona Virus is conquered, I may still see the Sapayoa in Ecuador or Panama.
We flew from Tulear to Tana on November 26. There our party was divided for the remainder of the trip because of the need for smaller, four-wheel drive vehicles in the Andasibe/Mantadia area. It took nearly 2 hours to get out of Tana because of the heavy traffic. The road was narrow and full of pot-holes. It was slow-going most of the time and perilously fast the rest of the time, with heavy truck traffic both ways all the time. We arrived at the Andasibe Hotel long after dark; we would spend the next 4 nights there.
Within the Andasibe area are Andasibe National Park, Mantadia National Park and smaller preserves. We spent most of our time near Andasibe, but on the 3rd day we drove the road to Mantadia. We certainly needed the 4-wheel drives for that trip, which was not far, but very rough and wet.
Over the course of several days we enjoyed 3 sightings of the odd Madagascar (Crested) Ibis:
And, finally, a stunning closeup view of a Cuckoo-roller, one of the regional endemics of Madagascar previously seen in good numbers, but not as close as this one.
Madagascar Pygmy Kingfishers were found at several locations.
Our Vanga sightings improved with first sightings of Nuthatch Vangas, more Chapert’s Vangas and a better look at a Blue Vanga.
This White-headed Vanga stayed high in the trees.
A White-throated Oxylabes (of the Malagasy Warbler family) on the nest held still for our photographers.
Nelicourvi Weavers showed up every day.
Purple Rollers were foraging above a small pond.
One late afternoon we were able to see a Collared Nightjar.
I used to focus on species in my birding outings, of which there are over 10,000 world-wide. In the past several years, however, I have been trying to see as many of the bird families as possible. Currently there are 248 families, up from about 200 a few years ago. Genetic analysis has resulted in this remarkable increase. I started thinking about going to Madagascar a year or so ago because it would be possible to add 7 new bird families to my then life-time total of 216: Mesites (endemic to Madagascar), Flufftails (widespread in Africa), Crab Plovers (widespread in the Africa-Asia coastal areas), Cuckoo Rollers (endemic in the Madagascar region), Ground Rollers (endemic to Madgascar), Asities (endemic to Madagascar) and Malagasy Warblers (endemic to Madagascar). I was able to see 6 of the 7, but although our guide had fleeting glimpses of a couple of Asities, I did not. And so I was able to add 6 families to my count to bring to 222 the number of families of birds that I have seen. As for species, I added 83 new species to my world list, to bring the total to 3,796. Couas are members of the world-wide Cuckoo family, and Vangas have some newly assigned family members in other parts of the world, but both the Couas and the Vangas on Madagascar are particularly colorful and interesting.
My final Madagascar installment (Part 5) will feature Lemurs, Chameleons and other creatures unique to Madagascar.
Last night after supper Barbara and I drove out to the Neal Smith Prairie Preserve near Prairie City to try to find a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are quite unusual in Iowa although they are common further south, particularly in Oklahoma where it is the State Bird. Earlier in the evening an Illinois birder who was at Neal Smith spotted the Flycatcher at the west side of the buffalo enclosure and notified the Iowa Birdline. When I saw the report online about 6:00 last night I mentioned it to Barbara and we decided to take a drive out to the Prairie on this beautiful June evening. The Flycatcher was very near where it had been seen before in the day, and Barbara was able to get some pictures.
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This was not a “life bird” for me but it was an “Iowa life bird” as I had never seen one in Iowa before. It becomes my Iowa life bird # 323. As long as we were at the Prairie, we decided to take a slow drive through the buffalo enclosure. The Dickcissels were singing along the way.
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Not far along we came upon the buffalo herd, lazily grazing along the road. The bulls, cows and spring calves were all mixed together. Barbara bravely opened her window to get some close-ups of this amazing herd.
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The lovely sunset added to the joy of the evening on the Prairie.
