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(with photos by Imogen Warren)
There are now 57 known species of extinct New Zealand birds, who disappeared either before humans arrived on the islands in about 1350, before Europeans arrived in 1769, or over the last 250 years. The Polynesians who followed migrating birds to islands across the Pacific annihilated all of the dozen or more species of giant Flightless Moa. Europeans brought rats, cats, dogs, and European birds, presumably carrying disease. Industrialization and industrialized agriculture disrupted ecosystems and many stunning birds disappeared.
And yet—what can still be seen in New Zealand today is exceptional, unique, remarkable. During my trips in December 2019 and January 2020 with my friend Imogen Warren (whom I met on an Australian birding trip some years ago), I fell in love sequentially with the “confiding” Wrybill—the only bird in the world with a beak that is laterally curved; with the Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, a stunning and almost tame creature; with dozens of surf-landing Little Blue Penguins; and with the unforgettable Giant Petrel, Fernbird, Kaka, Rifleman and Mollymawk. Bird life in New Zealand is abundant and beautiful.
Today, this gorgeous land–more properly known by its indigenous Maori name Aotearoa–is still a remarkable birding destination. This is my report about my trips.
Susan Lindee Kea, by Imogen Warren
Susan Lindee is a native Houstonian who probably first got interested in birds when her father adopted a wounded Purple Gallinule. Because her parents came from southern Louisiana, she grew up visiting the marshes of the Atchafalaya Basin, where her grandfather had a rustic island camp. Roseate Spoonbills and Snowy Egrets (and ‘gators…) were common sights. She has birded in many parts of the world, including Hawaii, Australia, Japan, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Morocco, China, and all over Europe and the United States. The Gulf Coast of Texas remains a favorite spot (Anahuac in spring!). She is the Janice & Julian Bers Professor of the History & Sociology of Science at UPenn and was Ship’s Historian for a Lindblad tour of the Galapagos Islands in 2017.