Exploring Akaroa harbour, 15–16 June 2013
We spent the weekend in Akaroa, first celebrating Cynthia Roberts' birthday with a cruise on the harbour on the Canterbury Cat followed by lunch at French farm, and then a rainy day spent on Smith Street with ECan ecologist Phil Cochrane banding tui.
On the harbour, we made it all the way around to the otherworldly Scenery Nook, with its massive vertical dyke jutting out into the sea. The captain mentioned that a yellow-eyed penguin had been spotted here in a previous week but we didn't see it.
I've uploaded my species photos from the trip to NatureWatch NZ and will add all of my standard bird, butterfly, and plant counts once the iNaturalist trip functionality is finished.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
White Basket Fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Basket fungi by the driveway of 18 Smith Street.
Photos / Sounds
Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Bracket fungi growing on an old rotting log by the driveway of 18 Smith Street.
Photos / Sounds
What
Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Planted in a garden in Akaroa. I watched a redpoll spend a good ten minutes feeding on the immature seed heads on this plant.
Photos / Sounds
What
Kāruhiruhi (New Zealand Pied Shag) (Phalacrocorax varius ssp. varius)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
A pied shag fishing near the Akaroa jetty.
Two red-billed gulls were watching.
Photos / Sounds
What
Kawaupaka (New Zealand Little Shag) (Microcarbo melanoleucos ssp. brevirostris)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
On lookout from a street light at the base of the Akaroa jetty.
Photos / Sounds
What
Nīkau Palm (Rhopalostylis sapida)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
The unexpectedly lush and dense stand of nikau palms in Akaroa Harbour's Palm Gully.
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What
Karoro (Black-backed Gull) (Larus dominicanus ssp. dominicanus)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Black-backed gulls were scattered about the edges of Akaroa harbour, solitary or in small groups.
Photos / Sounds
What
Red-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ssp. scopulinus)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
One of a couple of gulls roosting with a large group of white fronted terns on a small islet off the coast of the Akaroa Heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tara (White Fronted Tern) (Sterna striata)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
About 100 white-faced terns roosting on a small islet off the coast of the Akaroa Heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mainland Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus ssp. punctatus)Observer
jon_sullivanPlace
Haylock Bay, Akaroa heads, Akaroa harbour, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand (Google, OSM)Description
One of just a few spotted shags on the rocks and cliffs around the eastern side of the Akaroa Heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Kekeno (New Zealand Fur Seal) (Arctocephalus forsteri)Observer
jon_sullivanPlace
Haylock Bay, Akaroa heads, Akaroa harbour, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand (Google, OSM)Description
We saw an adult and two babies resting on the rocks in Haylock Bay.
Photos / Sounds
What
Karoro (Black-backed Gull) (Larus dominicanus ssp. dominicanus)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Black-backed gulls chasing a fishing boat past the entrance to Akaroa Heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Kāruhiruhi (New Zealand Pied Shag) (Phalacrocorax varius ssp. varius)Observer
jon_sullivanPlace
Haylock Bay, Akaroa heads, Akaroa harbour, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand (Google, OSM)Description
A pied shag with a fur seal and a black-backed gull.
Photos / Sounds
What
Cape Petrel (Daption capense)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
This is the best photo I got of the few cape pigeons we saw out past Akaroa heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
A big black petrel drifting past Akaroa Heads.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mainland Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus ssp. punctatus)Observer
jon_sullivan
Photos / Sounds
What
Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)Observer
jon_sullivanDescription
Two of three kereru perched at the corner of Smith and Muter streets in Akaroa.
Comments
Jon! have you got a location for that dike for GeoWatch or ClimberWatch!?
Scenery Nook is at -43.89782 172.92238. It looks hard to get to from land (you can see more photos of the surrounding cliffs on my Flickr page around https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/9082493917/). Although a photo with climbers on it would be superb.
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