NEW ZEALAND:BIRD WATCHING

NEW ZEALAND:BIRD WATCHING

新西蘭：觀鳥記

8月，正值南半球秋冬之季。熱愛觀鳥的耘生強烈建議去新西蘭度過他的初一暑假。

他從網上搜到了大量的資料，告訴我們這里是世界上最古老的動物地理區，擁有珍貴的鳥類活化石，也是特有鳥種集中的國家之一。

我被孩子列舉的理由打動，一家人開始了獨特的新西蘭觀鳥之旅。

It’s August, and now is the time when autumn turns into winter in the South Hemisphere. Yun Sheng, a bird watcher, was strongly recommended to spend his thirteen summer holiday in New Zealand. He researched New Zealand online, finding out about it’s wildlife and birds, and told us that New Zealand has an incredibly high density of bird species along with some very rare ‘living fossils’- species that haven’t changed for thousands of years. We were so convinced by the young man's research and reasons that we headed off to New Zealand for a wildlife holiday.

Text by Ling Lan&Zhu Yunsheng Translations by Bian Jiajin Photos by Zhu Yunsheng& CFP

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1. Arctic Redpoll

極北朱頂雀

2. Pilots Beach-Timaru

北美金翅雀

3. Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis

林巖鷚

4.Paradise Shelduck

黑胸麻鴨

5. South Island Oystercatcher

南島斑蠣鷸

6. Tui

新西蘭蜜雀

Aviators of the island

New Zealand is divided into the North Island and South Island. From the perspective of sightseeing, South Island seems to be more attractive. However, in the sense of bird watching, both islands have their own merits. North Island has relatively flat terrain and a mix of subtropical humid and temperate maritime climates. Thus, the number of bird species there is much higher than on South Island. South Island though, is closer to the South Pole and far more isolated, making it home to some very peculiar species of birds.

Our itinerary started us on North Island. We rented a campervan and left for Shakespeare Regional Park in the north of Auckland. Here we came across collared king fisher, purple swamphen, pheasant and a kind of bird we called“ white throat dog”. Renting a campervan suits those wanting to bird watch since they can easily alter their departure times and destinations. During our 18 days in New Zealand, we drove our“ moving home” and ranged all over the two Islands.

Muriwai Beach was our second destination, and it was a snap decision. There we saw booby (also called gannet by native Chinese speakers). It was not particularly big, but its wingspan was over 2 metres long, and the way it flew was very cool. Under the cliff rested a group of boobies, and after taking off, they became skilful aviators, circulating and hovering overhead. Finally they pulled their wings back to plunge head first into the sea at high speed.

zhu Yunsheng's love of birds started at a very young age. He has always been keen on observing the flight patterns and paths. These amazing animals can vary enormously in their body shape, wingspan, the way they fly etc, but it is strangely the flightless kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand, that is most well known. New Zealand has never been home to land predators so the kiwi has no natural enemies on the islands and so was able to give up flying.

The Return of Nature

On Tiritiri Matangi Island, there was only one house with very simple facilities. But every room was named after a kind of bird. Some of the people boarding the island with us were also bird watchers. When volunteer guide Barry took us to out to look for birds at night, we were not allowed to use flashlights to illuminate the animals directly. A layer of red glass paper must be covered over flashlight in order not to disturb them.

Everyone has a strong awareness of the environment and desire to protect it in New Zealand. The government has established many national parks and conservation areas. National parks are free for everyone to enter and enjoy. Conservation areas, on the other hand, have admission fees and strict rules in place for bird watching to protect all the species there. Before boarding Tiritiri Matangi Island, we had to fill out information cards, pass the security check，and even wash our feet to avoid bringing over any microorganisms from the soil on the mainland to the island. For the isolatedspecies here, anything foreign, disease, virus etc, could be lethal. New Zealanders learnt all these the hard way after colonials brought with them animals like cats and rats which had a huge impact on the bird population, completely wiping out the rather peculiar species dinornis.

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Nowadays, New Zealanders are extremely careful to follow all the regulations to help protect their natural environment.

In Arthur's Pass National Park, it was quite normal to have a cup of coffee at table and see a rare species of parrot, the Kea. Amidst all the people, it pecked at a book leisurely just like it was free and careless in its own forests. We suddenly realised that animals, the environment and people can work together for the bene fit of both humans and nature.

Two women near gannet colony, Cape Kidnappers.在Cape Kidnapper，鳥與游人悠閑共處。

Subzero Tundra is a beautiful place for bird.美麗的冰原也是鳥類的棲息地。

Glacier and Lakes

From the North island to South Island, we took the ferry.

We embarked the Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry, four passengers and a car (315NZD). The ferry was huge with a deck just for parking down below. The upper floors were the passenger cabins and working cabins. There were also movie theatres, cafés and so on. Spotting birds on the sea was also fantastic. The weather changed from sunshine to rain constantly, and the types of birds were plentiful and changed with the weather and the waters. At the observatory on the top of the boat, we met some bird watching pals from Britain. Yun Sheng took his book out and chatted with them for a long time.

Bird watching around glaciers and lakes was a totally different experience in South Island. Generally speaking, glacier areas are not great bird watching spots, but if you are lucky enough, you might find something special. Moreover, birds here sometimes rest for long periods save energy, which is perfect for bird watching or photography. At Franz Josef Glacier, besides seeing the glacier that formed 15 thousand years ago, we encountered three new species of birds; the Tomtit, New Zealand pipit and paradise shelduck. Around Lake Te Anau, thanks to the greater living environment, there was a higher diversity of species. They were however more dif ficult to spot and were usually hidden deep in the forests.

To become a bird watcher, persistence and patience are essential. At every spot, some may search for two or three days to record all the species of birds that can be found, while the photographers may stay longer just to get that perfect picture. In New Zealand however, the wait is always worthwhile.

Muriwai Gannet Colony.穆里懷塘鵝棲息地。

島上飛行家

新西蘭分為南北島，從旅游觀光的視角，南島似乎更具魅力，但從觀鳥的視角來看，南北島各有特色。北島地勢較為平坦，亞熱帶濕潤氣候與溫帶海洋氣候相結合，鳥種和鳥的數量要比南島的多。而南島更靠近南極，與其他陸地隔絕，因此特有鳥種比較多。

我們的行程正是從北島起，租好房車立刻前往奧克蘭北部的Shakespear Regional Park。在這里，我們收獲了白領翡翠、紫水雞、雉雞和Tui鳥（即新西蘭蜜雀）。房車自駕非常適合觀鳥旅游者，可以根據旅行情況，隨時調整出發時間和目的地。在新西蘭整整18天，我們開著臨時的“移動之家”橫貫了南北二島。

Muriwai Beach就是我們臨時決定的第二站，在那里，我們看到了澳洲鰹鳥（也稱塘鵝）。它個子不大，翅膀超過兩米，有很帥的飛行姿勢。在懸崖下，一大群鰹鳥棲息著，像一個個白點。飛起來后，它們就變成高超的飛行家，一會兒轉圈，一會兒懸停，然后，收起長長的翅膀，速度極快地扎入海中。

從小學就開始迷上觀鳥的耘生，最喜歡的就是觀察鳥的飛行軌跡與姿態。這些神奇的生物，或因生存環境的不同，或因天生體型的不同，而擁有不同的動作，就像大自然制造出的一架架型號和性能不同的飛機。而最有趣的是，在新西蘭，最有名的，也貴為國鳥的卻是不會飛的幾維鳥。因為原始的新西蘭島上，幾乎沒有食肉動物，鳥類在陸地上少了許多天敵，蹦跳行走就能活得很安逸。

大自然的回報

在Tiritiri Matangi島上，只有唯一一個住所，屋內設施簡單，但每個房間都用一種鳥命名。與我們同批登島的人中，有很多觀鳥愛好者。志愿者向導Barry教我們夜觀時，不能用手電筒直接照射動物，必須包上一層紅色的玻璃紙，以免驚擾到動物。

在新西蘭，每個人都有強烈的環保意識。政府建立了許多國家公園和保護區，國家公園免費對所有人開放，但保護區要收取一定費用，并制定嚴格的觀鳥規則保護鳥類的生存。進入Tiritiri Matangi島前，我們需要填卡、過安檢，甚至擦洗鞋底，以防把外來的蔬菜、水果物種和別處的土壤帶入該區域。對習慣了當地環境的鳥類來說，這相當于一種病毒。新西蘭歷史上也曾為此付出過教訓。當年人類進入新西蘭，除了過度捕獵鳥類，也帶來了大量外來生物（當然也包括外來的致病細菌和病毒），最終導致當地特有的恐鳥的滅絕。

現在，新西蘭人用近乎嚴苛的標準，遵守著大自然的規則，而大自然則回報了更多。在阿瑟山口國家公園，我們輕易地在咖啡廳的桌上，發現了一只珍貴的啄羊鸚鵡。在周圍全是人類的環境里，它悠閑地啄著一本書，仿佛待在自己的樹林里一般自在。我們突然發現，大自然、動物和人類，其實不需要那么遠的距離。

海洋、冰川或湖泊

從北島到南島，我們選擇了輪渡。

從惠靈頓藍橋船務碼頭上船，4人加1輛房車的輪渡（費用315元新幣）。渡船很大，最下層為停車艙，上幾層為旅客艙和工作艙，艙內還設有電影院、餐廳等。海上觀鳥是一種奇妙的感覺。一路時晴時雨，海面上的鳥種也隨著天氣和海域的變化，變得豐富起來。在船頂瞭望臺上，我們遇到了來自英國的鳥友，耘生拿起鳥書，與他們慢慢交流。

在南島，冰川和湖泊的觀鳥體驗截然不同。一般來說，冰川并非常規的觀鳥地，但如果運氣好，也能有所發現。而且這里的鳥類，為了保存體力，常常靜止不動，對于觀鳥和拍鳥者來說，有更充裕的觀察時間。在約瑟夫冰川，我們除了見到1.5萬年前形成的冰川地貌，也收獲了3種新種——南島雀鴝鹟、新西蘭鷚和黑胸麻鴨。而在蒂阿瑙湖，由于生存環境更佳，鳥的種類更豐富，但其活動范圍也更大，行動也更敏捷，常常躲進林子深處，很難被發現。

作為觀鳥者， 耐力和耐心都是必需的。每個觀鳥點，常有愛好者搜索兩三天，以記錄各種鳥種和特征，而攝影發燒友則可能需要定點待更久，只為記錄鳥兒美麗的一瞬。不過，在新西蘭，這些等待，最終被證明總是值得的。

Notice of bird watching in New Zealand 新西蘭觀鳥游須知

1. Bird Watching Spots觀鳥點

There are six spots in North Island that are usually worth a visit all year round, excluding the outlying islands.

South Island has altogether five spots worth heading to, but because it's colder and the temperature in winter can get as low as minus 10-Celsius grad, not every spot is easy to visit all year round.

北島重要觀鳥點一共有6個，一般四季皆可前往，離島除外。

南島重要觀鳥點一共有5個，但由于南島氣候更為寒冷，內陸高山地區冬季甚至可達零下10度，所以并非處處都適合前往。

2. Must See Birds必看鳥類:

The national bird the kiwi, Kea, honeyeater, kakapo etc.

國鳥——幾維鳥、啄羊鸚鵡、Tui鳥、鸮鸚鵡等。

3. Transport交通工具:

Renting a campervan is the first and easiest choice. Many of the best locations are far away from facilities, so besides functioning as a vehicle, a campervan can function as bedroom and kitchen. Campervan sites en route should be checked out in advance.

房車是首選，觀鳥路線一般在荒野，房車除了解決行，還能儲備糧食，解決吃和住的問題。需提前查閱路途中的房車營地。

4. Equipment裝備:

Swarovski binoculars, telephoto lens SLR camera, compass, notebook (to jot down species seen), sleeping bags, quick-dry jackets (better be green, sepia or camou flage in order not to scare the birds), skid resistant climbing boots.

雙筒望遠鏡、長焦鏡頭單反相機、鳥書、觀鳥記錄本、速干衣（以綠色、褐色、迷彩為主，鮮艷的顏色會驚嚇到鳥類）、睡袋、防滑登山鞋等。