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New Zealand
5th November - 4th December 2005
Homer Tunnel
Rock Wren habitat beside the Homer Tunnel entrance
The boulder fields by the upper entrance to the homer tunnel are one of the best known and most easily accessible places to see a tiny alpine specialist. The New Zealand Rock Wren (or South Island Wren as it is also often called) is notoriously difficult to see if the weather is wet, so I was very happy to find beautiful clear skies as I drove up there at dawn, especially since I'd been told it had been snowing the previous day! But even with the bright sunshine, it was still bitterly cold!
South Island Wren / New Zealand Rock Wren (Xenicus gilviventris)
The call of the Rock Wren is even higher pitched than that of the Rifleman, so I had absolutely no hope of being able to locate them by call and had to rely totally on sight. It is not the easiest of tasks finding a tiny bird with skulking habits among the enormous rocks of the boulder fields, but, with the help of two American birders, I eventually managed to find a pair.
Like most small birds, Rock Wren never seem to sit still, and even when they perch in one spot they were constantly bobbing up and down. The two photos below were taken less than half a second apart...
South Island Wren / New Zealand Rock Wren (Xenicus gilviventris)
South Island Wren / New Zealand Rock Wren (Xenicus gilviventris)
After 4 hours, and only having the Rock Wrens in view for a total of about 3 minutes, I decided to call it a day and see whether my rental car still had any rubber left on the wiper blades... This may seem like a strange statement to make, but Kea (an endangered species of alpine parrot) are quite common around the car park at the Homer Tunnel, and one of their favourite pastimes is to rip the rubber off wiper blades and door seals off cars. These destructive antics cause great hillarity (especially among the bus loads of Japanese tourists), but they are also a good reason to make sure you have zero excess charges on damage to your rental car.
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Kea (Nestor notabilis)
Kea (Nestor notabilis)
| Eglington Valley |  |
New Zealand map |  |
Milford Sound |
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They may not be used or copied in any form without prior written permission.
raywilsonphotography@googlemail.com