Otega Peninsula Birds April 11, 2011

Bird Day on the East Coast Otago Peninsula April 11, 2011

We left the city and ventured onto a narrow two laned road that hugged the coast of the peninsula. We passed beautiful bays along the way with calm water and beautiful reflections. It was tough to find pull offs to photograph, but we did find one spot were we saw birds and boats in the quiet of the morning.

Larnach Castle was our next stop. We were glad we stopped because it was a beautiful spot, high on the hill overlooking the harbor. The Castle was built by William Larnach, a rich man who made and lost fortunes, became a member of Parliament, married three times and committed suicide in the Parliament building. The building and grounds are privately owned and restored. The building was interesting, especially the wood carvings that covered the ceiling and trim. There was a beautiful Georgian hanging staircase, the only one in the southern hemisphere. The gardens were fading, but still interesting and beautiful. We had lunch in the ballroom, which is now the café.

Off to Taiaroa Head at the end of the peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Center. Managed as a Nature Reserve by the Dept. of Conservation. Our tour consisted of a movie and talk by a naturalist and a walk to a viewing observatory. We saw several chicks but no adults. The chicks were huge and they slim down before they fledge. The wing span is 91/2 ft and they can fly at speeds of 75 mph.

Next we went off to the Penguin Place, a privately owned conservation effort to save the yellow eyed penguin. They have a penguin hospital, where they keep mostly juvenile birds to fatten them up to fly off on their own. They have a series of viewing stations allowing you close-up views of the penguins. We saw several juvenile penguins who were shedding their feathers; funny looking guys. As we walked along the cliff we saw a juvenile that should have been out to sea, so they came and collected him. He will probably stay overnight to be weighed and fed and released back into the wild.