In the clouds at Orokonui
A beautiful misty scene greeted me on my second ever visit to the picturesque Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin. I was in Dunedin for the Writers and Readers festival but made sure I planned some birdwatching trips to fill in the gaps around my events. I was really looking forward to another day hanging out with the birds in the beautiful cloud forest at Orokonui, having fallen in love with the place on my first visit earlier this year. Almost as soon as I entered through the predator proof fence I was greeted by a rather adorable female ngiriungiru / tomtit. I absolutely adore these birds, and in my humble opinion they are the cutest birds in the whole of Aotearoa.
female ngirungiru / tomtit
Orokonui Ecosanctuary Forest
Since I had visited Orokonui a few months earlier I had already sussed out the best birdwatching spots, and in particular the best spots to see the birds I was coveting. As I meandered along the main tracks, I arrived at the feeding stations. They were absolutely buzzing with the sounds of kākā, tūī and korimako / bellbirds. It is always a pleasant sight to see korimako/bellbirds thriving, as back home the Wellington population has never really taken off, so knowing they are doing well in different parts of the country is comforting.
The South Island birds sound quite different than the North Island ones that I’m used to, their songs are somehow richer, deeper and more melodic. South Island birds have an extra charm about them too, their tomtits have yellow chests, their robins are not only darker in colour but are also friendlier, and they have a special forest bird that we don’t have in the North Island, the elusive brown creeper.
The brown creeper or pīpipi belongs to the mohoua group, along with their other South Island relatives the yellowheads/mohua, their North Island cousins are the whiteheads/pōpokotea. Although they aren’t incredibly rare, the behaviour of the pīpipi makes them a bit of a challenge to see and photograph. They prefer to frolic in the forest canopy, especially during the colder months, and they always seem to be behind leaves, branches and generally in spots that make them near impossible to photograph. I’m always up for a challenge and was determined to snap at least one decent photo of these little birds and I’m pretty happy to get the one above!
Takahē are always a joy to see. Their big blue bodies stand out like a sore thumb in the forest environment and they are always relatively friendly, as most of them spend their lives alongside humans in some way. There are two pairs that reside at Orokonui, I managed to see both on my visits there.
The clearing in the lower section of the sanctuary is a bit of a hot spot for birdlife. Native birds seem to love the edge of the forest, as that’s where the sun hits and the bugs are easier to find. I heard so many ngirungiru / tomtits as I walked around the sanctuary, but only spotted a few, they’re a bit sneaky in that way.
Tūī singing at a feeding station
Like everywhere it seems, tūī are abundant at Orokonui, especially around the feeding stations. Their song can be heard far and wide, and wow it’s a beautiful sound. I filmed a bit of feeding station action and uploaded it to YouTube, if you’re interested I’ve added it above.
kakaruwai / South Island Robin
The kakaruwai / South Island Robins were typically friendly and adorable. They are such incredible birds, so friendly and fearless. Even though I see North Island robins regularly at Zealandia, it was extra special getting to see the South Island variety.
Otago Skinks sunbathing