SOUTHERN BLACK-BACKED GULL OR KELP GULL, MIRANDA SHOREBIRD CENTRE, POKENO, NEW ZEALAND

NONBREEDIND BAR-TAILED GODWIT, MIRANDA SHOREBIRD CENTRE, POKENO, NEW ZEALAND

   We can ID this shorebird as a nonbreeding  Bar-tailed Godwit by its slightly upturned bi-colored bill, pink at the base and black towards the tip; mottled grey upperparts; off-white underparts and barred white tail.

   The Bar-tailed Godwit breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World and Alaska, and winters on coasts in the temperate and tropical regions of the Old World and of Australia and New Zealand.   It's migration includes the longest non-stop flight of any bird (7,258 miles) and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal.

    The last photo is of a map showing the migration route of the Bar-tailed Godwit from Alaska to New Zealand.   On the migration back to Alaska the godwit stops in the area of the Yellow Sea. 

   A good book on the migration of this godwit is "Godwit" by Keith Woodley, a godwit expert and manager of the Miranda Shorebird Centre.

   The Bar-tailed Godwit is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 732.

PIED STILT SUBSPECIES OF BLACK-WINGED STILT, MIRANDA SHOREBIRD CENTRE, POKENO, NEW ZEALAND

BLACK-BILLED GULLS, MIRANDA SHOREBIRD CENTRE, POKENO, NEW ZEALAND, 10/28/2017

   We can ID this gull as a Black-billed Gull by its long black bill; white head, neck, tail and underparts; grey wings and back legs. The Black-backed gull is endemic to New Zealand. 

   In addition to the Black-backed Gulls, there are two terns in the upper left of the photo.  These are White-fronted Terns.

   The Black-backed Gull is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 731.

PUKEKO OR AUSTRALASIAN SWAMPHEN, GOLF COURSE, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

   This swamphen is an Australasian Swamphen,  but in New Zealand it is known as the Pukeko, a term derived from the Maori language.