We were so relieved when we spotted our freshly fledged fantails in the garden this morning. What was more remarkable was that they had all survived considering the strong winds during the week. This fantail blog has taught us much about the life of these little birds in our environment here at Driftwood Ecotours. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.
We had a wonderful day touring the Kaikoura Eastcoast, Ure Valley. This is the area that Will lived and farmed for twenty years.
We stopped of at the high country hut for a picnic lunch and were treated to the song of the shining cuckoo, a spectacular bird. Also bell bird chicks.
We were in search of the illusive blue duck or whio and had a lovely short walk at the Ure River, one of Marlborough’s most popular walking spots.
No sign of Blue Duck but we did enjoy the flora on display at the towering limestone bluffs. In particular heliohebe hulkeana, a native flower that has purple flower sprays that hang down in fragrant drifts.
We finished with a delicious meal of fresh scallops at the East Coast Inn. Great day in Marlborough!
Today I was rewarded in my birding by finding the site where a pair of Fantails (Rhipidura fuliginosa) were nesting. One is black and I’m sure is the female as she is the most busy in building the nest. My wife thinks it is the other way round!! The other is pied and periodically inspects the nest and makes a few alterations. It is fascinating to watch as they bring material, deposit, thump and pound with their breasts until satisfied. The nest is made of twigs, grass, cobwebs, feathers, mud and any other material at hand. A delightful bird to watch and for those with an interest in bird watching one can only marvel at the skill of these birds. I shall continue to watch and keep you updated.
Yesterday we had to abort our freshwater kayak tour due to very strong gusty winds so offered a 4wd option to the White bluffs. We had a great time bird watching, taking photographs, searching for fungi and my clients helped me pick up some beach rubbish of bottles, flipper, nylon fishing line, old rope, buckets and balers etc. It was very rewarding to have clients who appreciated a clean beach environment and on our return I was able to recycle most of it.
We were nicely rewarded with a unusual sunset indicating the possibility of rain the following day. All in all this was a ecotour where we cleaned up a little patch of Marlborough with my friends from USA.
On Sunday I had the privilege to show members of the Kiwi Conservation club a little of the Wairau lagoon and river environment. It was great fun with some interesting questions and knowledgeable young conservationists. This was a first for Driftwood Ecotours taking a club with very similar interests to ourselves and most enjoyable. By way of agreement they made a donation me which will be used to fund trees on our covenanted Queen Elizabeth trust wetland.
