Enderby Island hike - East shore - WildLight Photography

Enderby Island hike – East shore

tony
March 20, 2016
birds / New Zealand / Subantarctic / travel

Leaving our lunch spot at Derry Castle Reef we continued our Enderby Island hike by turning south and moving down the eastern shore. Being more sheltered from the wind the vegetation became taller with tussock rising from calf to waist and chest height, dracophyllum and Macquarie Island Cabbage becoming common and the edge of the Southern Rata forest appearing. There is no track and it is a matter of pushing through in the general direction that you are heading.

Macquarie Island Cabbage (Stilbocarpa polaris) amongst the tussock hummocks — Macquarie Island Cabbage (*Stilbocarpa polaris*) amongst the tussock hummocks

Our main target for this leg of the hike was the Auckland Island Shag colony. Auckland Island Shags are another endemic species that can only be seen by visiting this remote World Heritage site so I was looking forward to seeing them and, hopefully, getting some decent photos. The colony requires a small detour and could be easily missed but fortunately Edin had visited on Christmas Day so guided me straight to it.

Edin heading down toward the shag colony. There were a number of Sea Lion resting spots in the long grass at the top of the cliffs.

The colony consists of birds nesting on the cliffs which are rather inaccessible for photography. Fortunately there were opportunities on birds flying to and from the nest as well as birds perched on rocks more accessible for photography. The Auckland Island Shag is one of 6 pink-footed shag species endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the Auckland Island group. Campbell Island and the Bounty Islands have similar endemic shags.

Looking down at the nesting birds on the cliffs

Auckland Island Shags. This image was created with 2 images using the focus stacking techniques I have described previously. — Auckland Island Shags. This image was created with 2 images using the focus stacking technique I have described previously.

Allopreening Auckland Island Shags in breeding plumage showing the distinctive magenta-pink eye ring and red facial skin

Brown Skua resting on a flower strewn lawn near the shag colony

See New Zealand Birds Online for for information on these birds.

Leaving the shag colony we headed around the bay passing numerous Sea Lions, Yellow-eyed Penguins, Skuas and a Giant Petrel chick on a nest before cutting inland and heading toward the Southern Rata forest which will be the subject of next week’s post.