Monday, January 4, 2010

Otago Peninsula--My World

We enjoy travel and one of our best trips was the trip to New Zealand in 2007. One of the highlights, and there were many, was a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre near Dunedin.

These magnificent birds can be seen soaring in the skies above the centre.
A guided trip to a blind allows a good view of the nesting area. We watched a researcher as she approached a nest, the parent bird was not sure she/he approved. The parents take turns sitting on the nest while the other is out at sea hunting.
Here she had the chick, parent watches closely.
The chick is weighed and then returned to the nest. I could have spent all day but we had to make way for the next group.
After viewing the Albatross, we went to another area on the peninsula to see the Yellow-eyed Penguins.
New Zealand is a great place for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to visit in our winter. It is especially nice for those of us who prefer hiking to skiing.
Find more great views of the world at That's my World, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Sylvia.



25 comments:

jabblog said...

Oh wow! How wonderful to be near and see such huge birds. Great post!

Sylvia K said...

How terrific! What a great trip! And being able to see up close such wonderful, huge birds! Marvelous post, Martha!

Have a great week!

Sylvia

Paulie said...

Thanks for the tour! What an interesting place with these creatures -- you are blessed to get to travel like you do.

Gaelyn said...

What a great adventure Martha. Love the pics of the albatross parent watching so closely. New Zealand is on my list, maybe 2011. I'd rather hike someplace warm also.

Diane AZ said...

Fabulous pictures! I like the one where the albatross is having a word with the researcher and also the yellow-eyed penguins look interesting.

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful pictures. I didn't realise how big these birds were.

Best wishes, CJ xx

Rajesh said...

Very wonderful snaps. The birds are huge.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

What a treat! I knew albatrosses were large in terms of wingspan but seeing one close up to the researcher really gives a perspective to how large they really are!
Janice.

Carver said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carver said...

Oops I had to delete my first comment because I got mixed up with comment boxes. I enjoyed this post so much. Wonderful shots and amazing bird watching while the check is being measured.

The Good Life in Virginia said...

looks like something i would enjoy doing...the birds are amazing.
have a fab week.
erin

Anonymous said...

I am not a serious bird watcher, but I am thrilled to see this post. What a great stop.

eileeninmd said...

Wow, what a cool experience. The Albatross is a huge bird. I had no idea it was that big. Great photos and post.

SandyCarlson said...

They really are amazing birds. Thanks for the up close and personal.

Janie said...

Great animal photos! Interesting that the adult albatross complains but doesn't seem to make any threatening move toward the researcher.
Happy new year to you, Martha!

Lindy said...

Looks like the trip of a lifetime to me! I had no idea the albatross were so large, and I am amazed it allowed the researcher to get so close.

Paulie said...

To answer your question. We never know how much snow we will get here. . . last year it snwoed 20 days and we had over two feet of snow on ground for Christmas and it snowed again all day Christmas. This year, so far, it snowed one day and we got three inches and it lasted three days before the rains came and melted it all. I am hoping for more!

Loran said...

We've been to NZ as well and it is one of my most favorite places on the planet! Oh, the scenery, the fresh food, the people. But, we missed the albatross. There's never enough time to see it all.

Carolyn Ford said...

I like how you travel! These are amazing shots of an amazing bird. You captured this beautiful creature in such a gentle way. Wonderful post.

Kcalpesh said...

These are lovely pictures :-)

- Pixellicious Photos

Arija said...

I always think of the Tale of the Ancient Mariner when I see an albatross. New Zealand is surely a wonderful place to visit any time of the year with incredible natural beauty on show anywhere you look.

ninja said...

Wow, I'm surprised the bird didn't attack her! What a lovely encounter.

Yolanda said...

I would love to visit here. Hope you have a wonderful 2010.

agreenearth said...

How exciting to read a post on Otago. Was born in Dunedin by the Otago peninsula and my father's family were some of the first settlers from Scotland on the Peninsula (Portobella). Would love to go back and visit. Have so many memories of the beautiful bays and birds.

Linda Reeder said...

It takes putting a person next to it to get a perspective of how huge these birda are! It's amazing that the parent let the researcher handle the chick.