New Zealand February - June 2015, Oamaru

Oamaru is a special place in New Zealand as it is one of the few places where two species of Penguin can be observed within one day. Both the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin and the more common Little Blue Penguin have protected colonies just outside of this city. The Yellow-eyed Penguin colony is located at the Bushy Beach and is free of charge while the tightly managed Little Blue Penguin colony costs 28 NZD for an evening viewing. Access to both of these colonies should  not be a problem, both by private and public transport. There is even a Penguin Express that connects both of the colonies!

We arrived at the Bushy Beach around 16:30 and around 17:15 we observed a single Yellow-eyed Penguin making its way towards its nests within the bushes. Please not that this species is highly sensitive to disturbance, so it is advised to remain quiet while observing these stunning birds. Other critters that can be seen on the beach include New Zealand Fur Seals, while some seawatching proved productive with five species of shag including Steward Island Shag, Sooty Shearwaters, some Thallasarche spec's and an unidentified Giant Petrel. We also had another look at this colony in the early morning and around 07:00 we saw three Yellow-eyed Penguins on the beach.

Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)

Around 18:00 we joined an evening viewing at the Little Blue Penguin colony and during the two hours we spent here we observed around 30 of these adorable little birds making their way towards their nest boxes. Before entering the Little Blue Penguin viewing area make sure to have a look at the harbor of Oamaru just next to the viewing area, as a large amount of Steward Island and Spotted Shags roost here.

Vast quantities of Steward Island Shags (Leucocarbo chalconotus) and Spotted Shags (Stictocarbo punctatus)