After our stop at Rotokare Scenic Reserve, we headed on through some quite heavy rain to our destination at Bushy Park. I have visited Bushy Park a couple of times as a day visit and always wanted to spend longer. I had previously tried to book in while passing through but the homestead had been under renovation at the time. With some advanced planning we had managed to book 3 nights at the homestead and I was really looking forward to having more time to explore Bushy Park. Specifically I was hoping to have time to stake out the feeders in hope of Hihi/Stichbird opportunities.
Being a trapped, predator fenced reserve Bushy Park is essentially a mainland island allowing some of our endemics to thrive. Along with the usual Piwakawaka/Fantail, Riroriro/Grey Warbler, Korimako/Bellbird and Tui, there good numbers of Hihi/Stitchbird and Tieke/Saddleback. The challenge as always is to locate them with a clear view at a good level for photography. The above 2 images are both suboptimal as I was having to look up into the canopy to photograph them. A plentiful natural food supply was good to see but meant that the feeders were not being utilised. In total we saw a single Korimako/Bellbird at one.
The above Tieke was photographed feeding on a much lower shrub and creates a much more pleasing image. This next one I managed to get at almost eye level preening after bathing in a puddle. The real challenge was finding a clear view through the foliage and twigs. There was not enough of a gap for the whole bird so it was crucial to get a clear view of the eye and bill. I managed a sequence of images of this encounter which was my best Tieke opportunity of the visit. A mature bird with decent wattle and interesting behaviour.
Hihi/Stichbird were more challenging being less numerous. At the end of the day on our final afternoon we heard repeated calls in a tree close the homestead when we were returning from a long walk through the bush. There were a number of birds moving quickly and chasing each other which made focus acquisition difficult in the busy environment. I was finally lucky when one stopped on a rimu branch briefly before being bombed by a rival.
Bushy Park is lovely destination and well worth a stay at the historic homestead. Accommodation in the homestead is on a bed and breakfast basis but dinners are also available and were lovely. In keeping with the period theme, the rooms are not en-suite so facilities are shared. This may be a negative for some but as we were the only guests for the duration of our stay we essentially had private facilities and felt very spoilt. Shared bunkhouse accommodation is also available. Even if you don’t stay overnight, I can recommend the cream teas!
Photos with Nikkor Z9 and Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5 VR S.
