Motuoapa was the final stop on our trip to Turangi in search of Blue Ducks. Having successfully found our Blue Duck quarry we visited Tokaanu wharf and then heading back north we stopped in at Motuoapa in search of Black-billed Gulls which we had photographed here previously. This time there was only one but it was very co-operative and gave opportunities for a variety of shots.

Black-billed Gulls are the rarest gull in the world, mainly breeding on the braided rivers of New Zealand’s South Island. 5% breed in the North Island on the shell banks at Pukorokoro Miranda on the Firth of Thames and a few other North Island sites. The last breeding attempt at Miranda failed when wild weather completely flooded the breeding site. They do not frequent cities or scavenge like the more commonly seen Red-billed and Kelp Gulls. They are beautiful delicate gulls with longer thinner beaks and an overall gracile appearance when compared to the ubiquitous, raucous Red-billed Gulls which are similar in size. Also known as Buller’s Gull it has recently been reclassified into the genus Chroicocephalus which makes sense as they seem far more similar to to other Chroicocephalus gulls (Silver gull , of which the Red-billed is a subspecies, Hartlaub’s gull, Grey-headed gull etc.) than those of the Larus genus (Kelp gull, Herring gull etc.).  For more information see New Zealand Birds online. 

As always there are opportunities on more common birds and it was nice to get a shot of a Mallard drake landing in front of some reeds and a Black Swan lumbering into flight like a Lancaster bomber.

Photos with Nikon D500 and Nikon 500m f4VR lens