The ANZAC Day Bird Count

The urban birding challenge: How many species can we find in 24 hours?
Have you ever wondered how much birdlife exists in the city?
There might be a little truth in the phrase ‘urban jungle’, because major cities are often teeming with fantastic birdlife. The Auckland area itself is one of the best birdwatching areas in the New Zealand, as it provides a great habitat for a number of the country’s native and endemic bird species - and we are out to prove it!
This ANZAC Day (New Zealand and Australia’s national war memorial day) on April 25, the Habitat Tours Team are going to do a spot of Urban Birding to count how many bird species we can find in the Auckland area.

We’re giving ourselves just 24 hours to find as many bird species as possible around the city and surrounds, and we think we can find as many as 60 different types! Some of the country’s most sought after birds are on our list, such as the Kaka, North Island Saddleback, North Island Robin, Wrybill, and the elusive North Island Brown Kiwi.

We’ll be up before the crack of dawn at 4am to take full advantage of the autumn daylight hours, and we won’t be stopping until we’ve found some of New Zealand’s nocturnal species. Adding to the challenge is the fact that ANZAC Day is one of the busiest road traffic days of the year, but it’s a test we’re ready and excited for.
Our tour will include Mangere, the Waitakere Ranges and Tawharanui, all an hour or less from the city centre. 

Auckland really is a place where people and wildlife can live side by side in the city, and we can’t wait to showcase it to the world.
We will let you know how many birds we find early next week and will post live updates on Twitter via @HabitatTours
Tristan & Harry @ Habitat Tours