Welcome to Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ


This juvenile New Zealand falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae, was one of two seen during a Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ tour. Having just left the nest there was a lot of action around the place as adults brought in food and chased away swamp harriers, Circus approximans. If you want to have birding and photographic opportunities like this.....then you'd best get in contact with us!

Up-coming tours
	RUGBY 2011 - heading to New Zealand for the Rugby in 2011? Why not contact us and we can help arrange your birding plans.
	KURIL ISLANDS - birding the Russian Far East by Expedition Ship. 22 June to 5 July 2010. Limited availability, contact us for more information.
	Chatham Island Tour and Pelagics - December 2010 - see here for just the pelagics or here for the all inclusive tour. This tour is confirmed and will be going ahead!
	Pre-Western Pacific Odyssey (WPO) tour - 14-19 April 2011 - click here for information
	2010 and early 2011 21-day tours - click here for information - late 2011 and 2012 tour dates posted soon!

Sav just set a New Zealand record of 165 species seen during New Zealand wide tour during November 2009! This is a target that is going to be hard to beat, with out tours normally seeing 154-158 species during three weeks. We believe we consistently see more on our tours than any other operators.

Brent set a new record of 206 species in a calendar year for New Zealand in 2006! (previous record 197). See the Birder's Totals page for more information. This even made TV1 News on 23 Jan 2007!! Take a look at the streaming video of this on the TVNZ website - http://tvnz.co.nz/cda/tvnz/search/?style=tvnz&search=birdwatchers

Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.......started out as a couple of birding mates making the decision to setup their own independent bird guiding business. We felt there was a need for real BIRDERS, who were passionate about birding, really knew their New Zealand birds and birding sites inside out, and were based in New Zealand, with access to up to date information on the New Zealand birding scene. Sure we know our natural history as well, but we are BIRDERS, the name says it all! Pelagic birding trips are just one of our specialties, with unrivalled knowledge within New Zealand. Our rediscovery of the supposedly-extinct New Zealand Storm-petrel in 2003, as we were just starting to operate our business, was an amazing sign that we were really doing the right thing. However, we also know our land-birds just as well and know you will enjoy your New Zealand birding experience with us! So here we are.......Sav Saville and Brent Stephenson. Our list of services can be found here, with anything from pre-trip planning advice, to a full North and South Island organised tour (including the Chathams and Stewart Island), and anything in between. As Sav and Brent live in different parts of the North Island, we are also able to offer guided trips around our 'neck-of-the-woods' for one or more days. Trip reports from our pelagics, personal birding trips, and guided trips can be found here. If you are visiting New Zealand, then email us to let us know how we can help.

So why choose us?
We only operate in New Zealand, choosing to run tours on our home turf where we know things best Our trip lists speak for themselves - during the last two summers our 21-day itineraries have consistently seen over 150 species with Sav setting a record of 165 species in November 2009. Our 21-day tours are only run by us (Sav & Brent) - we won't fob you off with another guide not even mentioned on our site! We are licensed Department of Conservation concessionaires, permitted to operate on New Zealand's conservation estate. This means some of your fee goes towards ensuring the conservation of the birds you will see! We love getting out and about birding, we are birders through and through - we even go birding on the weekend! Consistently travelling the country to see new birds - see our Rarities section for the things we have discovered, successfully twitched, and (damn it!) unsuccessfully chased. Prominent in the NZ birding scene - Brent started and moderates BIRDING-NZ and is the record holder for the most birds seen in NZ in a calendar year (206), Sav is the Regional Rep for the OSNZ in his region, and we both regularly contribute to BIRDING-NZ, are featured prominently in Steve Braunias’ 'How to Watch a Bird', and rediscovered the supposedly 'extinct' New Zealand storm-petrel Plus we love showing New Zealand and its fantastic birds to overseas birders! Do you need any more reasons to email us??

Latest Testimonials from happy clients....

'Our New Zealand birding tour was booked with Wrybill after an internet search on NZ birding. In addition to birding we wanted to see the country and experience some of the culture. We found the tour exceeded our expectations. Sav Saville is an expert birder, especially on seabirds, and is also very knowledgeable on New Zealand and the life there. We sense that his tours can be adapted to any level of birding. The tour accommodations, travel, lodging and dining were very comfortable and a good value. The tour was one of the best we have encountered and we highly recommend Wrybill Tours.' - Bernard & Louise Martell, Portland, Oregon

'An excellent birding trip to NZ was had with Wrybill Tours led by Sav Saville. All of the available endemics (including 4 species of Kiwi's) were seen well in a thoroughly professional yet relaxed manner. Unbelieveable views of seabirds including 10 NZ storm petrels. - Highly recommended.' - Mel & Heather Billington, Norfolk, UK

'With "Wrybill" birders are birding often on the brink of extinction with so many endemics and endangered birds on offer. We were able to see all the available endemics on this trip plus fantastic pelagics seeing at close quarters NZ Stormy, 4 species of Kiwi with a 5th heard, and great food, drink and accommodation. Wrybill offer birding to suit most budgets and itineraries either for 3 weeks or just a few days. We would recommend Wrybill to any birders, they are clearly the best NZ Birding Tour operators!' - Roger Broadbent, UK

'Recommended for the seasoned veteran as well as the budding rookie birder. I'm definitely a member of the latter group. I'll go out birding with my wife and others, but I often have trouble viewing the birds as well as others and can rarely identify anything. Sav's trip was much better than I'd expected. He's a master at finding the different bird species and makes sure that everyone in the group gets a good look at the birds he's found. And the trip wasn't "birds, birds, birds" 24 hours a day. Every place we went there was a chance to enjoy New Zealand's magnificent scenery and to learn something about the history of this amazing island country. I came away from the trip with an enhanced appreciation for birding as well as a deep respect for those who have taken up this activity. If you get a chance, don't miss this tour -- you'll never regret it.' - Randy Falzgraf, Bellevue, Nebraska, USA

'I had the great pleasure of spending a month birding New Zealand in November and December, 2007. I felt privileged to have Sav Saville as a guide. His knowledge of New Zealand’s birds is unmatched. And his ability to show them utilizing his “ten foot rule” is amazing. This is to say, you’ll see most birds within a range of ten feet! As wonderful as these skills are, I was also very impressed by Sav’s logistical skills. Our trip was well-planned and thought out. But never rigid, Sav was able to deviate from our schedule when a good bird showed up. Acting as our driver also, our group was constantly entertained by endless tales recounted by a master entertainer. Sav worked hard to show our group the birds of New Zealand. In fact, our group set a trip list record of 158. This simply wouldn’t have happened without his effort. I am personally grateful to Sav for his work with our group and would strongly recommend him to anyone seeking a premiere experience in New Zealand.' - Dr. Ken Lowder, Iowa City, IA. USA

'We just finished three of the best weeks that I have ever spent, birding all of New Zealand with Sav. Every aspect of the trip was organized to the fullest, so all of our time could be spent birding. As a result, we set a new record of 158 species seen in a three week period. Sav is extremely knowledgeable about all of New Zealand and the birds there, especially the pelagic birds. Were I to take another trip to NZ, I'd go with Sav. "Nuff" said!!!' - Al Reyer, Bellevue, NE, USA

'Several years ago, I made it my goal to find every family. Because I was getting very close, it was with particular care and diligent research that I chose Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ to help me with my quest. New Zealand was to bring me down to three bird families to go. There could not have been a better decision. Brent and Sav are professional, dedicated, excellent birders. They know every nook and cranny of New Zealand and just never gave up. We spent 21 days seeing everything we could have hoped to see and more. I especially appreciated the amount of time that both Brent and Sav spent teaching us about the birds, especially on the pelagic trips we took. I learned so much! It is my firm belief that our group was so very fortunate to have birded with the two best birders, and had so much fun along the way. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Wrybill and hope to be back again.' - Janet M. Castle, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
More client testimonials....click here

An at sea sighting by Sav and Brent led to the rediscovery of the 'extinct' New Zealand storm-petrel!

Click here for information on the first sighting in 150+ years

Birds captured in the Hauraki Gulf!
Latest info and photos here

Hot off the Press!!
Arctic tern seen at the Ashley Rivermouth - cracking photo by Tom Marshall here Lesser frigatebird seen in the Hauraki Gulf (also sooty tern) - click here STRAW-NECKED IBIS - NZ FIRST RECORD - near Tarras, Central Otago - click here Many more New Zealand rarities added to the 'Rarities' section Great shearwater seen by Russell Cannings and Jukka Jantunen off Dunedin - click here for photos Strange white-faced heron seen near Pakaraka, Far North - click here for photos Gould's petrels and other rarities seen during a pelagic off the Three Kings - click here for photos Male Australian wood duck at Hokitika Sewage ponds, West Coast - Jan 07 - click here Chestnut teal (pair) at Waiwera sewage ponds near Orewa - Jan 07 - click here Greater sand plover at Manawatu Estuary - Jan 07 - click here for info and photos Latham's (Japanese) snipe at Whangamarino Wetland, Waikato - Jan 07 - click here

ID Problems
Pale Wandering albatrosses - just Gibson's or Snowy? - click here Pale Pterodroma seen off North Cape, New Zealand - just a juvenile Cook's or something else - click here Strange Pterodroma photographed off the Kermadec Islands by Steve Wood - click here to see the photo Mystery stint - click here and see what you think - is it a little stint, semi-palmated or Western sand, or a strange red-necked stint? Aberrant plumaged red-billed gulls - very strange grey colouration - click here for info and photo - another seen at Waikanae! Pacific or American golden plover - check out the photos and information here


Archived ID and Hot off the Press items
Intermediate egret seen at Waiatarua Wetlands, Auckland city - Nov 06 - click here White-throated needletail seen at Oban, Stewart Island - Nov 06 - click here Two Arctic terns found at Bluff by a WBT tour - Nov 06 - click here for info and photos Nankeen kestrel in the Far North - July 06 - click here Yellow-nosed albatross off Whitianga, Coromandel Peninsula - July 06 - click here Two red-necked phalaropes at Lake Grassmere - July 06 - click here Gannet killed by biting off more than it could chew - July 06 - click here Dunlin at Seagrove on the Manukau Harbour, Auckland - April 06 - click here Latest information on the New Zealand storm-petrel story - Jan 06 - click here Ruff at Miranda and Maketu - Nov 05 - Jan 06 - click here to see info and photos Intermediate egret at Muddy Creek and Ngaruroro Estuary - Nov 05 - click here to see info and photos Black kite at Renwick finally nailed down! - Aug 05 - click here Latham's (Japanese) snipe discovered at Waipara Rivermouth, Canterbury - Feb 05 - click here for info and photos King penguin at Barrytown, West Coast, South Island - Jan 05 - click here for photos and information Grey plover at Maketu/Manukau Harbour - Nov 04 - click here for photos and information Intermediate Egret found in Lawrence, Otago - Jun 04 - see photos and information here Grey phalarope seen at sea during Tolaga Bay pelagic - click here to see the trip report and photos Four great knot at Manawatu Estuary - click here to see the trip report and photos - still there 12 Dec 2003 Possible chestnut teal breeding on a small farm pond near Wanganui - click here for final thoughts Grey phalarope found live on Ninety Mile Beach - click here for info and photos Long-tailed skua seen on Pelagic out of Tolaga Bay - click here to see photos Brown skua, South Polar skua, and long-tailed skua seen off Tolaga Bay on the same day! - click here for the trip report Brown teal at Waikanae Estuary - click here to see photos Common tern seen at the Manawatu Estuary 20/01/03 - click here to see the photos and id features The waders are colouring up and getting ready to leave......click here for some photos Sanderling at Porangahau Estuary, Hawke's Bay - click here to see photos Possible chestnut teal near Wanganui - click here for initial release and information Strange heron/egret at Inchclutha, near Balclutha - click here for information and photo Chinstrap penguin at Kaikoura - click here for photos and information Albatross photographed off Kaikoura - is it a Salvin's or a Chatham? - under construction....

Up and coming
	Pelagic trips out of Gisborne, Hick's Bay, Whitianga, Hauraki Gulf, Napier, Houhora (Far North) & the Chatham Islands - register your interest!!
STOP PRESS! We are running a 6-night all inclusive tour to the Chatham Islands Dec 2010! This is an opportunity not to be missed, with the tour already confirmed - email us for a schedule and pricing for the full tour. As part of this we will be running a couple of pelagics, including a FULL day pelagic out past the Star Keys, South East (Rangatira), Pyramid, Mangere & Little Mangere Islands! See Chatham albatross at the ONLY breeding colony in the World, a host of other seabird species, as well as chances of shore plover, Forbe's parakeet, and black robin. Our very successful 2009 tour saw Forbe's parakeet, shore plover, both shags, and stunning views of hundreds of Chatham albatross during this pelagic. We will also be running a second half-day pelagic out to the south-west corner of Main Chatham to try for Pterodroma petrels, and again during our 2009 tour we broad-billed prion and rather starngely a Cook's petrel. Email us for information and pricing! See the trip reports section for info on the 2009 tour.
STOP PRESS! We have organised a FOURTH four-day COST SHARE live aboard pelagic from Houhora (Far North) to the Three Kings Islands. We ran one in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and what a success!! Reportable rare birds galore - read the trip reports here. The trip will be getting onboard the boat in Houhora on 31 March 2010, then departing early the next morning. Dates will hopefully allow us a good mix of sub-tropical species as well as potentially some early northward dispersal of southern breeding species. Who knows what we will see on our fourth trip, but the first three have given us a pretty good idea of the spectacular birds we should see! So for more information or to register your interest email us now.
At this stage, pelagic trips out of Gisborne, Hick's Bay, Napier, Whitianga (Coromandel), and Hauraki Gulf (Auckland) are being organised (see these locations on the map). If interest is high enough, then these trips could be held more frequently. If you are interested in getting more info on these trips, or you're keen to register interest, then please email us. Click here to see trip reports from previous pelagics, many of which contain photos of the species seen. Information on the boat used and chartering info as well as photos and info on the birds seen from Tolaga Bay - click here. For the schedule of trips out of these ports over the next 12 months, check our Pelagics page.

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