.LynEve

gallery

These birds belong to the colony I have posted many times that have taken over the old wharf. The one on the left was doing a lot of diving while the other one watched ! They are very graceful when diving.

"2014 Otago officially laid claim to the Otago shag/Matapo as a new wildlife species, after scientists proved the existence of the endangered Otago shag. Led by a team from the University of Otago, scientists used DNA, body size, bone structure and subtle variations in colouring to identify that the Otago shag was a separate species to the Foveaux shag. Before the discovery, both birds had been lumped together as one species, as scientists had been unable to prove the existence of two species. 2019 saw roughly 650 nests on the ageing wharf which represented 40% to 50% of the entire species which makes Sumpter Wharf a significant ecological protected area."