[Alistair]

At the southern extremity of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf lies the Firth of Thames. To the firth's east, lie the volcanic ridges of the Coromandel Peninsula. To the west, a narrow coastal plain comprised entirely of ancient cheniers. As winter gives way to spring, thousands of migratory shorebirds arrive from as far afield as Alaska and others depart for their own breeding grounds in other parts of New Zealand. Amongst the departures is the extraordinary little Wrybill. It is the only bird in the world with a laterally curved bill (always to the right!). It breeds only in the braided rivers of the South Island over summer where it uses its bent bill to reach insect larvae under rounded riverbed stones. I visited earlier this week and there were still a few Wrybill: