In summer, adult birds are looking very tatty, with worn and missing feathers – not surprising as they have spent the last few months non-stop nesting, foraging for food, feeding ravenous chicks and defending territories so their plumage comes off second best; they will begin to moult into a new sleek set of feathers in late summer.

Other birds to watch out for on your summer travels are the majestic great crested grebes in Lakes Wanaka and Hayes, the comical quails around Alex and Cromwell, falcons in the high country, but also remember to check out the trans-Pacific travelling godwits, and the elegant royal spoonbills that spend their summer in Otago estuaries.