Phalacrocorax punctatus

The endemic Spotted Shag. It's not ashamed or camera shy or sleepy, it's just preening. I didn't visit the Yellow Eyes this particular afternoon; the German backpackers in my hostel thought I should try hanging out with people instead for once (weird). We drove a few kilometers north of town to Riverstone Restaurant, voted best restaurant in New Zealand by some apparently qualified people. After my chicken quinoa salad lunch and the best chocolate cake in the HISTORY of the WORLD, I can see why.

I did manage to get down to the Blue Penguin colony around dark, which is where I found this shag, perched by its lonesome on the rocks. The Spotted Shag is so named for the little black spots on its pale brown back. In the breeding season, they take on a exquisite plumage, with darker coloration, blue-green facial skin, a bold white stripe down the sides of their throat, and a magnificent swirly double-crest atop their head. It is breathtaking. I arrived a bit too late in the season to catch them decked out like this, but perhaps they'll start dressing up again in a few months as they prepare to breed in the early spring.

I imagine by that time this one won't stand a chance of appearing shy.