Pied shag are common in many coastal areas of NZ, but have never been along the Whanganui and Taranaki coastlines. We have noticed a few birds along our estuary the last year or two, but recently Ormond Torr, a local birder, spotted some nests in trees along the river bank, in the city area. This is the first breeding record of them in Whanganui, and for us photographers, it offers some photo opportunities. I was fortunate to be present at nest changeover time, and the lengthy, affectionate display put on between the two adult birds was very neat to see.
