Mutton Birds

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Anyone who has been on or trading on the NZ coast should remember the Mutton birds. I think their real name was Shearewater Birds,
On the news the other day it stated thousands of Mutton birds have died of Bird flue.
They where funny things, they bred mainly on the Lower South Island, where they used to breed in burrows, the Maoris used to shove their hands down the burrow and take them for their meat. Used to see flocks of them wheeling around down in Bluff, sad really.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Back in the 80'sand earlier they were popular here in Oz.
Not heard that name for many a year now.

Did you hear that there is heavy snow falls in parts of England and Wales over the last week.
Even London had some.
But in WYDDFA I heard it was very heavy.

Now the official name for Snowdon.

[j.sabourn]

Working out of Dampier I was told a lot of the bird life was mutton birds, however I wouldn’t have known if they were or not. However cannot but recognise an Albatross and was the accepted believe among seamen in years gone by that one would not see one north of the equator. Today however one sees them well north of the same.
Maybe man should have put a sign up marking such to warn the Albatross he was crossing the border !!!? JS

[James Curry]

Back in the 80'sand earlier they were popular here in Oz.
Not heard that name for many a year now.

Did you hear that there is heavy snow falls in parts of England and Wales over the last week.
Even London had some.
But in WYDDFA I heard it was very heavy.

Now the official name for Snowdon.

two days ago snow here, this is Snowy
Snowy.jpg

This is Snowy after taking up ski jumping


Snowy1.jpg

[Michael Black]

In Auckland one trip I was invited to a Maori wedding. Mutton bird was on the buffet table, I had never heard of it before but did try it. The wedding itself was an experience for a young lad from Northumberland, with the wedding couple and a lot of guests in traditional wear.
Regards Michael

[Des Taff Jenkins]

We have yet to see any white cockatoos so far this summer, the only birds around are the common ons like sparrows, minors, and such, no sign of our pair of Red parrots as yet.
Des

[Paul Averis]

Hello, Des. I well remenber the mutton birds and their greasy red flesh that tasted like mutton, hence their name. Spent many hours on the afterdeck of MV Medic eating them together with Bluff oysters all washed down with cold Waikato beer.

[Bill Morrison]

Hello, Des. I well remenber the mutton birds and their greasy red flesh that tasted like mutton, hence their name. Spent many hours on the afterdeck of MV Medic eating them together with Bluff oysters all washed down with cold Waikato beer.

Hi Paul. I have just come off Skype. Talking to my old M.N. friend of more than fifty five years. John " Mutton Bird " Bradshaw. John came from Bluff and liked his mutton birds, oysters and the only thing I liked crayfish tails. Sail once from Bluff with five sacks of crayfish tails in the brine room, steamed some up during your watch and had them with cold Tennents Lager on the deck, when off watch. Sheer luxury.
Bill.

[James Curry]

Used to run up to Kitimat B C/ Alaska . Get alongside make a ring and an old onion net bag, bit of bait in the centre. Drop to the bottom and within 30 minutes pull it up. Thing was full of snow crab. Great eating but got sick of them 3 times a week. Apparently now since 2021 the sea temperature has increased and the Snow Crabs have disappeared to the extent there has been a ban on fishing for snow crab for the last 2 years.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Paul and Bill
Bluff oysters to die for, I was on the USS Konui running from Auckland ,Timaru, Omaru Dunedin then Bluff, for six months, used to swap a tine of green USS paint for a sack of Bluff oysters, used to get the odd crayfish, all the fish we wanted, it was my second last ship and the most enjoyable.
Des