Fraser Gurney

Fraser was born and raised in Christchurch. His parents had a good appreciation for nature which rubbed off on Fraser, with birds becoming his main point of interest from about age seven. This interest was fuelled by many family holidays to all corners of New Zealand, particularly in the South Island, where encounters with endemic birds such as kea and blue duck made a particular impression. During his high school years several trips to Australia saw Fraser keeping his first lists, turning his interest in birding into a real passion.

Fraser attended Lincoln University near Christchurch, where he studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in conservation and ecology. Upon completing his degree, he started work as a guide in South Westland at Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, specialising in showing guests the endemic Fiordland crested penguin. Following this, Fraser worked for the Department of Conservation (DOC) as a Biodiversity Monitoring Ranger, where he spent more time in the Westland area and developed an affinity for the West Coast and its birds. Following his two-year stint with DOC, Fraser returned to Lincoln University to pursue a Master of Science, which he completed in 2022. His thesis saw him GPS tracking the endemic black-fronted tern and become an expert on New Zealand’s braided river birds. He currently lives in Christchurch where he works as an ornithologist for ecological consultancy Wildland Consultants.

Since his time with DOC, Fraser has been a very active member of the New Zealand birding scene. As a twitcher, his birding has taken him throughout the country, while more locally he is on the committee for the Canterbury branch of Birds NZ, moderates the New Zealand Bird Identification Facebook page and takes part in voluntary bird surveys and conservation projects throughout the Canterbury region. In 2022, Fraser’s New Zealand list passed 250 birds, making him one of the youngest people to pass this milestone at age 25.