Royal Spoonbill's at Raumati Beach

Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 3

Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds

There’s been quite a delay over the holiday and to the finishing of our new film, so here’s an interim update while we sort it out.

 

Weather wise the summer has been a write off for holiday makers, but great for wetland birds. The dune lake, though much reduced in size is still attracting large wading birds. A white faced heron has been in residence since late November while two royal spoonbills have been regular visitors. These large birds are very wary of closely approaching human beings and while quite happy to be filmed from the pathway, became very nervous as we left the track to move above them and around the back of the lake.

Royal Spoonbill feeding at Raumati Beach dune lake January 29, 2014

A Pukeko family are still down on the grassy flats of the wetland. By midsummer they have usually disappeared into the blackberry. It is honeycombed with pukeko size tunnels and the berries seem to sustain them through to early March. It is difficult to get a good count in the thick grass but there are around 7 – with the three chicks all seeming to have survived. Last year only one of four survived to adulthood. Pukeko are of course, one of the top predators at the lake and a very mixed blessing come nesting time.

 

In previous years the dune lake dried up mid-January and then in a year of drought – mid-December, so it has been quite a surprise to see it still operational as we head into late summer.

Niwa expressway pollution monitor in Wharemauku. January 29 

The Expressway is starting to close in with NIWA having installed pollution monitoring equipment into the Wharemauku creek. The National Government is anxious to get the development passed a point of no return before the election at the end of the year. We are hoping however, to get another undisturbed Spring out of the wetland. Clearance work is beginning at either end and is likely to meet at the dune lake. This work has only just begun  so this may be possible. The area will be impassable to heavy machinery from May  through to mid December so this will also work in our favour.