Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 30
Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
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| Wetland pond with Wharemauku |
We sighted unusual marine
animal activity in this small pond to the north of the dune lake which was quite
a surprise as it is badly polluted by cattle. Though we couldn’t identify the
animals they gave themselves away, somewhat like a cloud chamber, by disturbing the water's surface. Small waves
could be seen manoeuvring away in fright from larger ones. This was a
surprise because there is no obvious way fish can get into this water and though
eels might traverse overland, anything this size should be well out to sea
heading for Samoa at this time of the year.
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| Cloud Chamber 1 |
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| Cloud Chamber 2 |
However, we managed to get
photographs of the activity and then made a closer inspection coming up with
identification of the prey, while remaining unable to confirm a sighting of the
predator that was pursuing them.
The smaller prey are water boatmen. A true bug and apparently vegetarian and though Landcare rate them as not being hardy in polluted conditions, this fetid pond is full of them, which means they must be making a meal of it. At the same time they provide a food source for
larger marine animals and some of our rarer waterbirds. Spoonbills and dabchicks have both been seen feeding here in the Spring.
It is now Midwinter – cold
and chilly- the temperature high, a
cool 10oC yesterday and not much better today though the sun has been
out both days. Still the dune lake is now filling and with another front due on the
weekend it should be close to capacity by the end of the month. However June-like conditions continue with the pukeko family in residence, an occasional
fly past by our two kahu and the weedy end of the wetland still taken over by a large flock of rather plump goldfinches. Plus of course, our kotare which has definitely taken up residence
at the airport end of this wild area.
But just when we were
beginning to think the gun lobby had shot the very last duck on this coast a critically endangered male
parera turns up.
We had caught a brief sight of him at dawn the day before, taking off from the banks of the Wharemauku with a mate, but he didn’t hang
around for a positive I.D. But here he is on the Wharemauku the next day. He came cruising over the pond, leading his mallard mate, and landed in the Wharemauku. He’s very
wild and wouldn’t let us get in close, clearing out again almost immediately when he saw us come over the brow of the hill.
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| Critically endangered male Parera on Wharemauku -July 15 2014 |
Still where there is one
there will probably be more.
Track we were listening to while posting this
Slaid Cleaves -Sinners Prayer
Im not living like I should
I've let the mystery slip away
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