Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 56
Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
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| Female putangitangi-paradise duck atop 8 youngsters |
Just
when you think nature is done and dusted, she pulls a new surprise and here
they are - a family of putangitangi – paradise ducks - that have just come out on
our local public pond. There’s quite a back story here but first to our Christmas
video.
This
pond has been emptied for renovation over most of this year. The mallards that
usually loiter here, hung around for
a while (for feeding) but had deserted it by spring. They still haven’t
returned. A pair of paradise ducks have raised ducklings here over the last
three years, though in ever decreasing numbers; four, three, then a solitary one
last year.
Two
weeks ago the pond was refilled, and then to everyone’s delighted surprise, as if on a christmas cue, three days ago this brood of eight
ducklings came out on it. They are attracting a lot of attention, but raise
many questions, the first being - are these the same pair that usually nest
here?
They
aren’t banded so we only have circumstantial evidence to link this pair with
previous years. However going by the worn quality of their feathering, they
definitely are an ‘older’ couple, while the male has developed a pronounced
limp. Another pointer is that the parents are used to being fed by the public
and so are more domesticated than their wild cousins who you can’t usually get
close to. This feeding isn’t as automatic a response as you might think, but
learned. When passersby first attempted to feed the ducklings they had no idea
that food was being thrown at them until their parents began picking it up and
sharing it round.
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| She keeps a close eye on proceedings |
But
then how did Mum get her timing so right, because the pond was dry when she
began sitting on her nest? Presuming this is the same pair, they are about six
weeks later in the year in bringing out a brood which are usually about to
leave this pond by Christmas. So she must have delayed her sitting – though how
remains a conundrum. (We didn’t know
they were filling the pond until it happened!)
Another
intriguing character of putangitangi behaviour lies in their sibling
relationships. These ducklings will soon change colour, with their feathers
growing into the same shade as their father. They all look the same until three
or four weeks later, when over about four or five hours, the daughters assume
their female colouring. Three years ago, when we were just getting to know
these animals, we began to take umbrage when a runt of the litter seemed to be
picked on by older siblings. On further observation it became clear that the
opposite was happening – that the runt was being overly protected. This runt
turned out to be the sole sister in the family. She was particularly attached
to her father and would often go and sit by him. (He usually keeps a watchful
distance)
What
is also noticeable around a public pond like this is that the ducklings can get
overheated. They will try and shelter under their mother, but then dive back
into the pool to cool down.
These
native birds aren’t ducks at all of course, but a shelduck, closer to a goose, and one of the reasons they are doing reasonably well, is that they are such impressive parents – especially the mothers. It was always
good to see them at the dune lake because they acted as an early warning alarm
for all the other birds, some of whom weren’t near as canny. And just as a
final point though these birds are very tolerant of public attention they are
especially aroused by dogs which are frequent visitors here, and adolescent
males. It is intriguing to watch girls approach the brood to photograph them when
they hardly move, but any male of tweenage or older, sends them straight into
the safety of the pond.
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| Pohutukawa - a NZ Christmas tree |
A
very Meri Kirihimete (Merry Christmas) to all our many visitors from over this
year and all the best for 2015… And to those who are also trying to hold their
ecological fort against vandalising forces … Salutations! You are not alone!
Track
we were listening to while posting this the peerless
Eartha Kitt Santa Baby...
Come and trim my Christmas tree
with some decorations
bought at Tiffany's;
I really do believe in you;
Let's see if you believe in me...
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