Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 87
Actively
supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
We are having problems understanding what is going on down at our dune
lake because no information is coming out about it; but we’ve seen some dramatic
developments which seem to indicate that the NZTA is having trouble with a
wetland, their scientists advised them wasn’t there.
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| One compressor |
In our last blog we put up photographs
that show the demolition of the surrounding sand dunes, that have been trucked as
fill onto the expressway. This cleared area is now filling up with lake water,
which has been polluted by peat disturbance.
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| Two compressor |
This seems to have baffled the engineers who
appear to be trying to drain it to the south, against the natural slope of the
land. And they’ve brought in some heavy machinery to help. One compressor was
left running, pumping the water from around the projected bridge site, into the
next lagoon, which immediately overtopped its banks. By morning it had found
its way back to where it had come from.
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| Back filling |
So they started all over again, bringing
in a digger to erect higher barriers and stop the backfilling. Then another compressor.
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| Back filled |
In presenting their case to the Board of
Inquiry the NZTA indicated they would be taking only .23 of a hectare of this
non-wetland which they adjudged to be a 1.8h in size. (Occasionally wet pasture
is how they described it). Well, they’ve now effectively destroyed all the original 1.8
hectares but extended the wteland into another area. In our submission to the Board we estimated an actually size, of 5-7
hectares. Now they have proved us wrong, because they’ve increased the size
of this dune lake to around double that; and that’s just on the western side of
the earthworks.
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| Now you see it |
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| Now you don't |
But wait, there’s more.
Much to our surprise some protected native
birds have been returning to this area, presumably attracted by this new wider
expanse of water. Two pair of pied stilts have been regularly in residence.
They have bred here in previous seasons although completely disappeared last
year.
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| Pied Stilt pair |
Another protected species – Tete or grey teal have also returned. We
haven’t had a breeding pair here for two years but have consistently sighted
two pair down here over the past month. There has also been a white faced heron feeding
and we’ve had a royal spoonbill on a flypast, though it had the good sense to
veer away and not land.
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| Now you see it again - tete-grey teal pair - male in front |
More exciting however has been the return
of three pair of parera-cross ducks. This little colony seems to be re-establishing
itself. They can be seen doing early morning flypasts and this is courting behaviour.
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| Parera-X pair |
These birds will soon be
starting to nest but in removing the blackberry and other protective cover from
incursion by cats, rats, stoats, dogs, kahu, pukeko and plover, not to mention
bulldozers, the NZTA have turned the wetland into a death trap for them.
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| tilting the playing field - kahu at dune lake |
Track we were listening to while posting
this – Just has to be Cilla Black -with the news just coming through.
Anyone who ever loved could look at me
And know that I love you
Anyone who ever dreamed could look at me
And know I dream of you, knowing I love you so
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