The Expressway and the destruction of a New Zealand wetland

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Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds

This blogpost is for Jo Cox and her family and all those families in Orlando. These tragedies simply underline how small the world now is, how we are all in it together and how shocks like these one's, distress and sadden communities even as far away as this one.

Winter has now set in at the Wharemauku bridge site here in Raumati Beach. The NZTA corporate consortium has pledged  to finish this expressway before the end of the year and it is still too early to tell what the long term effect of sending a Mexican wall like this, trumpeting through the area, is going to be, though the processes of gentrifaction and beautification are getting underway.

Re-excavating the former dune lake

Signs of erosion on the bridge approach

They are not however, going to re-establish  the wild natural area that has been destroyed.

A dog's breakfast - the former dune lake area

On the eastern side of the wall, substantial bodies of wetland are now forming. It is trapped behind the expressway though it is likely that drains will be put in to siphon it into the Wharemauku.  This has happened on the other side of the construction where a large new wetland had formed, but then suddenly disappeared overnight.

Now you see it.

Now you don't!

How this will affect the wildlife is still undetermined. We are no longer seeing the varied populations of fifty to sixty wetland birds and the few we are seeing are generally the top predators. Seagulls are turning up, that never used to visit, and the self introduced spur-winged plover, which was previously rare, has now formed a substantial population. They predate pied stilt and oystercatcher nests. The pukeko are also remorseless predators and very adaptable. A family of 6 or 7 have returned to their old dune lake haunts. Then the Canadian geese, that used to overnight here have also been seen on days when the consortium isn’t at work.

Black swan and pied stilt in wetland on Sunday before it was drained again.

There are signs that other birds are still around because we’ve spotted teal, shoveller and pied stilt, black swan and the injured paradise duck from last year. 

Shoveller - male

Then a rare spoonbill and white faced heron have put in an appearance, but only once again, when there is no work on the site. It is still unknown how the birds will react to the constant traffic, once this area begins to settle again.

Parera-cross pair

What is most concerning is the sudden decrease in the duck population. We counted around 10 down at the beach end of the Wharemauku in April where we would usually find up to two dozen. Usually these numbers halve through the duck shooting season in May, but we have been left with two pair, one of which is parera cross. These two have been paired up since March. Through the courting season ducks are usually careering around overhead, but we have seen none of that behaviour this year.

Against all odds rushes are restablishing in the cleared wetland areas

Nature is a constant surprise however and in the remnant wetland that had been bulldozed out, we suddenly found communities of native wetland rushes re-establishing themselves. These haven’t been re-bulldozed as yet, and we’ll keep you posted on their progress. 

Watch out for our next post which will feature a profile on Conservation veteran -Ridgway Lythgoe- and feature his photographs taken in Antractica in the late 1970's when he led New Zealand's over wintering party...

Track we were listening while we sorted this was Rainy Night in Georgia.  

Hoverin' by my suitcase, 

Tryin' to find a warm place to spend the night

Heavy rain fallin', 

seems I hear your voice callin' "It's all right."

A rainy night in Georgia, a rainy night in Georgia

It seems like it's rainin' all over the world

I feel like it's rainin'all over the world

Brook Benton of course, and Susie’s choice because yes, she is back amongst us and all has been forgiven. 

Jill Studd’s blog

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