Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 144
Actively
supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
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| Welcome Swallow |
We are seeing plenty of Welcome Swallows this year, feeding over
the wetland. They are usually in groups and like fantail/ piwakawaka, can swoop
in close to you when you’re out amongst them. They are very difficult to film but we
watched these two, looping together around the same spot for five
minutes.
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| courting swallows |
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| Courting swallows |
Then managed to get a short film of them.
They were not feeding but chasing each other. The larger male seemed to be
doing all the hard work and you don’t usually see swallows circling the same
spot like this. An hour later when we returned, they were still at it. So we think this is courtship behaviour
and are keeping an eye out for nest building.
Attached to this film are clips of two
Little Shags diving in the ponds close to town. We couldn’t see whether this
was a pair but they are rare visitors. We have never seen two down here like
this so its a further good sign and may indicate there is more marine life in the swamp now the drains have opened up.
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| Wharemauku swamp pond - looking towards Expressway |
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| Little shag at Wharemauku swamp |
What we aren’t seeing however are many
ducks. Where previously there were 30 to 40 mallards and usually a couple of
broods of ducklings by now, then a small colony of parera cross birds, we rarely
see more than five or six mature birds. Even so we have seen some provoking
behaviours.
A solitary parera-cross pair appeared at
one of the town ponds over a month ago and the male immediately set about
keeping the green headed mallard males in their place.
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| Parera-cross on left, set about this mallard |
The two have been seen down here regularly-
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| Grooming |
And more recently the female has gone
walk about in the undergrowth with her bewildered mate in tow.
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| Female Parera-cross |
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| Bewildered male |
Once again we are keeping a look out for
nest building. One of the signs is to find lone males moping
around. And there are a number of these around at the moment…
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| Mallard male |
This guy has only one leg. The female was well hidden up in the
undergrowth, but they were disturbed by people on the track oblivious to
what was going on, and we're not sure if they will return.
This male starred in a previous post but
wouldn’t keep his head still here. No female in sight for a while now but he hasn't left the area.
And this kotare is still around but
no sign of a mate for a while.
Track we were listening to... today we are
going back into the history of rock’n'roll, because well, we just can’t resist it. Buddy Holly's Rave on..
We-a-he-a-hell, the little things you say and do
Make me want to be with you-ah-ou
Rave on, it's a crazy feelin' and
I know it's got me reelin'
I'm so glad that you're revealin'
Your love for me
Rave on, rave on and tell me
Tell me not to be lonely
Tell me you love me only
Rave on for me
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