Welcome to the Midnight
Collective Broadsheet 159
Actively
supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
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| Black Swan - white cygnet |
We couldn’t resist putting up this suite of images after a quick tour round the district on a rare spring morning. Sadly our former dunelake is now devoid of its rich wetland community and the area in general, yet to recover from the onslaught of the expressway. But there’s still plenty to see should you know where to look.
Pride of
place goes to our favourite the dabchick. It’s hard to pick these tiny grebes
up because they’re underwater mostly and in the raupo, but we spotted three
pair all within the town belt…and then another two pair about 5km south of
here. We’ve been concerned with the recent arrival of the aggressive Australian
coot but these little guys seem to be holding their own.
Spring
is really busting out with this family of black swans that came out onto a pond
in the town centre about a week ago. The dad makes sure you don’t get too close.
Can you
spot the kotare (kingfisher) in this fuzzy shot from half a kilometre away. He
was busy fishing in the Ratanui wetland system. Couldn’t see a mate so perhaps
she’s already on her nest…
These
quail aren’t natives but after not spotting any for a good five years we now
have a colony of 15 or so, in the blackberry behind the airport.
The sign
that spring is really under way is the kowhai breaking out. They’re rich with
nectar and there’s a little Australasian waxeye in the bottom one, getting tanked up
on liqueur.
The
shovelers are back in force at Ratanui and elsewhere this year and here’s a
male all alone. His mate will be on a nest because the males hang around
looking deeply puzzled about what’s going on – then sometimes give the nest
away.
And then there's these two - Grey Teal top and fed up looking male scaup - taking a morning kip and woken by our intrusion.
Finally
a lone pukeko,
This one is in the centre of town and here the gender roles reverse.
This looks like the matriarch of up to a dozen birds and she's out foraging having left her males on duty, sitting
on the eggs. Pukeko are a very mixed blessing this time of year, because
they raid the nests of rarer species like parera and pied stilt.
Track we
were listening to while posting this was Patti Page (Yes....I'm afraid it was)
something American to come out in sympathy for all the tripe you've been going through over the last two or so years… Allegheny Moon…(now that it's
coming on to the first full moon of spring…)
Allegheny Moon your silver beams
Can lead the way to golden dreams
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