Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet
Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
We have been getting a bit of stick for not updating this for a while the reason being fingers in a load of other pies – but also the situation has quietened down and we are watching as the wetland and plantings surrounding the destroyed Raumati Beach dune lake settle out.
Royal Spoonbill at former dune lake
The minus’s are serious because we no longer see any of these families.
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| Mallard Mum and chicks |
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| Parera cross pair |
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| Black swan Mum and chicks |
Initially
we were pleased because the wild bird life had increased. This was as a
result of increased swamp water coverage. However new drainage put an end to it and these new wetlands disappeared along with the birds. Over
the last 12 months there has been very little sign of any birds; with only
occasional sightings of mallards. The big beneficiaries have been pukeko (our swamp hen) which
is ominous for other nesting species. Pukeko are the main predator of chicks.
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| Paradise duck mum and chicks |
It is still very early days
however in the life of this new swamp. The big plus is the native plantings –
these are beginning to establish and while species variety is small and the
design more closely aligned to garden design than the original swamp forest
that was dominated by kahikatea and totara substantial areas have been replanted in native species. Though we are a long way still, from this - original swamp forest -
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Rata vine at Gordon's Bush swamp forest - Whanganui
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Gordon's Bush Swamp forest - Whanganui
We noted previously that
willows, that appear to have been brought in by the earth movers, are now a
major threat to the wetland. We mentioned this to a party of weed pullers and
were dismayed to learn that they had no idea of the seriousness of the
infection or that they needed to be removed. However some areas have now been cleared in the north, though the
southern infestation looks ominous. The weeds have been pretty aggressive and
also brought in from the outside. Last week we were removing turnip seedlings
from the NZTA plantings, as one example.
Blackberry is also a huge
problem and it is being addressed by mowing. This simply stimulates new growth
and spreads it even further. This weeding programme has a limited life with resources stretched over 23km of expressway, which is another reason why we are waiting
to see how all this develops in the longer term.
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| Early days at the Raumati Beach dune land swamp - flax with totara seedling |
This dune land area provides
a very harsh environment for plants, especially in summer where they don’t have
the umbrella protection of older trees. Two years ago we had a very hot dry
summer and while we lost a number of young trees and flax and toetoe, the damage wasn’t
serious. Last year however, over a wetter summer we lost plantings that had survived the
previous summer including supposedly hardy manuka. The weeds however, were not seriously affected.
But its early days yet and here are signs of that the swampland is continuing to settle and deepen. It's beginning to take on a life of its own and here's a promise of things to come.
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| Swamp water in plantings - former dune lake. |
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| What we need are these back living here... |
Rest
assured… we continue to keep a close eye on the area.
Environmental Artist Jill Studd - francesjillstudd.blogspot.co.nz
Contact Us: vantoohey@gmail.com
