Autumn comes to New Zealand Wetlands

Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 71

Actively supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds

It is nearing the middle of autumn and though it still remains very warm (22^oC most days) over the last 24 hours we have had out first substantial fall of rain for quite some time. It has cleared out the clogged Wharemauku and should have started filling the dune lake so it is going to be interesting to see how the expressway consortium cope with it, digging through one of the deepest and wettest deposits of peat on their route.

New Zealand Scaup - a diving duck

Meanwhile we are seeing the usual prickly behaviours as many of these water birds begin pairing up. The pied stilt and the NZ scaup however are starting to gather in larger groups in preparation for returning to their winter quarters. The stilts were spotted in numbers on a beach about 30 km to the north, while the scaup are clumping together into larger communities on lakes in the north of the town. We mentioned last year that we counted around 100 on Lake Taupo and though we are unsure where ours are heading to, this is one area where collect in order to overwinter and select a mate.

Pied Stilts

We have been concerned over the fate of our local dabchicks for although the pair at the Waikanae estuary have raised one chick we haven’t seen the two together for some time now, while a lone youngster has settled at the Ratanui wetland. It is unfortunate that a family of coot has also taken up residence here. These are an aggressive Australian import – a fierce competitor with dabchicks and scaup which are much shyer (and more alluring) birds. Whenever the coot are near the others are always on guard and ready to make for the safety of the raupo.

Dabchick (small NZ grebe)

Track we were listening to while posting this – It's an album Blue – and Joni Mitchell –who else – We’ve been more than a little anxious about this last week…