Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 72
Actively
supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
The days are now beginning to close in,
with a very early cold snap bringing hail showers to Auckland and leaving snow
on the Desert Rd (Centre of the north Island). So we are starting to get
a taste of wintry weather, though it remains unusually mild.
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| NZ scaup pair at dune lake |
Still, local birds are not deceived, with
both pied stilts and now these scaup having packed up and left. Most of the waterbirds begin to flock this time of the year and we found 20 or so scaup banding
together at the Waikanae estuary, just prior to their leaving. It remains a mystery as to where they go, though
Lake Taupo might be one destination. We haven’t seen a lot of the stilts this
year (one pair in October looked very broody at the back of the airport, but decided against it),
so we didn’t notice their leaving; but the scaup departed in early April.
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| Grey teal - Ratanui wetland |
This colony of grey teal will stay here however and had gathered to sun themselves at the Ratanui wetland. They are
noticeably less aggressive in their mating behaviours than introduced mallards
(like most of our native waterbirds) so paired up couples were hanging out with
the colony.
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| Grey Teal - tete pair |
These animals however will soon be decimated because the duck shooting season is approaching and here we get an idea of New Zealand conservation in practice (rather than theory). This bird is a protected species, but 6% of the population is still shot during the season.
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| Young grey teal - tete |
We remain concerned over the fate of the
dabchick pair at the Waikanae estuary.
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| Lone dabchick-weweia at Waikanae loagoon |
We have only seen one bird in nearly
three months now though another lone bird has settled at Ratanui.
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| On the lookout - lone dabchick at Ratanui |
This delicate little grebe previously hung out with the family of scaup there which tolerated rather than adopted him; but following their departure he is now left
with a small group of coot. This recent Australian immigrant is very territorial (like Aussies themselves) and
the dabchick was steering well clear.
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| A NZ icon amongst the sails at Thames |
Finally an image of another kotuku – this
one sailed in from the Hauraki Gulf onto a footbridge down at the Thames
wharf…It seemed quite at home here in the local marina though home is 1200km away at the Okarito Lagoon Westland.
If your mem'ry serves you well
You'll remember you're the one
That called on me to call on them
To get your favors done
And after ev'ry plan had failed
And there was nothing more to tell
You knew that we would meet again
If your mem'ry serves you well
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