Welcome to the Midnight Collective Broadsheet 108
Actively
supporting NZ’s endangered wetland birds
One of the most noticeable changes on
Kapiti Island after 10 years has been the increase in korimako –or bellbird. As
esteemed over here as the nightingale is in Europe, the dawn chorus of this
bird was famously praised by Joseph
Banks when Cook was holed up in Queen Charlotte Sound (Marlborough) on his first tour out here in 1770
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| Korimako startled grazing Kapiti Island |
The most probable cause of this increase is
the feeding of the Hihi which bellbirds take full advantage of. They are degrees
more feisty and burglarise their feeders. Over here on the mainland the
remaining korimako live close to
the bush line though they are occasionally seen down on the flats just to the
north, in Waikanae. Unlike the tui
which is a step higher in the pecking order, they don’t appear to be migrating between
here and the island – at least not yet.
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| Korimako -Kapiti Island |
On our third day on Kapiti a storm blew
up from early morning. It was short and sharp and had blown itself out by three
in the afternoon. A walk through the forested track shortly after however had
brought all the bellbirds out into celebratory song. Birds are as enthusiastic
about nasty weather as we are, especially when accompanied by high winds so
there was quite a celebration of music reverberating through the trees.
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| Korimako -Kapiti Island |
We
sought to capture this, though with only marginal success because the wind was
still up and the sea roaring, but thought we would post it anyway, along with
images of one of these canny beautiful birds, foraging on the ground.
Stan and Amy Wilkinson, rangers on the
island in the 1920’s and 30’s kept a close investigative eye on korimako. They
didn’t have sophisticated recording equipment but in October 1931 Stan wrote an
account of a springtime down chorus where they recorded the difference between
a dawn chorus and daytime korimako song. It is important here to note that the
korimako’s song and the chorus that goes with it varies from region to region.
This is taken from Stan and Amy’s book -Kapiti Bird Sanctuary
Morning
chorus 15 October 1931
4.50am A tui starts singing in nearby karaka
Almost immediately a robin joins in. and the two sing loudly. Each trying to
outdo the other. A note or two coming from a bellbird high on the hillside. No
chiming yet.
5.00am Both tui and robin singing
their loudest. And a few bellbirds starting to chime. As if to set the key. A
few moments later chiming bursts out all along the hillside. Bells were pealing
in every tree, the whole place ringing with sound, almost drowning out the tui
and robin even though they are only a chain from us.
5.14am Chiming of bellbirds in
full volume.
5.18am Chiming gradually
subsiding; some of the bellbirds in front of the house singing their ordinary
song.
5.22am Chiming finished except that
coming from a bird or two in the distance; most of the others singing their
staccato notes.
5.24am A kaka flew screeching by
the house. Bellbirds still singing.
5.47am Sun appeared over hills of
Mainland. Only an odd korimako singing now.
This music has now disappeared from the
New Zealand forest, though given the orchestral performance we chanced upon, perhaps there’s a
chance that it is coming back again on Kapiti Island.
Track we were listening to while posting
this -Over here we're all keeping a startled eye on Republican chaos in the US at the moment, so putting up Franklin D's theme song might help sooth your way to your booths (and ours).
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again
Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again
