Popokotea (white heads) are maybe a little larger than a grey warbler and just as fast as they work in small groups moving through the trees in search of insects. A small flock of perhaps six or more entertained us in Shakespear park today.
 |
| Popokotea (white head) on Puriri tree |
 |
| Popokotea searching for insects in old puriri tree |
Other birds enjoyed were grey warbler and kereru and one partake duck. It was a cool but sunny day.
 |
| Kereru in Manuka tree |
 |
| Patake (Brown Teal) |
 |
| Grey Warbler |
 |
| Manuka |
Unfortunately, due to a terrible weather forecast for this morning the planned beach clean-up by Hauraki school had to be cancelled. This annual event to keep the local shell banks safe for shorebirds has been supported by the students and teachers at Hauraki school for many years now and is a great event.
On Tuesday I was invited to visit the school and talk to the wonderful students and show them a presentation about the special shorebirds that live at and visit shoal bay during the year.
Removing rubbish washed up on shell banks that could endanger the birds and their attempts to nest is a very worthwhile cause.
Hopefully the students may get an opportunity with their families to visit when the weather settles.
My thanks to the teachers for allowing me to share with their students my ongoing interest in protecting the shorebirds and other wildlife that visits and inhabits Shoal Bay.
Winter supplementary feeding of garden birds is helpful when natural food sources are less abundant. Silvereye love grapefruit and cutting one in half like this and impaling it on a tree soon attracts a little group of these birds.
Once winter has passed its best to let the birds source their own food. It's safer for them. Any food dishes used should be regularly scrubbed to prevent diseases being passed between birds and different species.
Our flock of wrybill return to our local estuary usually in March/April to avoid the South Island cool winters. Initially just four then eight then 35 of these delightful unique birds with their bent to the right bills.
We have had higher numbers than this. The most counted were 103 in 2015.
The Auckland Botanical Society talk last evening at Unitec was by Elizabeth Williams the recipient of the 2025 Lucy Cranwell grant.
With so many slips occurring around the Auckland region due to increased heavy rainfall this is a subject that helps understand the vegetation both natural and exotic that follows these event
Yesterday was the Department of Conservation 2026 annual Fairy Tern hui at Wellsford. This is always well attended by people active in the conservation of this threatened species.
 |
| Adult Fairy Tern with prey 13.01.2014 |
This year a special edition of the Birds NZ Notornis publication including many research papers and current information of research into this vulnerable New Zealand species, our rarest bird species.
 |
| Notornis Fairy Tern edition March 2026 |
Time was spent on the Pakiri coast from 2012 to 2019 helping the DOC ranger and on the Kaipara coast from 2014 to 2019 helping with a Forest & Bird funded project to create another nesting site away from the people populated East coast where most Fairy Tern choose to nest
 |
| Juvenil Fairy Tern learning to fish 13.01.2014 |
Unlike Australia our Fairy Tern (FT) numbers are very low. Recently captive rearing has increased the population from around 40 to 50 birds. Australia FT number in the thousands but they too have problems of competition with humans for space at their coastal nesting and roosting sites