WA - Fairy Tern Heaven compared to NZ

Explanation. In New Zealand we have approximately 44 Fairy Tern with perhaps maybe 9 breeding pairs this season. The population is one of most threatened bird species in NZ.
The Australian Fairy Tern are in far greater numbers but are also declining mainly due to increased pressure from people as is the case in NZ. Other risks are predation and nesting sites being washed out by high tides. They arrive at their WA nest sites towards the end of November. I was fortunate to be in WA in January earlier this year so that was just perfect timing to see chicks.

Now in November I plan to be there early to welcome them in. Leaving Auckland airport on Sunday I was keen to get to the site as soon as possible.

Australian Fairy Tern with fish for chicks  January 2016

Monday Nov 14th
An evening visit- Decoys are in place and a lone Fairy tern with its familiar call flies over the nesting site heading North up the Perth Coast. I have now seen my first and maybe the first FT to suss out the site for the 2016/2017 season. Hopefully the fairy tern will choose to nest here again this season. On my last visit in January 2016 the site was full of chicks and adult birds chaotically catching fish and feeding their young. 37degrees today.

Tuesday Nov 15th
Bibra Lakes to see the wetland areas. Found the Cockburn wetland centre. Photographed an owl sitting quietly in a eucalyptus tree. Many dragonfly and damsel fly around the lake margin. I settled for the North lake as it was very peaceful with shady areas and a warm breeze. 35 degrees today.
In the afternoon I was back to the Fairy tern site at 4.30pm. At 5pm three FT flew over then a fourth then all five circled erratically. One bird landed next to a decoy then took off. I moved to the other end of the site and two FT landed next to a another decoy. One had a fish. The  male was offering the fish to both birds the decoy, and the FT. The fish was finally accepted and then the male proudly strutted around in front of them.

Wednesday Nov 16th
I estimate that at least forty FT's have arrived at the site on todays visit at 3pm and there is frantic activity with courtship and mating observed. I seemed to have timed my visit perfectly. The Fairy tern would take off sometime in threes chasing into the sky. At times there were many birds above. Male birds returning with fish would then pursue females and some females would position for mating. Some males did not seem to understand this process and would just hang on to their fish proudly strutting too and fro.
In the morning I was soaked as I tried to photograph wild flowers at the Wireless Hill reserve. Then later in the afternoon I was soaked again at the causeway after watching the FT's as I tried to photograph a bird of prey hovering above. An Eastern Osprey. These birds are fish eaters so shouldn't trouble the Fairy Terns.

Osprey

Thursday Nov17th
Swan River walk and my first sighting today of a rainbow bee eater, a very colourful bird. Then later 1.30pm to the FT site with lots of activity and the FT chasing away gulls that persistently want to land on the site. Then back to Wireless reserve with a few wildflowers left from the season but lots of bird activity and a few more species to investigate including the white-cheeked honeyeater. More sightings of rainbow bee eaters catching winged insects and devouring them while perched on convenient branches.

Rainbow Bee -eater

Friday Nov 18th
What a difference a week can make. After exploring nearby Freo in the morning and stopping for lunch at my favourite Studio 37 gallery in an old warehouse, I am back to the FTs in the afternoon between 3.30-4.30pm and now there are between 100-200 birds. At one point they filled the sky overhead as something spooked them and they all took off. This certainly wasn't my presence as I try and keep well back. Several helicopters passed by rather too close I thought. It seems  that  my visit is perfectly timed for their arrival at this site.

Sunday Nov 20th
A morning visit to the birds and photographed a mating sequence. Also an  afternoon visit  with slightly fewer birds. A quick count reached 76 and less activity but there are at least 20+ birds spilled over onto the other side of the road which is not officially designated as safe Fairy Tern territory. This area may be required for building in the future.

Fairy Tern paring and copulation attempt

Monday Nov 21st
Fairy Terns first thing. Not so many this morning. A chicken sounding alarm call from several birds hovering above and then chasing away a gull on the nesting site. A pair of Osprey circling high above. Then to Perry Lakes after mid-day so too late to visit the Bird life Aus centre. White necked heron stalking prey and  Spoonbill, Ibis and other birds that  need identification seen on the lake.

White Necked-Heron with prey

Tuesday Nov 22nd - Birdlife Evening walk.
Morning visit to the Birdlife Aus centre near the Perry Lakes and lots of useful information from the lady at the desk including details of a walk this evening around the Pelican Point reserve. This I later attended and met Murray and Kathy and a group of keen birders. I really enjoyed being introduced to some new birds at this wetland on the edge of the River Swan. It was a windy evening so not so many birds settled on the sandy beach but quite a few red capped plovers and also a few red-necked stint which is a bird that also frequents my home patch of Shoal bay near Auckland although I'm not so sure that I have seen one there yet. Will have to check through photos. Also a mystery bird that looked rather like a Common  sandpiper but Murray was not quite convinced.

Thursday Nov 24th - Bold park Wild flower Centre
Visited the Bold Park Wildflower Centre to pick up some info about the wildflowers in the Margaret River area. Its late in the season but I hope to see some. Interesting walk in this amazing park.

Bold Park Tuart walk.

Raptor with prey in Bold Park

Friday Nov 25th Kings Park and Point Walter Sandspit
First to Kings Park which is an amazing park full of colour even though it's late in the wild flower season and photographed this red wattle bird feeding.

The tide was coming in at Point Walter but during a short late afternoon walk on this sand spit I soon heard Fairy Tern flying above then diving for fish. I say diving because they do drop from a height after hovering but I am still trying to get photographic proof that they actually become fully submerged. The action happens incredibly fast as does most Fairy Tern activity for a very small bird.
The Fairy Tern would then fly to the far end of the spit with their catch to nesting sites protected by a temporary taped fence.

An Australian Pied Oystercatcher was digging away in the sand for prey and a small group of  red-necked stint and red-capped plovers were seen on the sand spit too.

Australian Pied Oystercatcher

Red-necked stint on sandspit

Red -necked stint on sand spit.

Monday 29th November - Rottnest Island
Its good to be back on Rottnest Island and today I wanted to see the Osprey and other fairy Tern locations. Catching the bus to the far end of the Island to first visit the West End to see the Osprey stack nests but no Osprey on this occasion. However the sound of Fairy Tern flying above was soon heard above the wild seas of Cape Vlamingh.
Then a walk to see the NZ fur seals relaxing below the lookout platform.

Time for a picnic lunch at a new favourite secluded bay and sure enough an Osprey stack nest and Osprey carrying hug fish just caught in the Indian Ocean.

Osprey with huge fish.

Back to Thomsons Bay and time for a walk back to the Causeway one of my all time  favourite places, so quiet and relaxing except for the interesting birds including, Turnstone, Banded stilts, red necked stints,and on the little islet set aside for Fairy Tern but now totally taken over by Crested tern and their young.

Turnstone

Crested Tern with fish for young chicks.

Tuesday 30th November  Birdlife Evening walk
Another evening walk with Murray, Kathy, John, Bev, Tim, Sue and Jen around the Pelican point Nature reserve. Great to see all the Shelduck chicks and the Pacific Black duck, two sets of seven and the black duck this evening.

More Photos to follow........

Godwits in Shoal Bay

As part of my interest to share the godwits of Shoal bay and Ngataringa estuaries and to promote the Miranda shorebird centre 'Flock' project, I was kindly invited into Vauxhall school by teacher Sarah earlier this week to talk to 56 Year 3 students. This was really enjoyable and the students were very well informed about these amazing birds. We had originally hoped to take the students to see the birds but this was proving to be difficult to plan and the added risk of disturbance too.



Thank you card from the students of Nikau syndicate Vauxhall school

 So I visited their brightly decorated classroom. After showing a slide show of the birds I have been watching in the estuary I introduced the students to some Shoal bay mud tipped in large trays. This was a tactile experience as the children looked for any signs of what the godwits might find with their long beaks at low tide. As you can imagine I left the classroom in a rather messy state.

Herons Too
Today I have met with Kathryn who I met way back in April at the dotterel Forum. Kathryn is involved in the Manukau census so I was pleased that she could join me today for a  tour around Shoal. Fortunately there were just under 200 godwits to count and Kathryn had brought her scope so that was good to have a second opinion on numbers. The birds were not too settled so a second person counting was a great help. I also showed Kathryn the white-faced herons nest that I have been watching for a few weeks. Its high in in a very tall pine tree.

Royal MINT Gathering

 

A party in honour of Margi. Hosted by Dennis (head of table).

 Guests are Kirk, Sooz, Helen ( a late arrival), Margi (head of table) Leslie and Andrea. and myself of course.

Great food great company and a brilliant 'light at the end of the tunnel' conversation from Leslie about Organisms.

Pirongia Forest Park Lodge

Great to be exploring the Ed Hillary Hope Reserve recently acquired by the Native Forest Restoration Trust. A great group of people keen to survey and record the botany of this area.
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Lisa, 'Over the top Hugo', Margi, Philip, Colleen

 

 

Australasian Shorebird Conference

I am attending the 10th Australasian Shorebird Conference held in Auckland this year. The speakers are really interesting with stimulating lectures but the opening address  by John Dowding was a real wake-up call regarding the near extinction of many of NZs endemic species.

Photos to follow

Pukeko Stomp !

Interesting to watch this tussle over a slice of bread thrown in to feed the ducks. Good to see that the eels are still here in the  reserve at Shoal Bay. 

 

Face off between the pukeko and a short finned eel

  

Getting closer

Finally the pukeko decides to pounce

One I have nicknames scarface as it has some distinct scars across its face.

Walk the line

Yesterday I was climbing the 437M high Mt Tamahunga and walking the iwi line tagging along with a friend who is trialling the DOC 'Walk the Line' trapping and bait station software App. It was steep country following ridges and crossing streams Wonderful bush but still quiet although extensive trapping is being carried out. The bush in the mist was quite beautiful.

By comparison today we are walking the Jutland reserve and Northboro reserve line. Anne -Elise picked up bait and headed off to the Northboro reserve and I eventually had my GPS batteries charged to check along the coastal bush at Jutland reserve. All the bait had gone so I replenished each bait station.

A bonus today was that the patch of bush lawyer that I have to contend with was full of flower.

Photos to follow.

Waikumete Cemetery

Not the best of days to visit a cemetery with heavy rain forecast but I have wanted to visit this place for some time to see the wildflowers. So a Bot Soc visit was a perfect opportunity led by
Rhys Gardner.

 The Auckland Botanical society have been trying to get better protection for the gum land area of the cemetery that is important for orchids too.

Island visit

Last minute packing, the kayak is loaded on the car.
A couple of hours North and we are heading for the coast and its quite windy and cool. We both decide on an extra layer today..
 The kayak crossing is ok and soon we are heading ankle deep through the mangroves. With the tide nearly in there is a tricky pinch point along the beach but we are soon at the Northern point.

 

 

Royal Spoonbill

This Royal spoonbill was in Ngataringa Bay feeding with a white faced heron.

 

And the other day a Great Cormorant dropped into Northboro reserve in Shoal Bay.

 

 

Mangawhai Magic days

Staying again in a beautiful location overlooking the Mangawhai estuary. Today the harbour is like a millpond with birds flying across looking for feeding sites. Godwit, SIPOS, Vocs.
No sight of Fairy Tern today just the gentle roar of the surf on the ocean beach beyond the sand spit.

Photos to follow.

Motuora Island Tank Set-up

At last a clear fine day for a visit to Motuora. Today the main task is creating a level base for the two huge water tanks and then spinning them round and locating them ready for plumbing in.

Water tank tipped onto sand base

This all went very well.

Slight adjustments

Lots more sand needed for the tank base.

Pushing tank into position

Other tasks of the day were cleaning the seabird nest boxes and burrows and identifying the plants in the nursery.

And a chance to photograph a dotterel in breeding plumage and a kereru.

NZ dotterel in breeding plumage

 

Kereru in kowhai tree

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Yet another Okura Judgement Day.

A good result 13 votes to 4 against accepting the council officers recommendation that the  IHP (Independent hearing panel) recommendation that the RUB (Rural Urban Boundary) be moved at Okura to allow development

 Its been a long week listening to the Council members as they deliberate over the IHP (Independent Hearings Panel) for the Unitary Plan for Auckland. I prefer to call it the 'Unitary Thought'- for it seems that it is all and only about massive development of land in and around the city of Auckland. 

Auckland Council Chambers.

A few wise men and women-trying to preserve the character of Auckland from total speculation.

"One Swallow............

What is the saying? "One swallow doesn't make a summer". Yesterday at the Northboro reserve at Shoal bay there were quite a few welcome swallows although it was a cold day but the sun was shining.

 

 

 These birds were catching insects above the freshwater area at the head of the Northboro mangrove inlet. The pipe crossing this area is covered in spider webs. A good place for spiders to catch insects too.

 

 This is a great place to watch eels. Only caught a glimpse of one today. That appeared when a small boy with his mother threw in some bread for the ducks.