The tides were good to explore the Te Muri Reserve. Or so I thought but after climbing over the hill from Sullivans bay I realised that the tide was turning and coming in fast.
So rather than cross the river I found a shady spot to observe any fish moving upstream with the tide. The water was incredibly clear and soon several good sized parore fish were observed feeding on vegetation along the nearside of the river just below where I was sitting.
Over to the West coast of Auckland today to the Muriwai gannet colony. The newly fledged young gannets are about to launch from the high cliffs of the gannet nesting colony for their first migration.
more to follow.................................
It's always good to catch up with people at the Robert Findlay Reserve and at the Pukorokoro/Miranda Shorebird Centre on the Thames estuary.
Today was extra special as I was able to meet up with my friend Claire from Perth WA and share with her the Pukorokoro shorebird environment. Claire is a Marine Ecologist whose specialty is the Australian Fairy Tern. Her work now includes assisting the New Zealand Scientific Advisory group for research into the Tara Iti, the New Zealand Fairy Tern. I have enjoyed many visits to WA to catch up with the Australian Fairy Tern work by Claire and her colleagues which aligns with my voluntary work with Fairy Tern projects in New Zealand
Claire was enjoying seeing large numbers of shorebirds including South Island pied oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwit. Pacific Golden plovers and our New Zealand endemic the Wrybill a small, unusual bird with a bent to the right beak.
Today recent arrivals to NZ from the UK Shona and James were also visiting the Shorebird Centre and by chance Shona and Claire are linked to conservation projects in Australia. I wish them good luck for their future time in NZ and hope to catch up with them in Auckland some time.
It was good to chat to Natalie at the hides about Conservation. Natalie is the present President of Birds New Zealand.
The weather was great the birds were great and the company excellent. Altogether a very enjoyable day.
Exploring the Motutara Reserve looking for the mermaid pools. There are many so called mermaid pools around New Zealand and they are well worth the effort to seek them out.
We have visited this area on many occasions but somehow missed the mermaid pools hidden away at the far end of the Motutara reserve. It's an enjoyable walk with first a climb over the 60 metre hill to the Trig point. From there we enjoyed fantastic ocean views including the Poor Knights islands and in the opposite direction the Whananaki estuary below the Reserve.
On this occasion we were rewarded after a hot but beautiful walk and then enjoyed a well-deserved refreshing swim at the small, secluded bay below. On this occasion the sea temperatures were the warmest I have experienced in the North and this may be why a Manta Ray was recently observed on this coastline.
Cicadas, bee's, paper wasps, small blue butterflies and moths and very occasionally birds fly into the front porch. I'm always rescuing them especially the bees because by morning they are really sluggish due to the overnight temperatures. However, they soon recover and using the sun re-calibrate and are off again on purposeful flight.
A stunning day to observe 200 bar-tailed godwits roosting in the estuary this morning and a reminder of how sensitive this Shoal Bay estuary environment is.
Today was a joint walk around the Marsden development area with the local environment group (RTH). We were joined by a representative from the Councils Healthy Waters department to share learning ahead of another intensive development, that could impact on this Significant Ecological Area.
My concerns follow the impacts of previous developments around the estuary edge that have either not followed sediment control guidelines or that the guidelines themselves have been totally inadequate to deal with current impact of climate, namely heavy rainfall events.
I hope that with early involvement in this project that members of the local environment group (RTH) will have the chance to monitor the methodology and any risk factors that could jeopardize this vulnerable cliff edge and risk sediment flow into the marine environment below.
Exploring the Ruakaka estuary today. At the edge of the estuary where the sea primrose is prevalent, I watched four banded rails pecking their way along a small inlet. These birds are usually very secretive and not easy to observe but here they seem almost quite confiding. Maybe with the large community campsite nearby they have become used to people. Many variable oyster catchers rounding up and protecting their new seasons offspring while they teach them how to search for food at the water's edge
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| Banded Rail foraging |
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| Banded rail foraging in Sea Primrose (Samolus repens) |
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| Variable oystercatcher with young |
Then onto Whananaki estuary. It's always a must do to climb over the hill of Motutara Reserve to get to the little secluded beach below for a swim after also climbing down from the Trig point above at 63 metres.
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| Motutara Reserve Trig point 63 metres high |
Interesting number of pied shags roosting on the beach at the water's edge. Normally they are high in the trees on a rocky outcrop. Note the shag in the centre is offering some nesting material as part of courtship behavior.
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| 19 Pied shags roosting at high tide. |
Many of the other birds observed are European varieties which fits with the landscape of a working farm. Sparrows, yellow hammers thrushes and blackbirds.
Photos and more to follow.
Today was the sixth public godwit event at Sandy Bay Reserve on the shore of Shoal estuary. Once again the event was managed by the local Restoring Takurunga Hauraki group (RTH). They did an excellent job of putting it all together with activities for the children and native plants for sale to help with funds for restoration work.
My role was to update information about the arrival of the bar-tailed godwits to our local estuaries after their 11,500kms flight back from their breeding grounds in Alaska.
The small flock of just under 250 godwits (Kuaka). that visit our estuary appeared right on schedule flying in from feeding at low tide to be nearer a favoured high tide resting shell bank near the reserve that made it easy for us to watch through bird watching scopes.
More to follow................
We are recently back from exploring the Waikite Valley area. The Te Manaroa spring eco trail although short is just a fascinating place.
Words can't really describe this magnificent spring as it violently discharges thousands of litres of geothermal energy into the Otamakokore stream.
More to follow............
Excellent talk this morning at the Shorebird centre followed by great birding opportunities before high tide at around 3pm. It's always good to be back on this beautiful coastline.
Between four to five thousand estimated bar-tailed godwits have arrived. Unlike our local estuaries of Shoal and Ngataringa red knots also migrate to the Pukorokoro coastline. We think that the lack of bivalves locally is probably the issue for these birds as Food, Food, Food is the motivator for where these birds visit.
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| Busy with birders at the poaka/stilt hide |
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| A leucistic godwit in the centre. |
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| A red knot feeding near the godwit flock. |
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| Red knots feeding in front of godwit flock |
Photos and more to follow......
A couple of weeks ago it was a Green Golden Bell frog sitting by our garden pond. Today it was the turn of two Mallard ducks to go for a swim. I wonder what's next?
They seemed quite relaxed swimming around and drinking lots of water too. I so often see this species of duck in the nearby Shoal estuary and wonder how they cope with saline water.
This distraction of watching their antics as they swam around our garden pond rather delayed our visit to Wenderholm Regional Reserve with the intention of searching for and watching banded rail.
Arriving mid-morning with the tide low we were soon rewarded with several sightings. Unlike Shoal and Ngataringa estuary where this species is incredibly cautious due to cats and dog disturbance, they are much easier to study at Wenderholm which has restrictions on these animals.
I had a chat to the park Ranger who was working with some other people to set up further traps for other predators such as stoats, weasels and rats.
This is not a New Zealand endemic species of frog, but it has become a native since its introduction to NZ in 1867.
This Green Bell frog also called the Green Golden Bell frog in Australia has just appeared sitting happily by our garden pond. It's a welcome addition to our garden wildlife.
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| Green and Golden Bell Frog September 2024 |
After the recent 'Goodbye Freddy' comments from a government coalition partner, Conservationists were incensed at the blatant disregard for our rare and endangered wildlife.
For comparison below is a photo I took as part of a frog research monitoring project of the threatened Archey's Frog. It's an amazing endemic species only found in New Zealand and now limited to very few habitats. We will certainly not find one of these in our garden.
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| Archey's Frog February 2012 |
The first four bar-tailed godwit have arrived after an 11,500-kilometer flight from Alaska to our local estuary. They seem in good shape and have settled in with the other shorebirds shown in the cropped photo below with a South Island pied oystercatcher and pied stilt.
We look forward to the flock increasing as more adults and then juvenile birds take advantage of favorable winds to assist with the return journey from the Arctic breeding areas.
Their return to New Zealand is to take advantage of the many estuaries and harbours that offer good feeding opportunities during our southern hemisphere summer escaping the cold conditions of Alaska.
They will stay with us in New Zealand before a return journey northward via China in March 2025 to begin the cycle again.
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| Four newly arrived godwit with other shorebirds |
Photos to follow.
At the setting up of a local environment group in 2017 we encouraged the idea of the importance of understanding catchment areas. The streams and waterways running into our local estuaries including stormwater infrastructure plays a big part in the health of these coastal wetlands and further out to the Hauraki Gulf.
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| Northboro' Reserve Stormwater |
Last Thursday I joined a local group who are now taking an interest in these local water inlets to our estuaries. This week they were investigating the small stormwater pond next to the Council owned pumping station in Northboro Reserve. Some years ago, the area had stormwater caged rocks added and native plantings. A fish ladder was also added. This area is a headwater inlet of Shoal Bay estuary. The groups aim on Thursday was to take water samples and test for water quality and also to search for aquatic life.
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| Caged rocks to manage stormwater |
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| Small fish ladder |
In March 2018 concern was raised in the Devonport Flagstaff after dead ducks were found. Local Board members visited but seemed to have limited concern for the ducks only rather than the other wildlife that inhabits this area. Many species do visit and some of these that I have observed and photographed (below) I included in an article published in the Flagstaff entitled 'Not Just Ducks'.
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| Pukeko and short finned eel |
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| White faced heron |
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| Welcome swallow skimming pond for insects. |
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| Great Cormorant (Black Shag) |
Thats Auckland. Today the Auckland Council contractors have cut and dealt with the pampas on this shell bank in our local estuary.
Over the last few years our visiting and resident shorebirds have been losing suitable roosting and nesting space as the first two photos below show. Amongst the native vegetation encroaching on this shell bank is the pest plant pampas grass often seen on roadsides in the Auckland region.
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| Pampas grass encroachment March 2024 |
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| BEFORE- Pampas grass with large white plumes |
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| AFTER- Pampas grass removed |
A big thankyou to our local Council Ranger and the contactors who have dealt with the pampas. A follow up visit is timetabled for April 2025 after the migratory birds have left.
I have often been intrigued by this little taraire tree grove high above Te Muri beach. I visit this often area often its one of my favourite walks .. There are seven taraire trees, one rewarewa and a nikau palm.
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| Taraire tree grove |
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| Seven Taraire trees, one Rewarewa and one Nikau |
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| Spring is on its way! |
It's cool but the morning views across to the Whangarei Heads are always stunning. Its interesting to visit this Wildlife reserve
More to follow.
A stunning blue- sky day to visit the wide vistas surrounding the Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre.
Photos to follow...........
I added our local sightings of spoonbill to the nationwide survey. Many thanks to Cecily and others who tipped me off about sightings locally around Shoal and Ngataringa estuaries. The survey is being conducted this month (July) to assess the present population size of the Royal Spoonbill species. The last survey was completed in 2012 and a little under 3000 birds were counted.
More to follow........
KEEPING THE SHELL BANKS SAFE FOR BIRDS.
What a fantastic job they did of picking up tiny fragments of plastic and fishing line that can be a real problem to the birds that live and visit the estuary and those that attempt to nest here.
I was so pleased to be able to share some information about the birds and we did see a South Island pied oystercatcher through my telescope.
Thank you to all the teaching staff who organised this including RTH and Theo, the Auckland Council Ranger who came along to hand out gloves and help with the clean-up. Most appreciated.
