Two Estuaries to explore.

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

Banded Rail foraging

Banded rail foraging in Sea Primrose (Samolus repens)

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. 

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.

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. 

Godwit event Shoal Bay Nov 2024

 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................