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.

Return of the 'ratpack'

Yesterday we returned to  Jutland road to meet up with Joel to check bait stations located a month ago. It was a good turnout with several new faces from local projects and local interested neighbours. Someone must have done a rain-dance because although fine when discussing plans it soon started to rain as on our last visit as soon as we headed towards the bait stations.

Jutland 'Ratpack' and friends

Joel led the way showing how to record the bait take up and this took most of the morning. Then people volunteered for various lines to continue checking bait stations through the coming months.

Don't forget your bait station key

 In the afternoon Joel and I laid another bait line through the coastal fringe vegetation and this should help protect this bush particularly coming up to the nesting season.

 We hope that by knocking down the predator populations that our shore birds including the NZ dotterels will be able to nest successfully on the shell banks around the bay and this should also help the rarely seen banded rails that inhabit the foreshore.

Guess who's feet?

I'm North again.There had been some very heavy rain and all this mud had been washed into the estuary to replace the usual sand with several dead sheep too. The going was not easy but bare feet really was the only solution as I gradually became welded to one spot.



Facial anybody?

Sculptured landscape

A gaggle of red-billed gulls

Sculptured dunes

Early dotterel nest-scrape.

Wind pattern

 

A Rena on our Doorstep.

Yesterday I checked out the news of a diesel oil spill in Lake Pupuke. This is a serious contamination of the lake and wildlife is seriously affected.

 

 

The 'Rat Pack'

Well not quite but great to meet up with F&B volunteers Amy, Anne-Elise, Bill and Joel to lay out the bait stations in the Jutland reserve. Not the best day to pick but a successful morning and in a months time we will meet again to check and top up with more bait.
This is part of the North West Wild-link assistance programme to protect the birds around the coastal forest edge of Shoal and Ngataringa bay and hopefully will also benefit the shore birds (NZ dotterel) attempting to nest on the shell banks of the estuary.

Café meet-up as Joel from Highpoint explains the plan

Joel from Highpoint contracted by Auckland Council.

Mangawhai Moonlight.

Beautiful moonlight across the estuary towards Hauturu (little Barrier Island).

Enjoying walks and the wildlife of the Mangawhai estuary.
Dolphins and stingray flow  in with the tide. Then at low tide banded dotterel and godwit feed below joined by SIPOs NZ dotterel in breeding plumage.

A reef heron hunts its prey along the edge of one of the channels.  Photos to follow...................

Kaipara island paddle

A muddy start to our day with the tide out so some early haulage over the mud to get to the water. But an easy paddle with two large drums of water for  weed work.

Low tide on the Kaipara channel

Happy days!

Changing the SD card on the monitoring camera.

Ngataringa Bay

72 Wrybill took flight along with 3 Caspian Tern, 156 Oystercatchers, 35 pied stilt , 9 banded dotterel and 3 NZ dotterel. I think it was a light aircraft way up above that spooked them.

City bird life-72 wrybill with two oystercatcher and a pied stilt

Ngataringa Bay bird count.

    2 x Caspian Tern
  29 x variable oystercatcher
192 x South Island Pied Oystercatcher 
    2 x wrybill
    4x  NZ dotterel
50 x pied stilt
  4 x spur-winged plover
  2 x banded dotterel