Well its been a crazy couple of weeks trying to get bird monitoring work and Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ tour planning done...but most of it is done. Too late for the moment anyway as I'm sitting at Auckland Airport waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires. Have a night there and then fly down to Ushuaia with another night there before getting on the Polar Star. Looking forward to it now its too late to worry about what hasn't been finished!
It was working right up to the last minute as usual. I was involved with an oil response practice excercise this morning at the Napier Port (I'm a Wildlife Coordinator on the Hawkes Bay and National response teams). Rather heartened to see around 200 breeding pairs of black-billed gulls in two distinct (roughly equal) colonies within the port. One was on the end of a manmade wharf surrounded by crates, barrels, etc and the other was on a manmade breakwater amongst boulders. Despite the traffic and activity the colony appeared to be quite successful with lots of young (at practically all stages from small fluffy chicks through to fledged juvs) as well as birds apparently still incubating. Also about 10 pairs of white-fronted terns also mostly with chicks.
So then home final pack and then lunch on the section wih Adel in the lovely sunshine...why am I going to the Antarctic again??!!
I will have intermittent internet access over the next few weeks (home on 18 January) but should be able to update the blog every now and then with photos etc.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Tour report posted for 1-21 Nov tour
Amongst all the computer work that I'm catching up on due to the weather being drizzly yesterday and today, I have managed to complete the tour report from the 21-day tour I just finished - 1-21 November 2010. You can download the report here - http://www.wrybill-tours.com/tripreports/tripreports.htm
It is just over 7MB in size, has lots of photos, a daily checklist, etc. Hope it is of use to people. Let me know if you have any feedback.
Slowly getting organised for the Antarctic (leaving NZ on 8 Dec), and trying to get Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ bits and pieces done. Looks like we will have a very busy summer next year running our own tours and those of several overseas operators as well. Hopefully this is a sign that people are feeling more optimistic about their financial situation and tourism/travel might be on the up again.
So been a busy couple of days. The weather is looking better for tomorrow, so hoping to get back down to Porangahau at 5:30am (!!) to get the last full day done. Lets hope the drizzle holds off, although it would be nice if it was a little cooler than on Tuesday, man was it hot!
It is just over 7MB in size, has lots of photos, a daily checklist, etc. Hope it is of use to people. Let me know if you have any feedback.
Slowly getting organised for the Antarctic (leaving NZ on 8 Dec), and trying to get Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ bits and pieces done. Looks like we will have a very busy summer next year running our own tours and those of several overseas operators as well. Hopefully this is a sign that people are feeling more optimistic about their financial situation and tourism/travel might be on the up again.
So been a busy couple of days. The weather is looking better for tomorrow, so hoping to get back down to Porangahau at 5:30am (!!) to get the last full day done. Lets hope the drizzle holds off, although it would be nice if it was a little cooler than on Tuesday, man was it hot!
Monday, 29 November 2010
Stoatally different...
Well another day out on the hill today. Started off a little cloudy, but was really just humidity based cloud I think and it eventually burnt off around 10am. So another beautiful day up there. The counting went well, so day four done. Probably the most interesting thing today was seeing a little furry blur running along, and realising it was an adult stoat, less than 10m from me. It was running down through a stream-bed and was carrying something large in its mouth. It was actually a tui chick, and accounted for the tui alarm calls I had been hearing for the last wee while. I suspect the bird was an early fledger, it looked about the size that you sometimes see them having left the nest, and perhaps was on or near the ground. I would have thought tui nests would generally be out of reach to these guys, even though they are incredible climbers.
I watched it head down the stream bed, and go out of sight about 100m away. It sure could cover some ground on its little short legs though! Even though they are possibly one of NZs worst introductions, they are amazing little animals when seen this close.
I watched it head down the stream bed, and go out of sight about 100m away. It sure could cover some ground on its little short legs though! Even though they are possibly one of NZs worst introductions, they are amazing little animals when seen this close.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
More days in the sun
Just finished another two full days wandering amongst the hills doing bird counts. Managed to see a couple of Eastern rosellas yesterday, they came in for a look. Seems they have been gradually spreading, and this may be the second or so confirmed record for Hawkes Bay. I guess it won't take long for them to get a good grip on the place, and they may actually cause little problem. The native red-fronted and yellow-crowned parakeets are very unlikely to ever be reintroduced to this area.
It also seems likely that the egg that was being eaten by the shining-bronze cuckoo is actually a silvereye egg. There has been some evidence that these cuckoos do sometimes parasitise silvereye - they do in Australia - but published information in New Zealand has suggested they don't here. However, this is another nice little piece of evidence that they possibly do.
Having a relaxing weekend, and trying to catch up on some bits and pieces. Looks like the weather is going to be nice so hopefully get out on the motorbike and maybe go for a dive as well.
It also seems likely that the egg that was being eaten by the shining-bronze cuckoo is actually a silvereye egg. There has been some evidence that these cuckoos do sometimes parasitise silvereye - they do in Australia - but published information in New Zealand has suggested they don't here. However, this is another nice little piece of evidence that they possibly do.
Having a relaxing weekend, and trying to catch up on some bits and pieces. Looks like the weather is going to be nice so hopefully get out on the motorbike and maybe go for a dive as well.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
The sun shineth on the longest name...
Spent the day today down near Porangahau, which is on the coast in Central Hawkes Bay. The actual site is along the top of the range near the longest place name in the World -
Translated this means 'The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one', and is the name of a 305m hill which is the tallest part of what is known as the Kuru Range.
I am doing bird monitoring for the Hawkes Bay Regional Council at this site, basically doing 5-minute bird counts at a number of sites throughout a really nice patch of native forest, following possum control. I will also be doing the same at sites on Napier Hill when I get this done. This is the third year that I have done monitoring at these sites, so it's always nice to get back here.
The weather today was gorgeous - mostly blue skies, and despite the long distances and steep terrain it is a really nice place to be. Lots of native birds, and had a couple of surprises today. On two occasions today I heard an Eastern rosella - an introduced parrot from Australia that is wild in several parts of the country. The nearest site I know is across the Ruahine Ranges in the Manawatu (perhaps about 65 km away), so this might be a range expansion of this species. I suspect this might be the first record of this species in Hawkes Bay?
The second interesting sighting was towards the end of a 5-minute count when I looked up and about 3m from me was an adult shining-bronze cuckoo with an egg in its bill! Now these guys are brood parasites, so I'm guessing the bird was a female and had just laid its egg in the nest and removed one of the hosts eggs. The bird had clearly cracked one side of the egg with its bill, and was holding it upright, with its beak at a 45 degree angle. It was clearly swallowing the contents of the egg, and once the shell was empty discarded it, then wiped it's bill clean. Certainly an interesting observation.
From the look of the egg it was definitely not a grey warbler (the most common host), nor a grey fantail (both these species have eggs with speckles). The only species which springs to mind and matches is silvereye...be keen if anyone recognises the species. I guess there is the possibility it is a cuckoo egg that this bird has removed from an already parasitised nest?
'Taumata¬whakatangihanga¬koauau¬o¬tamatea¬turi-pukakapiki¬maunga¬horo¬nuku¬pokai¬ whenua¬kitanatahu'
I am doing bird monitoring for the Hawkes Bay Regional Council at this site, basically doing 5-minute bird counts at a number of sites throughout a really nice patch of native forest, following possum control. I will also be doing the same at sites on Napier Hill when I get this done. This is the third year that I have done monitoring at these sites, so it's always nice to get back here.
The weather today was gorgeous - mostly blue skies, and despite the long distances and steep terrain it is a really nice place to be. Lots of native birds, and had a couple of surprises today. On two occasions today I heard an Eastern rosella - an introduced parrot from Australia that is wild in several parts of the country. The nearest site I know is across the Ruahine Ranges in the Manawatu (perhaps about 65 km away), so this might be a range expansion of this species. I suspect this might be the first record of this species in Hawkes Bay?
The second interesting sighting was towards the end of a 5-minute count when I looked up and about 3m from me was an adult shining-bronze cuckoo with an egg in its bill! Now these guys are brood parasites, so I'm guessing the bird was a female and had just laid its egg in the nest and removed one of the hosts eggs. The bird had clearly cracked one side of the egg with its bill, and was holding it upright, with its beak at a 45 degree angle. It was clearly swallowing the contents of the egg, and once the shell was empty discarded it, then wiped it's bill clean. Certainly an interesting observation.
From the look of the egg it was definitely not a grey warbler (the most common host), nor a grey fantail (both these species have eggs with speckles). The only species which springs to mind and matches is silvereye...be keen if anyone recognises the species. I guess there is the possibility it is a cuckoo egg that this bird has removed from an already parasitised nest?
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| The mystery egg - intact side |
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| The mystery egg - broken side |
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| My office today...not a bad spot! |
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