I’m afraid we’ve gone from riches to rags as far as tūturiwhatu breeding is concerned with no chicks hatched at all this year, let alone fledged, compared to 11 last season. Fewer pairs attempted to nest (5 as opposed to 8 in 2023/4), which partly explains the difference. Neither tūturiwhatu nor torea pāngo nested this season on the Okura chénier…
Author: Bernard Michaux
A New Breeding Season
Just a quick spring update to let you all know that the tūturiwhatu/NZ dotterel have started to nest and are sitting on eggs at the moment. There are two pairs nesting on the Weiti chénier, including the ever reliable flag family (CXE) at the south end and another pair at the north end. This is the northern pair’s second attempt…
The Godwits Return
The seasons are on the turn and the first adult kuaka have returned to join the overwintering flock of about 20 birds. The flock now numbers 96 (as of 11/9/24) and will increase over the coming weeks as more adults and then this year’s juveniles return to Aotearoa. The tōrea have left for their breeding grounds down south and only…
End-of-year Roundup
Well, it’s been a very successful year as far as the tūturiwhatu/NZ dotterel are concerned because 11 chicks fledged from the three breeding sites. It wasn’t so good for the tōrea pango/Variable oystercatcher with only four chicks fledged. It was a strange year for the tōrea pango as they were very late starting to breed and produced fewer eggs. It’s…
Bird news for the 2023/24 Season
I’ve been meaning to report on the birds this year for some weeks, but the buggers keep breeding so this is an interim report. Summer Migrants The kuaka arrived from their Alaskan breeding grounds in mid-September and reached maximum numbers – about 320 birds – on 1/11/23. Many of these birds were juveniles who leave Alaska later than most of…
Spring News
The photo shows the largest flock of kuaka/bar-tailed godwit I’ve ever seen at Weiti – an estimated 320 birds. Most of the newcomers were juveniles, this years youngsters fresh from Alaska in their bright, spangly plumage. They probably won’t stay long but will disperse to places like the Kaipara or Manukau harbours or the Firth of Thames. You can see…
Urban Widlife Areas
Despite our strong rural roots, Aotearoa/New Zealand is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, and Auckland is (on a local scale) a mega-city with close to a third of all kiwis living here or hereabouts. Research is clear that urban peoples’ mental wellbeing is much improved when they have access to open spaces where nature flourishes, but…
The godwits are back
Sometime in the last two weeks our kuaka have started to return to us after breeding in Alaska and their long return journey over the Pacific Ocean. I recently counted 134 of them at Karepiro and, if things go as they usually do, will continue to increase in the coming week or two to something over 200. The adults return…
Change of Seasons
It seems a bit strange to talk about a change in seasons having just visited the Weiti chéniers and Karepiro during a howling easterly gale with the waves crashing up onto the dunes and with a decided chill to the air, but the birds definitely think spring has arrived. The pied oystercatchers/tōrea have largely dispersed southwards to their breeding grounds,…
Refurbishment of chénier fencing
The storms this year had taken their toll on the fencing at Weiti chénier (and Karepiro for that matter too) so the Stillwater Stalwarts decided to combine a working bee with the community planting day that FOOB ran on July 2nd. Linda Gates, Irene Sanders, John Marais and myself formed the work party who were ably provisioned by Lezette on…