Wishing all our FOOB supporters a Merry Christmas & a New Year filled with Happiness, Peace and Love. Thank you for your generous support, because of you, we are able to do our restoration work in this beautiful area. Okura Bush & Estuary
Category: General
Good News, Bad News
The good news is that there’s been a baby boom at Karepiro and the Okura chénier. I’ve been struck down with covid and it’s been over three weeks since I was able to check on progress, so I was delighted to see the new additions at both these sites. Two NZ dotterel/tuturiwhatu pairs have each raised a single chick on…
Bird Update
It was with some trepidation that I visited the coast yesterday (15/11) to see what damage the spring high tide and howling northeaster had done. The water had swept over the chénier at Stillwater, so any dotterel/tūturiwhatu or oystercatcher/tōrea pango nests would have been swept away. There are still two dotterel pairs and an oystercatcher pair in residence, so hopefully…
The Dotterels are Nesting
The great news is that the tūturiwhata have started to nest. The resident pair on the Okura chenier, which I feared had abandoned the site, have a nest with three eggs in it, and one of the two pairs at Karepiro beach also have a nest with three eggs. The second pair are also probably nesting but I haven’t been…
The kuaka are back
When John Marais and I were out on the Weiti chenier on Wednesday (28/9) there were 218 kuaka/godwits roosting on the beach. There has been a steady buildup from the end of August when the winter flock of about 12 birds was suddenly increased to 25 (31/8), then 32 (2/9), 122 (21/9) until the 218 on the 28/9. The kuaka…
Biodiversity Restoration Workshop in Stillwater
Come along and join the community for a couple of hours of learning about how to best control some serious invasive plants that are threatening the remnant forests of Auckland. We will be controlling invasive vines, creepers and serious pest trees to allow the natives to regenerate back into coastal kauri/puriri forest. Where: Bus Stop on Duck Creek Road Parking:…
Godwits Return
The godwits/kuaka are starting to return to Aotearoa from their breeding grounds in Alaska, a sure sign that spring is here. There has been a small flock overwintering this year – an average of 12 birds – so I was surprised to find 25 kuaka when I visited Karepiro on the last day of August, with some of the birds…
Weiti Chenier Refurbishment
There was a great turnout for the planting day on Sunday the 7th August and despite the dire weather predictions the rain held off and much was achieved without getting soaked. Apart from the planting it was decided to incorporate a working bee out on the last chenier to repair the fencing, which had taken a real battering over the…
Winter Bird News
The season of rain and storms is upon us and I always feel sorry for the birds hunkering down in all that weather. As the seasons change so do the waders. The godwits have left and are now breeding in Alaska and experiencing 24 hours of daylight as they rush to complete their breeding cycle during the short high-latitude summer.…
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