More pāteke released in Abel Tasman, rare duck population now in the hundreds

Samantha Gee13:31, May 26 2020

ROBYN JANES/PROJECT JANSZOON

Motupipi teacher Jodie Grant releasing some of the pāteke in the Awapoto River.

There might be less people flying around the country, but a plane carrying 49 rare pāteke made a special flight to Nelson, as part of the journey to their new home in the Abel Tasman National Park.

Pāteke, or brown teal, were once widespread throughout New Zealand but are now one of the country's rarest waterfowl species, with the Department of Conservation estimating there are 2000 – 2500 birds left in the wild. 

Despite Covid-19 restrictions and reduced air capacity, the special cargo landed at Nelson Airport last week. 

After being blessed at the airport by Archdeacon Harvey Ruru​ of Te Ātiawa the birds were driven to the Abel Tasman National Park and released on the Awapoto River at dusk. 

Since 2017, Project Janszoon, the Department of Conservation and local iwi have released 288 pāteke in the Abel Tasman National Park, which is one of only two South Island pāteke sites.

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Rare white pīwakawaka attracts photographers and bird watchers to Stratford

26 May, 2020 7:19pm

Stratford's King Edward Park has become home to a rare white pīwakawaka, thrilling local birdwatchers and photographers.

The bird was first featured in the Stratford Press in April, after Jim Gould spotted it during his daily walk. He shared his photos on social media and with Stratford Press readers and soon lots of people headed to the park to try and spot the rare bird.

Known for its friendly 'cheet cheet' call and energetic flying antics, the pīwakawaka, or fantail, is one of the most common and widely distributed native birds on the New Zealand mainland.

"A white fantail, however, that's not so common at all."

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Little blue penguin 'slaughter' prompts call for TDC dog control bylaw change

Cherie Sivignon13:24, Mar 13 2020

Dog attacks are a threat to the little blue penguin population in Golden Bay.

Little blue penguins are being slaughtered by dogs on the beaches of Golden Bay, Tasman District councillors have been told.

Mohua Blue Penguin Trust chairwoman Cynthia McConville on Thursday told councillors at a regulatory committee meeting in Murchison that the council's Dog Control Bylaw "doesn't actually control dogs".

"It fails to protect our penguins," McConville said during the public forum section of the meeting, urging an early review of the bylaw. "Dog attacks on kororā must stop."

The council's Dog Control Bylaw was last reviewed in 2014 and is next due for review in 2024. However, there have been several calls to bring that review forward. In August 2019, the Golden Bay Community Board recommended amendments to the bylaw be introduced early in the 2019-22 term of council.

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Mysterious Deaths of Dozens of Seagulls on Beaches

By Staff Reporter

Mar 15, 2020 10:22 PM EDT

Dozens of seagulls have been dropping like flies on beaches in Horowhenua. Along the stretch of kilometers of the Horowhenua sand beaches, they are dying. People have seen the helpless birds flop, stagger and struggle to fly in vain. They become paralyzed, drop on the sand and die.

This strange phenomenon have been seen in the Kuku and Waikawa beaches since Friday, on March 6, 2020. Beverley Dowling, a Manakau woman, saw a post on Facebook on the mysterious seagull deaths, and rushed quickly to the beach to try to rescue and save the black-backed seagulls which are native to the area. She saw the extent of the problem as she was walking along the beach.

Dowling described what was happening to the seagulls as like being "drugged." She reported that they could not move and are literally dying in front of her eyes. She would have wanted to save some of the birds, but it became quickly apparent to her that they were beyond help. They were in the throes of death, and it was happening very, very fast.

Furthermore, Dowling described how she watched the birds as they appeared to be apparently healthy one moment, then suddenly get paralyzed, and then die, all within 10 minutes. The woman tried counting the helpless birds, but she soon gave up because the numbers were so overwhelming. She described the scene as "quite horrific."

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From the Antipodes Islands to Timaru for endangered penguin

Matthew Littlewood 16:47, Feb 17 2020

An Antipode Islands-based penguin spotted in Timaru was most likely looking for its dinner on its rare visit, a Department of Conservation (DOC) spokesman says.

The endangered erect-crested penguin, spotted by Stuff photographer John Bisset, near Timaru port's breakwater at the weekend, could be one of a few making its way to South Canterbury shores as they begin to moult.

DOC technical advisor Bruce McKinlay said while the erect-crested penguin breeds on the remote Bounty and Antipodes Islands, it was "not uncommon to find individual birds moulting on the east coast of the South Island most summers".

"As a top predator the penguin was most likely looking for fish," McKinlay said.

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Concerns raised over proposed Lower Hutt pathway's affect on penguins

Matthew Tso 13:52, Feb 19 2020

Two of conservation's heavy hitters have raised concerns over a proposed pathway they say could put penguins in jeopardy.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) and Forest & Bird lodged submissions opposing the Eastern Bays Shared Path in Lower Hutt citing inadequate measures to protect the environment.

Both organisations made mention of the potential impact on the at-risk little blue penguins, or kororā, that live along the shoreline.

DOC believes up to 14 per cent of Wellington's little blue penguin population - more than 100 birds - nest along the eastern bays and more needed to be done to protect them from traffic, habitat displacement and dogs.

They were also concerned the path's construction would have an impact on 5000 square metres of shorebird foraging habitat used by the nationally threatened reef heron and caspian tern. The regionally threatened variable oyster catcher and nine at-risk species are also present in the area.

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Rare fairy tern gets 20% population boost with birth of seven chicks

Danielle Clent 11:11, Feb 13 2020

The birth of seven new fairy terns has boosted the population of one of New Zealand's rarest birds.

The birds, also called the tara-iti, have "teetered" on the brink of extinction since 1970, the Department of Conservation said.

There are fewer than 40 adult fairy terns and they continue to be critically endangered despite intensive management.

However, the latest breeding season has boosted the population by about 20 per cent.

"Seven chicks is a great season – last year (2018-2019 season) we only had two chicks fledge, so this is a big improvement," biodiversity ranger Ayla Wiles said.

Continued and watch video

Endangered gull fledglings stoned to death at Canterbury's Waimakariri River

Emma Dangerfield10:55, Feb 18 2020

The slaughter of five threatened fledgling gulls in North Canterbury has been described as "gut-wrenching, illegal and morally abhorrent".

The five black-billed gulls were found with their heads bashed in at a popular dog-walking spot on the banks of the Waimakariri River on Monday.

Their bodies were still soft, indicating they had been killed mid-morning. They were just days away from being able to fly.

Department of Conservation senior ranger Anita Spencer said it was particularly devastating as the birds, which are the most threatened gull species in the world, had been through a rough season.

"A lot of work goes into protecting these gulls so it is extra gut-wrenching that they got to this stage for them to be killed," she said.

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Smart birds' two-year memory means they could be trained to avoid cats

Amber-Leigh Woolf15:18, Feb 12 2020

North Island robins tested at Zealandia remembered a trick for two years.

Scientists have discovered the North Island robin (toutouwai) has a memory of two years and hope this can aid its survival.

In a test at Zealandia in Wellington, the toutouwai were able to peck open a lid to retrieve concealed food after being taught the trick years prior.

Lecturer in behavioural ecology Rachel Shaw said the two-year memory span, and the birds' accuracy, was surprising. 

"Once they've got it, they've really got it."  

The impressive result means robin might be able to be taught new strategies to avoid predators, Shaw said. 

"In a population like that [in Zealandia] where individuals are always dispersing across the fence, it could be that we could train individuals about threats in Wellington, like cats," she said. 

North Island robin (toutouwai) have been found to be able to retain the memory of a trick for two years.

"It's a cool positive that might yield some great conservation applications in the future." 

In 2015 and 2016, Shaw successfully trained all the 32 toutouwai residents of Zealandia to open a swivel lid with their beak to retrieve a worm from a hidden compartment. 

Of the 32 experienced toutouwai, 30 birds spontaneously solved the task, opening the lids on their first attempt. None of the untrained birds solved the task. 

Shaw said the birds were taught using a behavioural shaping procedure.  

The impressive result means North Island robin may be able to be taught to avoid cats.

"We progressively close the lid to the point that they understand that when it's fully closed they know there's food in there, and they can open it." 

The result did not arise due to the birds being more likely to interact with the apparatus, the Biology Letters journal article on the research said. 

"The experienced birds' pecking behaviour was spontaneous and targeted.

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NZ hatchery welcomes 2000th kiwi chick

14 November 2019

After two days of exhausting kicking and pecking through egg shell, the 2000th chick at New Zealand's National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa has been born.

And it already has a huge fan base, after its birth was livestreamed around the world.

Smitten viewers watched on as the egg started to jiggle. The chick then made a tiny hole in the air-filled sac inside the egg before poking the pink tip of its beak through the shell and breathing clear air for the first time.

The fluffy chick, yet to be named, weighs a healthy 342.8 grams and is already using its long beak to find stability as it explores its new environment.

Its gender will be unknown for another month until DNA tests are completed.

Kiwi mums lay up to 100 eggs in a lifetime, yet New Zealand's wild kiwi population is declining by three per cent every year. Of every 100 kiwi eggs laid in burrows in the forest, only five kiwi chicks will make it to adulthood.

Without ongoing support, experts estimate the brown kiwi will be extinct in the wild within two generations.

The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa at Rainbow Springs Nature Park in Rotorua is the leading kiwi hatchery in the world, incubating and hatching over 130 kiwi chicks each year - about 75 per cent of all kiwi incubated and hatched outside their natural setting in New Zealand.

Spokesperson Helen McCormick said she expected the new celebrity to draw thousands of fans to the hatchery.

"This is a wonderful time to visit the hatchery as hatching season is in full swing, visitors can join a guided tour and experience first-hand where the kiwi are incubated, the hatching process and hopefully see some newly hatched chicks," she said.

Kiwi are unusual birds in many ways. They can't fly, they sleep standing up, and they can run as fast as a human. They also have cool body temperatures that resemble mammals more than birds, have whiskers like cats, and big ears with keen hearing.

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DoC concerned 'mega mast' could wipe out native bird populations in some areas

29/10/2019

Alastair Lynn

Native bird populations could be completely wiped out in some areas hit by this year's mega mast.

It's set to be the biggest seeding event in more than 40 years, but half-a-million hectares of forest will receive no 1080 predator control.

"There's a huge number of rats, and there will be a huge number of stoats in our forests this year," says Peter Morton, of the Department of Conservation (DoC). 

The threat to birdlife this summer is so much higher because climate change is making our native bush go through an explosion of seeding. That causes a chain reaction - the more seeds the more birds, the more birds the more rodents.

"We'll lose some of our most precious treasures in those forests," says Forest and Bird ecologist Rebecca Stirnemann.

One example is a whio nest Newshub saw. The eggs laid by a little blue duck were no match for a stoat, which stole three eggs of the endangered species in the space of 10 minutes.

With heavy seed fall expected, Fiordland all the way up to the East Cape will be hit the hardest. 

But areas like Nelson Lakes National Park, the Tararua Ranges and the Tongariro Forest won't get any DoC-funded predator control.

In those regions populations of whio, kokako and kiwi could be wiped from the map.

"In years without 1080 we lost 90 percent of all our kiwi chicks, they were just decapitated by stoats, killed," says Stirnemann.

By closely watching the forests DoC has been able to estimate that the number of predators will be near saturation point.So much so that they're expecting to see rodents in some tunnels 96 percent of the time.

The Department of Conservation believes around 1.4 million hectares of native forest is at risk of being swamped by predators this mega mast season, however, just 900,000 hectares will be covered by the current 1080 drop, leaving half-a-million hectares of native bush still at risk.

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New Zealand's bird of the year: the most important election – aside from the real one

What started as innocuous good fun has evolved into a national obsession, complete with voter fraud, skulduggery and high passions

Elle Hunt

Tue 5 Nov 2019 11.12 GMTLast modified on Wed 6 Nov 2019 00.51 GMT

The data team picked up on them first – 310 “dubious” votes from an IP address in Australia, sending one trend line suddenly, suspiciously skyward above the others. Something funny was going on with the shag.

Of course, by then – the 13th year of the competition – organisers knew to expect dodgy dealings in New Zealand’s bird of the year poll.

If a nationwide vote to name a favourite native bird sounds like innocuous good fun – a creative means of celebrating unique, threatened fauna – you may be underestimating bird of the year. Coordinated by the Royal Forest & Bird Society, an environmental nongovernmental organisation, it is often described as the country’s most important election – second only to, you know, the actual elections. Since 2017, too, it has had the same validation as two other Kiwi creations, pavlova and Russell Crowe: Australia has tried to pass it off as its own.

From a total of 900 votes received (some by post) in the first vote in 2005, bird of the year has grown to about 28,000 in 2015 and more than 48,000 in 2018 – nearly double the number that just elected the mayor of Wellington.

For this year’s competition, voting has been changed to proportional representation, allowing five choices, owing to persistent feedback that it was “too hard for people to choose just one bird”, according to a Forest & Bird spokeswoman, Megan Hubscher. “We’re seeing some interesting campaign strategies starting to take shape around that as well – for example, the penguin species are grouping together to campaign for ‘five ticks to penguins’.”

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Sculptor crafts $125k extinct bird creation out of scrap metal

Jo McKenzie-McLean 05:15, Sep 16 2019

Wanaka artist Luke Wilson created the sculpture of two extinct birds in combat to show the flight of our native animals.

A Kiwi artist has resurrected two extinct native birds using cutlery, hot water cylinders and horse shoes.

Luke Wilson's Haast Eagle Vs Moa took more than two years to make using scrap metal – a skill he discovered while working at Wanaka recycling and reuse shop Wastebusters.

"I'd been working at Wastebusters processing their metal recycling for about a year and realised I had a knack for putting things together with odds and ends. It got me wanting to work with material that has a story behind each piece that comes in."

Wanaka-based artist Luke Wilson, 31, will exhibit his giant scrap metal sculpture of a Haast eagle and moa at a St Andrew's College fundraiser in Christchurch on September 20 alongside several other artists.

The 31-year-old's engineering background has helped produce the sculptures, as has late nights, copious amounts of coffee, a No.8 wire mentality and a passion to portray the world's natural beauty in his art while raising awareness about the plight of native birds.

"I work up a mountain and there is kea up there. Their population is declining and they are really special birds."

Read on and watch video here

Rangers search for roving rowi kiwi Aroha

24 Sep 2019

1:01 pm on 24 September 2019 

Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers are searching for a kiwi that is ranging far and wide.

Aroha, a rowi kiwi which needed to be rescued from snowy, mountainous terrain on the West Coast last month, has travelled 5km since being re-released.

Rowi are the rarest of the five kiwi species, with a population of only 600.

DOC reintroduced 34 of the birds to the Omoeroa ranges in December 2018, after breeding in the 2000s brought numbers back from just 160 birds in Okarito Forest.

Senior ranger Tracey Dearlove said the kiwi were wearing transmitters, but rangers were still trying to locate her for monitoring and health checks.

She said rowi kiwi going on long adventures is not uncommon, and another - Taonga - had travelled 10km towards the coastal mouth of Waikukupa River.

She said motorists should be aware the rare birds could be around State Highway 6 near the Fox Glacier township.

The population seemed to be thriving, with all but one of the birds still alive.

"Health checks of a number of the birds show that they are gaining weight and are in excellent health, with glossy feathers and very few parasites," Ms Dearlove said.

"We are really excited that the new population is thriving in this area with plenty of food and space to establish territories."

Source

Scientists discover one of world's oldest bird species at Waipara, New Zealand

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

by Canterbury Museum

The ancestor of some of the largest flying birds ever has been found in Waipara, North Canterbury.

Bony-toothed birds (Pelagornithids), an ancient family of huge seafaring birds, were thought to have evolved in the Northern Hemisphere—but that theory has been upended by the discovery of the family's oldest, but smallest member in New Zealand.

At 62 million-years-old, the newly-discovered Protodontopteryx ruthae, is one of the oldest named bird species in the world. It lived in New Zealand soon after the dinosaurs died out.

While its descendants were some of the biggest flying birds ever, with wingspans of more than 5 meters, Protodontopteryx ruthae was only the size of an average gull. Like other members of its family, the seabird had bony, tooth-like projections on the edge of its beak.

The seabird fossil was identified by the same team that recently announced the discovery of a 1.6 meter-high giant penguin from the same site.

Amateur paleontologist Leigh Love found the partial Protodontopteryx skeleton last year at the Waipara Greensand fossil site. The bird was named Protodontopteryx ruthae after Love's wife Ruth. Love wanted to thank her for tolerating his decades-long passion for paleontology.

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Shameless thief or good forest citizen? Weka bring hidden benefits to New Zealand forests

AUGUST 28, 2019

by University of Canterbury

Weka are often portrayed as little more than sandwich-stealing scallywags. The large, brown flightless bird's tendency to be curious and gobble any food available (whether it be an unwatched biscuit, penguin egg or endangered gecko) also makes them troublesome for conservationists. However, a new study by University of Canterbury and Department of Conservation researchers has found that these charismatic birds also perform important services for Aotearoa New Zealand forests.

Although birds like the kererū (wood pigeon) tend to get credit for dispersing seeds, it turns out weka are important seed dispersers for some New Zealand plants. They eat the fruits of many plant species, and have a large beak that allows them to also eat fruits that smaller birds can't manage. A new study, published today in Royal Society Open Science, found that weka even disperse some seeds as far as kererū do.

"You might think that because weka are flightless they wouldn't be very good at moving seeds large distances," says lead author Jo Carpenter, a University of Canterbury (UC) Ecology Ph.D. student now based at Manaaki Whenua | Landcare Research. "But it turned out they were dispersing a small proportion of seeds over two kilometres—that's a long way for a seed."

The researchers investigated how far weka moved seeds by attaching GPS transmitters to over 40 birds, then figuring out how long it took seeds to pass through weka. By understanding how long it takes a seed to typically pass through a weka, they could model how far seeds eaten by weka would be travelling. Because some seeds stay inside the birds as long as six weeks, the weka can deposit them far from where they were eaten.

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Yellow-eyed penguin deaths in set nets highlight need for urgent action - Forest and Bird

WED, AUG 21

Forest and Bird is calling for urgent action to better protect the endangered yellow-eyed penguin from fishing threats.

The conservation group claims the survival of the population "depends on what is essentially a guessing game".

That’s because in the 2017/2018 data period there were three reported incidents, but an observer rate of just 10.4 per cent, Forest and Bird says.

It therefore estimates 30 hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguins, died in the data period, due to set nets.

The incidents occurred in the East Coast South Island fishery and the Southland to Fiordland fishery.

The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust agrees with Forest and Bird that set nets pose a risk but believes the number of hoiho killed as a result would have been less than 30.

It says the Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual review for 2017 estimated 17 birds would have died.

The trust said set nets are just one of the many threats facing the species, with starvation a particular concern this year.

"With only 10 per cent observer coverage in these fisheries we can never know the full picture of what is happening at sea. The survival of our mainland hoiho population depends on what is essentially a guessing game," says Forest and Bird’s chief executive Kevin Hague.

"Government proposals to create marine reserves and protected areas on the South Island’s east coast and a proposed new threat management strategy are positive steps but leave the threat to penguins from set net fishing wide open," he says. 

A draft Hoiho Threat Management Strategy and accompanying action plan, currently open for consultation, don’t propose any concrete steps to protect the mainland population of hoiho from fishing threats, Mr Hague says.

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Giant penguin fossil found in New Zealand

AUGUST 14, 2019

Canterbury Museum researcher Vanesa De Pietri (L) said the discovery reinforces the theory that penguins attained great size early in their evolution

The fossilised remains of a huge penguin almost the size of an adult human have been found in New Zealand's South Island, scientists announced Wednesday.

The giant waddling sea bird stood 1.6 metres (63 inches) high and weighed 80 kilograms, about four times heavier and 40cm taller than the modern Emperor penguin, researchers said.

Named "crossvallia waiparensis", it hunted off New Zealand's coast in the Paleocene era, 66-56 million years ago.

An amateur fossil hunter found leg bones belonging to the bird last year and it was confirmed as a new species in research published this week in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.

Canterbury Museum researcher Vanesa De Pietri said it was the second giant penguin from the Paleocene era found in the area.

"It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained great size early in their evolution," she said.

Scientists have previously speculated that the mega-penguins eventually died out due to the emergence of other large marine predators such as seals and toothed whales.

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It would take 50 million years to recover New Zealand's lost bird species

Date:  August 5, 2019

Source:  Cell Press

Half of New Zealand's birds have gone extinct since humans arrived on the islands. Many more are threatened. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on August 5 estimate that it would take approximately 50 million years to recover the number of bird species lost since humans first colonized New Zealand.

"The conservation decisions we make today will have repercussions for millions of years to come," says Luis Valente of Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. "Some people believe that if you leave nature alone it will quickly recuperate, but the reality is that, at least in New Zealand, nature would need several million years to recover from human actions -- and perhaps will never really recover."

The biodiversity observed today is the result of millions of years of evolutionary time, Valente explains. Extinctions caused by human activities erase this history. While the number of lost or threatened bird species often has been quantified, the broad-scale evolutionary consequences of human impact on island biodiversity rarely have been measured.

In the new study, Valente and colleagues developed a method to estimate how long it would take for islands to regain the number of species lost due to humans. They realized that New Zealand birds would be an ideal system to apply and demonstrate this new method.

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Ancient parrot in New Zealand was 1m tall, study says

A giant parrot that roamed New Zealand about 19 million years ago had a height of 1m (3ft 2in) - roughly half the average height of a human, a new study has found.

The remains of the parrot were found near St Bathans in New Zealand's southern Otago region.

Given its size, the parrot is believed to have been flightless and carnivorous, unlike most birds today.

A study of the bird was published on Tuesday in the journal Biology Letters.

Weighing just over one stone (7kg), the bird would have been two times heavier than the kākāpo, previously the largest known parrot.

"There are no other giant parrots in the world," Professor Trevor Worthy, a palaeontologist at Flinders University in Australia and lead author of the study, told the BBC. "Finding one is very significant."

Palaeontologists have dubbed the new species Heracles inexpectatus in recognition of its unusual size and strength.

The bones - initially believed to belong to an eagle or duck - were kept in storage for 11 years until earlier this year, when a team of palaeontologists reanalysed them.

Prof Worthy said one of his students came across the parrot's bones by chance in his laboratory during a research project.

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