CODFISH ISLAND

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21376, 19 January 1935, Page 14

CODFISH ISLAND

On the day on which we landed en Codfish Island we heard a falcon (the so-called "sparrow-hawk") and watched it fly high overhead into the bush. During the next few days we saw it several times, and marked it down in a gully about half a mile from camp, so one day we set out to find its nest. It was situated on a steep bank, under the overhanging bole of a rimu, and contained two feathered young, the larger of which was just able to fly. A careful examination of the bird remains in and around the nest showed that, so far as birds were concerned, Cook's petrels were the falcons' chief victims; the only other remains were those of one bell-bird and one parakeet. We found one other falcon's nest on the island and it contained one newly-hatched young and an addled egg. Here again Cook's petrel were the birds principally preyed. It was amusing to watch the cock falcon flying near our camp (the hen stays to guard the nest), for he was usually accompanied by tuis—often eight or 10 of them—which showed no fear of him, though it was noticeable that they always ker; above him. We saw only one harrier during our stay, and moreporks were scarce. Long-tailed cuckoos were frequently heard and occasionally seen. Once one appeared near our camp, pursued by nine tuis. Strong as tuis are on the wing, the cuckoos could outfly them. It took a direct and rising course out over the bay, and when it had readied an altitude of about 600 feet the tuis got tired of the pursuit and returned to the bush. We saw several pairs of black redbills, one pair frequenting our bay. Whenever we appeared, they would trot off to the nearest rock or bit of driftwood or seaweed and squat down behind it, just keeping an eye above it to watch our movements. Often they would stand up, as though their position was not quite comfortable, and then squat down again. Sometimes they went the whole length of the bay (half a mile) in front of us, trotting ahead., and elaborately riding, and then rising and running ahead to another bit of cover further on. It was ajl very amusing but quite purposeless, for they had no nest or young, yet it was remarkable how effectively they could conceal themselves behind even small bits of drift. # Water Bird Families A few pairs of black-backed gulls lived on the island, nesting on tali rocks just above tide mark, while a small colony of red-billed gulls nested on a cliff not far from our camp. I climbed up the rock-face to examine the nests, and found some with eggs just hatching, but most of them empty—evidently The work of black-backs or the pair of skuas which had a family on a rocky island at the east end of the bay. There were four or five pairs of skuas nesting on points or outlying rocks. The only midden that I examined contained the remains of Cook's petrels and whale-birds. One morning a skua came over us, but got too near the falcon's Lome, and the cock falcon immediately dashed out at it. The skua made off, but the hawk followed and struck at it, though whether he registered a hit we could not tell. In a recent article in "The Press" it was stated that skuas are protected by law, but this is not so. They were protected for some years, but representations were made to the Department of Internal Affairs some five years ago, and all. protection was removed from them. There were a few brown ducks in I lie two creeks, some of which used to come at dusk into a sandy bay near us and feed a Jong Ihe edge of the waves. Of shags, three species frequented the sea in our vicinity: a few pairs of pied shags used to fish in the bay, or sit about on the rocks, and roosted in an olearia which overhung the sea from the top of a cliff. Blue shags were often seen, though never more than two or three at a time. All along the edge of the rocks and for some distance out on the sandy beach there were quite incredible shoals of fry of some fish, possibly blue cod. These tiny things, smaller than a whitebait, though dark in colour, covered large areas, so that a stratum of the sea about three feet below the surface was positively thick with them, and they were evidently the inshore attraction for the two shags just mentioned. A third shag, the Stewart Island shag, nested on a rock in the channel between Stewart I "and and Codfish. I had seen it there some years ago when on my way to an island further south, and had noted that the birds were building in November, which surprised me, for the same species breeds in great numbers on several rocky islands to the east of Stewart. Island, and there egg-laying begins in July and August, and most of the voung have left the nests by Christmas. A Sail Round the Island Wishing to examine this colonv, we took the boat and the engine one day and went over to it (it was about two miles from our camp), but a long westerly roll prevented our landing, so we decided to sail around Codfish and have a look at it. It is roughly circular, with bold promontories here and there. Its rock foundation is almost entirely granite, though there are outcrops of other rock, notably a dark grev reef at the eastern end of Sealer's Bay—a rock of extreme hardness. In the face of a fine, cliff at the south-west corner of (he island was a conspicuous vertical inlay of white rock some 20 feet wide, and roundmg this we got a fine view of the rugged western coast with the inevitable westerly roll pounding on to it. There was no wind, so that the roll, big as it was, did not affect our little boat. A long reef of rocks juts out from the north-west of the island, and when rounding this the engine stopped with a blockage in the petrol pipe. Rowing was reverted to, but we made little progress, and were all very glad when we got the engine going again. Nearing home, and when under the lee of the island, we came on a

An Unspoilt Resort for the 11 Naturalist ■ i I , .SPECIALLT WRITTEH FOB THE rSZSS.' / [By EDGAR F. STEAD ] (II.) In this article Mr Stead concludes a description of some of the birds and vegetation observed on a recent visit to Codfish Island. The most important discovery of the expedition was that the island is a nesting place for Cook's petrel?, which were not previously known to nest in those parts.

large barracouda swrnmnae. upside down at the surface of the water with a large gash in its oei-v, evidently the work of son-.t ether fish. or possibly a seal. I caught it bv the tail, but it struggled free, and thereafter swam deeper down. Two days later, the sea appearing very calm, we again wont out to the shag rock, taking cameras. Although there was much less sea. landing was still rather difficult, so the other two had to stay in the boat while I landed. There wera two separate groups of nests, the central area of the rock being swept by spray during heavy westerly gales. The nests are built largely of a fern-like pink seaweed, though the birds get a small amount of grass and other vegetatiun from neighbouring islands, for nothing grows on the rock itself. There were about 60 nests altogether, situated on the steeply sloping eastern side of the rock. Guthrie-Smith in his "Mutlonbirds and Other Birds" has amusingly described the thievery <{ these birds, and it was very evident here. Most of the nests had eggs m, though a few were only being built. I set up my camera on the edge of the colony and right on the edge of the rock. A nest with two eggs was close to me, and its owner flew off. Immediately the cock bird of a pair which were building further up. flew down and tore out the whole lower side of this nest, allowing the eggs to roll out down the rock. Quite unconcerned by my presence, he returned again and again, taking huge billfuls tip to his mate, so that in a short time ai] that was left of a recently perfectly good nest was a few scattered sprigs of ?ea- ! w*eed, and two empty eggshells from which a red-billed gull had eaten the contents, the marauder's nest up above, however, was greatly improved. This shag is interesting as being a dimorphic species, there being a wholly black, as well as a pied form. Two Species of Penguin Two penguins were common on Codfish, the yellow-crowned and the little blue. Both nest in the bush, often at considerable distances from the sea. The yellow-crowned breeds early, laying its two eggs in September in a nest under a log or in very thick scrub or fern, and during our stay we often ran across two large fluffy brown youngsters in distinctly smelly surroundings as far as a quarter of a mile from the sea, and sometimes 300 or 400 feet above it. The parents as a rule come ashore late in the afternoon, pause for a while to shake themselves, and then waddle solemnly off into the bush to their nests. If"disturbed when they first land, they immediately return to the sea, diving into the first wave and not reappearing until beyond the line of breakers, when they spring out into the air, and thereafter proceed •-ut to sea after the manner of a porpoise. The little blue penguin wa.-> even more plentiful than the yellowcrowned, nesting in holes which might be anywhere from near the water's edge to 500 feet above i». The old birds are usually met m small companies at sea, and do not come ashore or leave the land excepting during the night. At any time after dark they were to be found scuttling through the bush to feed their young, and their numbers may be gauged by the fact that one night I saw 23 of th*m, which had just come ashore in a sheltered corner among some rocks. Their calls consist of a number of very nasty noises—eerie, snarling, quarrelsome, even querulous, but never either musical or joyful. The retrcls The birds remaining ; " be rcforrcri to are the petrels. A form <~<i shv albatross always came and .-a* expectantly beside the boat while we wore fishing, usually bely.'iis its name and swimming about within a. few feet of us. It was very partial to cods' heads, and could, and would, swallow the head and complete backbone of a large cod at a gulp. We saw one sooty albatross, and occasionally a Nelly flew across our bay. On outlying islets were whalebirds, the young of the season being fully grown and ready to leave their burrows. Mutton-birds were common enough, but were only in hundreds as compared with their tens of thousands on the islands further south. Motticd petrels ha i their burrows on all the highest tops and the more windswept ridges. An Unexpected Find The most tine:-:;:." .! Una c: lr.-: expedition was that the island was a breeding place of Cook's pe'rel. This member of the large petrel family has only previously been known to nest on Little Barrier Island, and although it. has been recorded from Foxeaux Strait, I <" not -'-.ink anyone expected it to nest there, yet on Codfish, throughout the bus", from near sea-level to t'-.o_ tops, it--burrows were to be found, r.ean;-' always in rather steeply ground and usually amor.g tne rotv.= of trees. On none o: r.y previous trips to these part.-, nave I ever seen a Cook's petrel, either or. land or sea, and yet en C r -:.n?n _t:iere were probably f .ee.j cr -rJ.OUO o-. them. What a strange distribution —a bird that :\■ r.-.ns •.:;•- v.T.oie o*_ the Pacific C:a • ■■ r t- "a £ld * s ,°' the equator and found on but islands, one at the ncrta. uk other at the south <. f N-w Zeaiar-.u. With all these attract:- ' s tae tirri«. passed too quickly, a" i r. '•'■"-'■-" v ---' x i . ~ - .-*.. i • - or. a feeling in a-'ui ',-.,. the morning of the : a_.atea > aa> we saw a tin., .peer. av...v uouu oveaua .-.:■ .■ an ;. n -•<- -» self into the Bv/ana-r take us of:. Aad .- ..a.t. with the arrival of :■/■ ; cllo came rain—torrent.- ■ t a—wn-en soaked us and ail oar oe.oaaa.g; «- we pulled down our ter.ts packed our g. - :'-r rniaa e::t. *£' _ innately the sea wa. sa ta. we had no dhr.cf.it." ". ::: tae and if it seemed gratuitous:;.- anno ing tnt.t the ran: snou.v: -.i-v ~ -_,..-■ as we had tlnisned _,'-:t"a ■.- ;r stowed away, av had f-: ■■'^ (!t sanonof a ca'ra trn- bav : - Diw which we rcar:wn ./ t a ■-. .*■ so hnme next day.