Bird watching

Press, 18 June 1979, Page 16

Bird watching

Sir, —One of the pleasures of South Brighton is the extent of the natural resources. Fantails and wax eyes are wintering here again, but I am told that the bird I watched where the Drainage Board road crosses the ponds is the Australian nightingale. It was first seen at Little River seven years ago, another elderly bird watcher told me, and it is multiplying fast. Is this so?—Yours, etc., A. R. WRIGHT. June 7, 1979.

(Mr G. A. Tunnicliffe, curator of vertebrates, Canterbury Museum, replies: “The Australian nightingale or reed warbler, to my knowledge, has never been reported in New Zealand. I suspect elderly bird watcher above is referring to the welcome swallow, a common Australian bird. Before 1958 the welcome swallow was a rare straggler to our shores. It is now found breeding in most provinces in New Zealand. In Canterbury one of the earliest reported breeding localities for welcome swallows was near Little River and for a number of years now they have been sighted flying over the Drainage Board ponds. We still get a lot of public inquiries at the museum from observers who have seen a swallow-like bird. Invariably we have been able to establish that such sightings are of welcome swallows. Many people express surprise that this swallow is now thriving in New Zealand. I suggest that your correspondent mi”ht care to visit the museum and inspect the birds displayed. I am sure this would help clarifv most problems in the identification of birds. If this approach fails then we are available to assist further if we can.”)