Record number of birds counted on lake

Press, 29 April 1987, Page 3

Record number of birds counted on lake

A record number of birds was counted on Lake Ellesmere last week. The Conservation Department recorded almost 100,000 birds, the highest number tallied in recent times and a dramatic increase on the February and March counts of about 53,000.

An information officer in the department, Mr Craig Robertson, said the high number was because it was the time of migratory movement and because of the large amount of food available at the lake at present More than 80,000 of the birds were waterfowl, including mallard and grey duck, paradise duck, shoveller, Canada geese, black swan and pukeko. The bird count is part of a census of wildlife on the lake begun by the Wildlife Service in 1985. At first on an annual basis, the count was done each month in 1986,. and will now be done every three months for several years. The aim of the count is to monitor the annual cycle of bird numbers on the lake and to establish patterns,of migration. It also indicates the use of the lake by rare, threatened, and endangered species such as black stilt, white heron, and crested grebe.

Rare visitors to New Zealand such as the Australian pelican and the Nankeen kestrel have also been identified.