NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

NATIVE AND INTRODUCED „,/: ' : ; : ; ./'BiRD^'/:'-: / ^^^/; i THE CIRL BUNTING / (By R. H.D.'Sti'dolpb, E.A.O.TJ.) ; ; The reference, recently made in "this column ''.regarding-, the occurrence of-the cirl bunting.in the--Wellington district has'brought forth'a letter from Dr.-C. M. Hector,, of Hobson street, Weliiii'gton, in which he states -that', he has v. known this bird in the Hutt Valley/for at least' twenty years. Dr. -Hector recalls a conversation he .had"'/about; 1904 or 1905 With the late Rev.: Joshua '" Jones, of Lower Hutt, who was a keeii ■ student ol' birds, about a bird :which puzzled -him. Mr. Jones described^the bird-as being like;a yellow hammer,'but . the yellow head was not so bright and;_ ■ the body was browner;:: Dr. Hcetor.Tc■plied that he also had •been -/watching the same bird, and'had concluded that it was the cirl hunting,1 but was. somewhat- puzzled by the fact' that its.appearance did not. altogether .coincide with the description, of the-species rin. a manual ou, English, birds.. - ; pu. that account.''"-ho' : wondered; .whether the bird was a hybrid., , '/Dr.'' : '/Hector states that .he'saw. them .:fi!e'<juen/tly." /; They were always gregarious Sh'/Muter. As far as he has, observed, this/species has not the call of "a littlo-bit-of bread and no'cheese," so characteristic of the yellow bunting., He has/seen at least one since / his. arrival .from ' Dunedin three "weeks ago; . . , Mr.. T. Andrews, ranger, to the Wel.lington Acclimatisation .Society, 'gives ; an interesting'account, ihtbo : society's last annual report, of native bird-life: initio Wellington district. The.-native pigeon, lie states, is undoubtedJy increasing in numbers, and fairly large flights can be seen in tho; more' favoured valleys. Accordingvto/his ob-. servations the kaka is now seldom seen, tho pretty parrakeef is only/noted at '■ long intervals, but the belltbird, tnakoniako, is holding.its own, and fantails are found everywhere.; The' .tui. still .fills; the air with melody; ,in; certain places. ; Tomtits, he states, can bo seen in most places, about, the bush line, f-ftv- ',_...- ---ouring new burns in, particular. / The grey warbler,-'and the riflemen, wren 'are not,uncommon.. A notable bird in Mr. Andrews'a. list is tbe.iSaddleback,, which i he asserts still exists .in a Certain part ",! of the . Tararua .Ranges, /but .is ; very .-! scarce The weka, he ;states,/seems _ j tc1 be' nearly 'extinct • in" the ,Tararua's, . | andthe sameapplies to'-thekiwi; whichj j However; is found-near Taiihape., Trap- ."••,•] pers ] there . report the; presence..of -a. -'/j number/of these interesting birds.-The '•'■■ j . natiyc ground, lark us plentiful through- j . out the district, and both the long-tail- „] ed and shining cuckoos can be seen i] and heard in the proper season./ The ■■•;; pied stilt'is to be seen anywhere on the j Maria watu River from Palmerstqn North / tp JToxtoii, especially favouring the ■/;. river-bed about, Kiirere. During the past year ,'it ..was; also plentiful in /the Wairarapa district. , -The pukeko,*. he states, under protection, has; increased rapidly. These' birds '.are to be:seeu in-their hundreds in the swamp jcbuiitr'y at Tokomaru and Linton.; ' The open season for. fourteen days,; ■ he states, did not make; any appreciaVie difference to their numbers. . Banded dotterels can .be seen in fair-numbers throughout the district; Tho grey duck is still numerous; in/large lakes,' both in the Manawatu- and ■ Bangitikei areas. The sanctuaries are 'covered with birds, but large tracts,,pf/ swamp' land are drained, and tho feeding'area 1 of this bird contrafefs.year''by;.year. Bitterns can be frequently sees iv.' the swamp country, but'are not. numerous. Blue herons are scarce, but king- ■ fishers arc fairly numerous'throughout the. district. ..■:•.'.-,;;,,.• His statement that - saddlebacks - ar» .: present in tho Tararuaßange is/not tKi only report concerning this/bird'i/oe- i currenco. oh ; the mxnlahd . ,'of. • ./ths'^ '■■] [ North Island. Iv recent■y««s.',it/hat.* r j been /reported, from an apparently/ *»■ .•:, liable source, from the Ruahinj /Moun* tains, and also the Bimutaka Range. Although tho writer has not ■/yet encountered, the. sadd!e|»ck in/the"-Tara.' .1 rua Bango,: the portion examined has ■been a very small part .of/this exteii- --' sive mountain. range,; and vit;is quite ■-< possible the bird exists there, at'least :.j in certain' parts.; Several pairs/were- ■•>'■ .liberated about two or three ; years ago . | "on Kapiti, and although the'birds/ap-:'; ■■] parently still survive there, it is. sur- ■».': prising.'.how seldom they are' encouiit- / ered' on a comparatively restricted area. c'-\ In the early days of settlement of this V. country the saddlebackwas bneoftthe | 'most' plentiful, species,' particularly ■/.>.j around, Wellington. On the Wairartipa /■;; side of the Tararua Bangeboth the redr '] fronted and the "yellow-fronted parra- .; •keets can be seen at almost ahy. ; timc. . ;: Regarding the 'presence of the; kiwi/Ju „'■ tho Tararuas the,bird,apparently ? noyer ■ ■;,-■ existed there in/any numbers, the.only Z1 locality in the,mountains:from which/it was reported being .the :vicinity . 'of ;j Mount Hector, where a y specimen was: caught in December,! 1875jbyi the late / Mr. -Morgan ' Carkeek; „. .This .bird has/ apparently .never- been seen there since, which is; somewhat surprising • in view of the fact that'the area re-' mains to this day .undisturbed.' ;-.TJtiB-v weka, however, has undoubtedly iVaiV- . ished from vast-areas. ;../.-'; '-• ".'•'.' '.- In addition to the ;birds/enumerated by Mr. Andrews, quite a. number '/of other species.are/found in the Wellington district.,'." The black fahtail turns up here and there, and the recluso. fern- ; bird exists in. swamp lauds in the Wairarapa and Manawatii. The cheerful chatter of the. whitehead is-heard in tho larger areas' of forest, and/largo numbers of white-eyes are now. to be scon in flocks. In the back'country; the bush hawk is not uncommon/ahd the moreporlv announces its presence at night. The banded rail, marsh, raily and-; swamp rail, are somewhat/.rare. Both the red bill and the pied oyster catcher . occur round' the coastsj aud occasionally the wry-bill plover ...is seen. Caspian terns, white-fronted terns, and the two'species of gulls,are •.' found in ..suitable localities. .'; Blue penguins, gannets,'a'nd black shags, are not uncommon. The shoveller duckj black teal,, grey teal,, paradise/duck/ and probably the brown , duck,J are, to be':seen in their respective haunts.; In the mountain gorges the/ blue '.'duck passes its life. .'• •'•■ ■• ■',' / '■