NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

AN INTKODUCED GOOSE

BIRDS ON WAIRARAPA LAGOON

By B. H. D. Stidolph, R.A.O.U,

Swamp and water birds are fairly; munierous on a certain,lagoon'near-Wai-rarapa Lake, the most conspicuous: being an introduced- goosey to 'appearances tho grey lag goose, which, is supposed to bo the origin of the domestia bird. Many of tho birds seem to hava the plumage of the grey lag—aslibrown on tho upper parts with many; of the feathers bordered >vith greyish white, while the under plumage in front is light ash-grey, barred on■the flanks and stomach with brown, below pura white. Other.birds,.however, 'have distinct traces of the domestic-strain running in their plumage, but in any came the birds are' apparently truly wild, and are said to breed in a wild state. It .is . interesting to. recall: that Captain Cook liberated five grey, lag geesa in Dusky. Sound in. 1773,- and it. thus has .the distinction of being, together with the fowl', one ( of the .first species of birds introduced- into New Zealand. In the'same year Captain Cook turned out a number of fowl in Queen Charlotte Sound. Efforts1 to acclimatise this species of goose-were made, in later years, the Southland Acclimatisation, Society, according to. the HonT. G. M. Thomson, liberating seven in 1867 on the Mataura River, while in 1892 a number of eggs were placed in-Mack swans' nests, by the Otago Society, on Lakes Waihola, ' -Kaitangat'a,'Onslow, and Upper Taueru. lir later years the bird seemed to have thrived'in certaia southern districts, but unrestricted. shooting soon reduced its numbers, and by 1905 it was nearly, if, not quite, extinct. The birds: in the "Wairarapa hare apparently':established "themselves from stock turned out or gone-wild from neighbouring settlers''farms, but there now appear to be a considerable number of them.. "The Thirds are not: disturbed, as the property ■-mostly-freq-uented by them is a sanctuary. Not far away from where the geeso were feeding,'in.a thirrgrOwth of small flax and' coprosma, a ..harrier had its nest. Attention was directed -to tho spot by the sitting bird' rising, from, the locality, to the' accompaniment: of a half-stifled scream. Aninyestigatioa revealed the' nest in. a very open\situation, not: more- than fifty-feet fifpni the waters of the lagoon. It-was. not a'very large affair-^in; fact,'/ it. was rather small for the "size of jthe. bird— about ten inches, in diameter,- :with a^. shallow.cup. The structure itself was constructed of grass stems,'rushes, and nigger-head, this - material lying on a. foundation of dock • stems.-'. Tlie three lustreless white eggs . were somewhat nest-stained. " -After /having/left the nest the adult bird alighted on the ground some considerable , .distance away, and .was later seen to. move even, further afiefd. On the latter occasion, however, it trespassed on/ tho domain, of .a magpie, and had- to beat a" hasty retreat with the smaller bird in hot pursuit. Within fifty' yards of the. harrier's nest ;a pair of grey, ducks wero nesting on the shore of tKo lagoon, while on the water itself a small party of black swans, with one or two'young; birds, wat-afced the proceedings. Now and again, a pukeko was seen to take flight from one part of. the lake shoreto.another, and a few pairs of shoveller ducks swam quietly, towards the middle of. the. laigoon. At the western end of the lagoap several white-headed" stilts were busily" engaged in seeking food among the ooze,- at least two banded dotterels also running about on the drier parts of the shore, also ; gathering up insects of some sort every, few, steps. A solitary pipit or ground lark wandered'round close to the. water's, edge. Native birds -arc represented,on the Blue Range, which :forms; orie-^f "the subsidiary mountains"-•'■ oii..-the ■- eastern side of-th6 "Tararua ■Rangoljust:" north v of Masterton, by., several, .interesting species.- A sawmill is operating-along the valley of the.Kiriwakapapa'Stypa'm, and on the occasion of a recent visit to this locality the ndtosof the bell-bird were heard several; "times, along tho tram line. One solitary-tiii Was attracted by an unusual, noise made by a member of the party, while a few. whiteeyes or ■ silver-eyes wore-noted flitting about the foliage-of. the forest trees. The rifleman wren, which has the dis-. tinction of being New Zealand's-small-est bird—it is only just over-:.; threo inchesin length from the.tip of its bill to the tip'of its stumpy tail—was seen on. several occasions diligently..searching among tho nooks and crannies of some large tree trunk on the; gui viva for th-e almost hidden, insect, food to be found in such positions.. .'The bush canary, or whitehead, a bird :whicli seems to enjoy a fairly wide"range ia the North Island, was heard^on- many; occasions, although .it was,>not."represented \by many iadiyiduais. r All tho ' same,., it.'..was./al" pleasure ;to" hear its joyous notes"; when, all-ather-birds wero silent. The .pert--*lUtld' -tOm; tii-"popped into view how- and again, arid/q.£: other times the male bird of the species announced his presence in...his. .nsua"l stylo of " te-oly-bly-oly-o.". Only one pied fantail was noted, but the-'grey. warbler, which occurs in almost everjr part of the Dominion, was heard several;times singing its : cheery, no'fes.';- Tw.o ■ parrakeets were heard..-.talking" to- one another, and- from their notes,the'writer would judge they were-the reS-'tnroatccl species. Considerable .noise, .was"' made by a screeching kaka as it flew across abridge, while one native pigeon was seen near the stream. Kourarau Dam, which is used for hydro-electric purposes, near Gladstone, provides an ideal home for members of the duck family. :. The . banked-up waters have formed an admirable feeding and nesting area .at-the', northern / end, where there are the remains of a white pine forest. Tho grey duck and the shoveller or spoonbill,duck enjoy a happy existence in this refiigo when they are not troubled by the attentions of the harrier, several of which seem to spend much, of their time in the locality. The black shag; displays his usual cunning at Kourarau as- .elsewhere by keeping: out of rangb of tha man with the. gun. A pipit "or two i 3 usually to be seen fossicking about the edge of the dam, while in the bush the grey warbler is likewise quite .at home. Large numbers of introduced birds, of course, inhabit tho -vicinity.. -'-.-