NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 30, 3 August 1940, Page 9

NATURE NOTES

BIRDS AT MAHINA BAY

NATIVE AND INTRODUCED

(By R. H. D. Stidolph.)

It is a well-known maxim that the more intensive watch or study made of a certain denned area, as far as bird-life is concerned, the greater is the variety of species to be found in that area. In some instances, a surprising number of different birds may be recorded. As a case in point, Mr. E. W. Hursthouse, of Mahina Bay,. Eastbourne, has compiled a list of birds, both native and introduced, he has seen in that bay. Here is his list: Native birds—rifleman, grey warbler, tomtit; whitehead, pied fantail. shining cuckoo, long-tailed cuckoo, bellbird, pipit, kingfisher, morepork, tui, native pigeon, bush hawk,- silver-eye l black-backed gull, red-billed gull, white-fronted tern, Caspian tern, blue heron, blue penguin, black shag, gannet; introduced birds—hedge sparrow, house sparrow, starling, song thrush, blackbird, goldfinch, chaffinch, yellow hammer, greenfinch,, and black ;swan. This is a total of thirty-three. species, which must compare favourably with: the variety to be seen in other areas

of similar size in any part of New Zealand. . DISTRIBUTION OF ALIENS. Commenting on the birds included in his list, Mr. Hursthouse states that he has heard the long-tailed: cuckoo on one occasion only. Although the bell-bird, he states, is present in.numbers in Day's Bay and Eastbourne, it is only occasionally seen at Mahina Bay. The bush hawk, too, is a rare visitor but no doubt, as he points, out, if .more frequent visits were made: to the top .of the range this bird would be more in evidence. As to the introduced I birds, he states that, most of them frequent the .bush-within a short distance of the shore, somewhat in the following zones:—Up to 30Q. feet altitude and 200 • yards from the shore, blackbird* song thrush; up to 200 feet in altitude and 150 yards froml the short, hedge sparrow; up to. 150 feet in altitude and 100 yards from the shore, chaffinch, goldfinch, and yellow hammer. ■ The- starling he has never seen beyond 100' yards from' the shore; in fact, fifty "yards would "be nearer the-limit. Every year the black swan paysa visit to the bay, usually settling on the'harbour about half.a mile from the shore. A; few weeks ago, however, there were at least* a. dozen, and on another!occasioh'ithere:;.were two quite close in shore. . • '■..-■ ■< OTHER POSSIBLE VISITORS. .There, is. no' doubt that.even this list. could be extended by.; : further Observation, For instance, arhong native birds, there us 'no reason 'why .the giant petrel, white-throated shag (and possibly the pied shag)', grey duck,, black oyster catcher (the" latter' is found at the mouth •. of • the Hutt River), and

harrier, and among introduced birds, the Californian quail, redpoll, skylark, and. magpie should not be recorded from the locality, even though they might be visitors only. As an instance,: it may be mentioned that although the writer has kept a close watch on the birds of the. area around Mastertqn for the past twenty years, it was'not until a few days ago that the Caspian tern was seen in this area. On this occasion three birds were noted, nesting on the edge ■of the water. Every time a harrier appeared the terns: .took flight, but usually they soon settled again. They did not appear to have anything particular to do except to pass away

the time on the river bank; In the South Island, the Caspian tern has been recorded as. v . breeding on shingle river beds many miles'from the sea, but so far no such'occurrence has been reported, from the North. Island. Another bird breeding. in similar areas in the South Island, is the pied oyster catcher, but this species. is likewise unknown on North' Island river-beds. j A FAVOURITE HAUNT. ! The environs of Wellington, largely on account qf the varied types of country in the neighbourhood, not. to mention the extensive land-locked harbour, have always been a favourite haunt

for birds. In the earliest days-of settlement, according to the meagre details left, to us, native birds 'were very | plentiful around Wellington. At: that j time the hills, in the vicinity were I clothed in bush, in which many birds, some now almost extinct, lived in their thousands. The woods at Karori and Makara, for instance, were; frequented by the parakeet, kaka, pigeon, and others in plenty, wekas ; were present in the Hutt Valley and elsewhere; the native quail inhabited the more open fern country near Island Bay arid in the Kaiwarra Gorge, and probably in other gorges running down to the harbour, there were such rare birds as the -stitch-bird, native thrush, and others. On the beach were found the shore plover (now unknown from the mainland) and other kinds of waders. A favourite haunt of many. birds was the mouth of the Hutt River, where there were to be seen thousands of stilts, godwits, oyster-catchers, and ducks of several species. Even at the present day, Wellington can probably boast more native birds, in- its neighbourhood than any other city in &ew Zealand. FOOD OF THE OPOSSUM. Mr. J. Morris, of Charleston, West-, port, is interested in the food of the I opossum. As the result of some, experiments he has carried out he is able to supply the following information as to food he has definitely seen it eating. I This includes green or ripe apples, leaves and shoots of fruit trees and rose bushes;. many flowering . plants, carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, ■ cabbage, and allied plants, beetroot, silver beet, rhubarb, green or ripe ; gooseberries, eggs either raw,. poached, boiled, or fried; meat raw, boiled, or.roasted, beef. ;and bacon fat. arid' raw; fats.;'. It "will

also drink milk but will not eat lettuce or onions. Mr. Morris states that the opossum seems to be very fond of meats and fats. He points out that it travels a good deal over open country, when it visits dwellings and fowlhouses, and eats wheat from sacks. The opossum, he states, seemed to be very curious. He draws attention to a recent report of the destruction of ripening Poorman oranges and grape fruit by the opossum near Auckland, where, it is stated, this animal has accounted for a large proportion of the fruit. Nets were used to protect the fruit but these were not very effective in the case of large trees.