NATURE NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22226, 28 September 1935, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES

BT It. A. FAIiLA

SOME SPRING BIRDS

A great many people are addicted to tho harmless vice of anticipating the reason of spring by drawing attention to the early signs in nature. We have long since had the first lamb. l ;, the first fruit blossoms and the first yellow kowhai; but such is tho imperceptible transition of tho seasons in these latitudes that we have ceased to trust tho lambs and the blossoms as reliable harbingers; much wintry weather may follow their advent, and we have had plenty since tho prophets first drew attention to the undoubted signs. It is a good idea to select one's own spring indicators and wait for them before feeling too jubilant. Now that my whau tree, tho native cork-wood, has shown a white flower and I have heard my first shining cuckoo I. feel justified in joining the ranks of the spring heralds, as from September 18, on which date both events occurred.

The reporting of cuckoos has become a subject for humorous remark, owing largely to the obvious desire of some people to achieve a record by claiming tho first bird of the season. The pursuit of the early cuckoo is beset with pitfalls. First there is the possibility, almost the certainty, that a few late young birds of the previous season have remained here over the winter. Such birds would undoubtedly survive in the northern parts of New Zealand, and although not likely to whistle could possibly do so by July or August. Mimicry by starlings must also be taken into account, for these versatile birds, either by imitation or coincidence, have a spring call exactly like part of the cuckoo's song. For the sake of accuracy, therefore, it is usual to check sound records with the first sight records, and these show that the cuckoos usually arrive in the Auckland Province between September 6 and 20; earlier records may be regarded as indicating something wrong with the observer or something wrong with the cuckoo.

The shining cuckoo, pipiwharauroa of the Maori, returns here after wintering in the Solomon Islands, and the longtailed cuckoo, koekoea, comes from islands further east. The former is better known because of its tuneful call and wider distribution. Both are parasitic in their nesting habits, leaving their eggs in the care of resident native birds, and each has marked preferences in the species of victim chosen. The shining cuckoo haunts the grey warbler, one of our commonest native birds, while the long-tailed cuckoo will be found most plentifully in the forest districts inhabited by the whitehead in the North Island, and the yellowhead and brown creeper in the South Island. The shining cuckoo may, therefore, be with us all the summer, even in the neighbourhood of towns, for the grey warbler is übiquitous. Shining cuckoos newly arrived lie low fot a day or two after the flight and seek to restore their energy by feeding. Then they commence to sing, the clear, long-drawn notes — kui, kui—in a series of six or seven, and then the final song with its sighing cadence. Sometimes the final song is not included until the bird has been here for a few weeks; it evidently requires some practice, which may be the reason why cuckoos sometimes sing at night. I think that this last fact is the answer to a correspondent who writes this week from Christchurch describing a bird which has been heard singing from 11 p.m. until after midnight. The letter concludes, " Can it be the nightingale?" Now there are dozens of weighty reasons, which we may discuss here some other time, against the nocturnal singer being a nightingale, but many indications that it is a shining cuckoo.

Tuis are now much in evidence feeding on the nectar of the kowhai wherever that golden blossim is in full display. Nectar-sipping by tuis, bellbirds and other honey-eaters is something in the nature of a seasonal spree, for these birds subsist very largely on insects and berries at all seatsons of the year; but the attraction of the nectarbearing flowers is strong and the birds will travel some distance to reach them. Kowhai is popular for its early appearance and abundant quantity. It evidently has quality too, for the tuis soon acquire a satiated, almost an inebriated, appearance after a brief indulgence. I have not yet seen it suggested that it acts also as a love potion; it may have been just the coincidence of the mating season with blossom time, but certainly some tuis that I watohed on the kowhai last week were much more busy with courtship antics than with feeding. There was much chasing in and out of the golden maze, some pretty posturing, and an occasional display of aerobatics, ending always with the spectacular nose-dive with closed wings.

As tho season advances there will be a constant change of nectar available from trees and shrubs of wide distribution. Fuchsia is a favourite, followed by rewarewa, then the abundant flax (Phormium) flowers, followed by tho ratas, including pohutukawa. These and a number of other native shrubs could well be borne in mind when ornamental planting is undertaken in public reserves or private gardens. A number of common and easily-grown exotic shrubs have also proved attractive to native birds. Tree lucerne is one of the best and another is the common flowering currant, which, however, does not grow so well in the north. Last, but not least, are the eucalypts. The Australian gums, now so well established here, have been an undoubted factor in helping the tui to adapt itself to the changed conditions brought about by settlement. Flowering almost in midwinter, they offer to the honey-eating birds an abundant supply of rich and sustaining nectar fully two months before the native trees can do so. If tuis are increasing, as they seem to be, the blue gums may be reckoned to have helped in tho process.

The bellbird, korimako, seems less dependent on nectar-feeding than the tui. Off the North Auckland coast it is abundant on many small islands where the only possible flower in any quantity is pohutukawa, restricted to a season of not more than two months. For the rest of the year there are only insects and a few berries. For the most part, however, the same conditions suit both tuis and bellbirds, aul the latter seem to be increasing too. The natural process may be encouraged by a wise planting scheme as mentioned above, and by winter feeding, of which the principal value is the confidence gained bv the birds. The final result should be the regular visits of these delightful songsters to all the cities, as they already occur in Dunedin and many of the larger towns.