STUDY OF BIRD LIFE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27346, 23 March 1950, Page 6

STUDY OF BIRD LIFE

Lonely Vigil Of Dunedin Ornithologist '

The only thing that is unusual about spending three months alone on an island less than half an acre in area studying bird life is that more people do not do it. This was the answer given to the Daily Times by Mr L. E. Richdale, who returned to Dunedin last night after three months on the Island of Whero, a precipitous bush-clad piece of land nearly four miles from Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island. Mr Richdale was studying the five different species of petrels on the island—-the mutton bird, the storm petrel, the titi wainui, the parara, and the diving petrel. '

Mr Richdale said that he did not have time to be lonely. He worked from about 8.30 a.m. to 2.30 a.m. on the following day, and he described his results as magnificent. He said that the observations he had carried out in the 52 weeks he has now spent on the island are working out remarkably well. The past visit was his first for five years, and on this occasion he established that four petrels which he banded 10 years ago had returned to the island. This, he said, was 1 useful from the point of view of establishing the age to which the birds live, and the broader aspect of conservation of petrels. _ Mr Richdale’s observations during his stays on the island have been concerned with the age, numbers or population of birds, and the return of the young to the breeding grounds. He noted the first mutton bird chick that had ever been known to return to the breeding ground. It was taken only about 12 feet from the spot where it was hatched. . , , . „ Much of Mr Richdale’s research has been directed towards establishing a method of measuring the population of birds, and he has selected petrels for study. The results of his investigations, are being watched in other parts of the world, because once the method is found it will be readily applicable to other types of birds He has been 10 years on the subject already, but the time factor is not regarded as important except for the difficulty in finding time to annotate his findings in a form of value to ornithologists and other _ research workers throughout the Dominion and in other parts of the world. In his three months on Whero, Mr Richdale had little time for anything else hut his examination* of the bird population and the noting of data from which eventually in the little time at his disposal from other work he may sift conclusions of value. ..... - Mr Richdale gave an indication or his solitary but exacting work on the island, mentioning in passing that he lost a stone in weight and was at times so weak after prolonged qbservations at night and stooping in all weathers to reach birds in burrpws that he found difficulty in accomplishing all he wished. He said that he first had to check 850 burrows to find out what had happened to the birds in the past five years. He found only 33 per cent, occupied and the remainder covered by vegetation. This work took nearly a week. Then new burrows had to be charted for future reference. The pegging was carried out by day and the book work at night and at meal times. The night work then began, and the burrows were each inspected in turn before daylight disturbed the birds. Mr Richdale banded those not , t^ ea J® ci in this way before, and noted the bands already borne by some of the birds He found 102 of the latter, and affixed more than 300 new bands. His cvcle of operations did not interfere with the habits of the birds, because he had chosen the time for his visit to allow for the varying nesting periods of the different types of petrels. His work thus was spread into cycles dealing with each type. Mr Richdale worked in all weathers, sometimes in terrific winds. The wind was his friend, however, because it dried out the undergrowth through which he had to work, much. of the time at full length. It also dried out his clothes, which otherwise, without any heating apparatus would have been a long and difficult proceeding. In February, when the second of his two water barrels was running dry, the rains came and filled the empty one from the roof of a 10ft by Bft hut in 10 hours. Although he was visited about once every two weeks by a crait from Stewart Island, Mr Richdale had to keep a careful eye on his provisions to see that they did not go bad.. Apart from these visits, he had only his work for company.