FIORDLAND BIRD LIFE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27389, 15 May 1950, Page 4

FIORDLAND BIRD LIFE

Paucity Over Large Area The bird life of a considerable area of the vast national reserves known as Fiordland is very meagre, Dr Falla, director of the Dominion Museum, told the Daily Times on Saturday morning. There is a paucity of bush birds in the Caswell Sound region, which was the headquarters of the recent New Zealand-American expedition. More native birds were to be seen round Milford and George Sounds than in the less accessible area.

The primary purpose of his trip, which was made in co-operation with Mr A. J. Black, of Alert, was to check up on previous observations of the seal colonies in the Sounds area. There was much work yet to be done, since the open season of 1946, in investigating the rate of increase and habits of the New Zealand fur seal, but some interesting facts had been established. A large proportion of seals is to be found in the rookeries at all times, suggesting that there is no general migration. The bull seals mature at seven years, and the females at four years, and it has been possible to study them in family groups. Dr Falla also had the opportunity of studying further the oceanic birds of Fiordland—Petrels and penquins—at a time of year he had not previously been in the Sounds, and to add to his observations of the general welfare of the native bush birds. The sub-An-tarctic birds were coming in to the coast, to take advantage of the marine surface life, which had developed late this year. The penguin colonies had finished their moult, and were on the fishing ground^. With dolphins or porpoises often active, the remote waters of the Sounds presented at times a lively and spectacular scene. “ Fiordland presents to natural scientists a long-term problem,” Dr 'alia, said; “ The problem of assessing

what is there in the way of bird life. The central block is surprisingly barren of life, being too wet and too steep for the bird population to flourish. There is undoubtedly in the Sounds a widespread distribution of bell-birds. The tui is not to be seen at all over a large area. “A succession of pests—rats and stoats —has worn down the ground birds,” he said, “including the native robin, which is now practically confined to the bigger islands here and there lying off the mainland. “I saw occasional traces of the kakapo and the kiwi at the heads. of the Sounds, where conditions are relatively dry, and there is good feeding. At Bligh we saw signs of the kakapo and heard the call of the kiwi. Down towards Preservation there were numerous parrakeets. “No, we are leaving him for Dr Orbell,” Dr Falla replied laughingly, when asked if he had seen any indications of the moa. “I do not think there are any startling possibilities in bird life in the Sounds.” Dr Falla was accompanied on the expedition by Mr W. H. I. Dawbin, of the Zoology Department of Victoria University College, who was able to carry out useful exploration work in marine zoology to a depth of 30 to 40 fathoms.