Quarterly Newsletter

Forest and Bird, Issue 91, 1 February 1949, Page 17

Quarterly Newsletter

Bird Island Sanctuary, Dunedin. — Following a complaint to the Society some time ago from a resident of St. Kilda that vandals made a practice of molesting birds on this island, representations were made by the Society to the Internal Affairs Department, and we are now glad to report that the Department has informed us that the St. Clair Surf Life Saving Association has erected a notice board giving warning against this practice, and that the Association has been most helpful in the matter. Our thanks go to the St. Clair Surf Life Saving Association, and we hope that with the vigilance of their members and also of the Rangers appointed for the district as reported in our May, 1948, Newsletter, the birds will now be left in peace.

Albatross Chicks on the Otago Peninsular. And, probably as the first fruits of these Rangers’ work, three' Albatross chicks have been reared this year in the -sanctuary at Taiaroa Head. The Internal Affairs Department have erected a protective fence round the area, and under a special by-law of the Otago Harbour Board, a fine of £2O may be imposed on anyone in the area. -

Auckland Section. — In October, too late to be reported in the November Newsletter, this Section had a most successful field day, which about 50 members attended, at a beach 15 miles by rail and 40 miles by bus from Auckland. The number of birds seen is impressive—New Zealand dotterel banded dotterel, pied and black oyster-catchers, blue herons, grey and brown duck and shovellers black-billed gulls, pied stilts, and—the chief thrill —a group of about 2,000 godwits resting after their migration before dispersing to their summer quarters. The leaders were Mr. Sibson and Mr. McKenzie (of Clevedon). The party had lunch on the beach with billy tea, and as our Auckland Section secretary says, “everyone asked when the next one was to be.”

President’s Visit to Auckland.— During the week 11th to 15th October, the President of the Society Mr. A. P. Harper, was in Auckland and was able to meet the committee of the Section, havingmost satisfactory discussions with them on many matters of interest to the Section and the Society generally. He also met the committee of the Waipoua Preservation Society, and discussed with

them the forthcoming hearing of the Society’s new Petition before the Lands Committee of the House.

Christchurch Section had their last meeting of the season on 20th October, with about 40 members present. Mr. McCaskill gave a talk on the “Problems of Land Use in New Zealand,” stressing the necessity for loking at sanctuaries as a form of land use, for aesthetic, water-conservation and plant- and bird-protection purposes, as against the normal conception that the only form of land use is agricultural and farming. His talk was illustrated with lantern slides and included references to Waipoua Forest. ,

We regret to announce the resignation of Miss Stark as Hon. Secretary of 'the Section because of illness in her family, and extend to her our sympathy. The new Hon. Secretary is Mr. R. V. Cox, 27 Creyke Rd., Christchurch, N.W.3. Four meetings have been arranged for the 1949 season in the Chamber of Commerce Hall, on 20th April, 15th June, 17th August and 19th October Christchurch members are earnestly invited to attend these meetings; the names of the guest speakers will be announced by circular before each meeting. An important announcement will be made at the 20th April meeting as regards the finance of the Section.

Gisborne Section had a meeting of members on 4th October, with Mr. Peach in the chair, about 40 being present, an excellent turn-out considering the fact that it was raining heavily and that there were other meetings that evening which took away some of the members. The Secretary of the Society, who was in Gisborne at the time, gave an illustrated talk on “Nature in New Zealand.” This was really a talk prepared for schools, but the meeting was good enough to express its appreciation.

Schools.— The talk for schools mentioned in the last item was given by the Secretary to Marsden School, Wellington, and Woodford House, Havelock North.

Further News Items to which we would refer you will be found elsewhere in this issue under the . headings of “The Notornis,” “Destruction of Keas,” ' “Cheeseman Memorial Show Auckland Section’s Exhibit,” “School Group Scheme,” “Forest-Inhabiting Album Looseleaf Sets for Use in Schools.”