Dunedin Branch TRIP to TROTTER’S GORGE

Forest and Bird, Issue 136, 1 May 1960, Page 4

Dunedin Branch TRIP to TROTTER’S GORGE

Last February members of the Dunedin Branch, accompanied by several from north Otago, enjoyed an outing to Trotter’s Gorge. Along the Katiki beach many birds were seen—a white-faced heron fishing from the rocks, black and pied oyster catchers busy in the water, and a flock of white-fronted terns (including some very young birds) on the sand.

Walks along the attractive bush tracks at the Gorge afforded opportunities for observing varied bird and plant life. Black and pied fantails darted about between the trees or skimmed the water to catch insects just above the streams. Tomtits seemed to be curiously observing the human watchers. Other native birds seen included wood pigeon, brown creeper, silvereye, bellbird, grey

warbler and yellowhead, while the chaffinch, goldfinch, hedge sparrow or dunnock, and magpie also appeared. Small native bees, leaving their holes in a sunny clay bank, and returning thence pollen-laden, claimed the attention of a number of members, as did also tiger-beetles which also live in burrows in the ground. Several colourful butterflies including copper and silver-striped varieties were seen, also a mason wasp collecting clay for its characteristic tunnels, and a few wetas in a cave. Trees and plants in flower included hoheria or ribbonwood, native convolvulus and a somewhat unspectacular orchid — Microtis—astelia, nothopanax, and coprosma were found in fruit. Amongst the many other native plants and trees noticed were the fuchsia, lemonwood, lancewood, kowhai, climbing rata, carmichaelia, manuka, anise, rimu, including young specimens, and parsonsia in young and older forms.