Extract from an Honorary Ranger’s Report

Forest and Bird, Issue 148, 1 May 1963, Page 23

Extract from an Honorary Ranger’s Report

In the Mt. Roskill area starlings and minahs seem to thrive and live in harmony, both species increasing about 100 per cent, last year. When the starlings occupy the lawns the minahs leave and vice versa. At Whangaparaoa the quail, both Australian and Californian, seem to have been greatly reduced this season and very few are now seen, but the heavy building going on here would partly account for this. There are still quite a number of pheasants around, a few rabbits and opossums, and I have seen an occasional stoat in this area. Of other birds we have the white-backed crow, tuis, moreporks, and all the usual small native birds including a few pair of parrakeets and the usual shore and sea birds, bittern, shags, and all the gulls. . . At Waiwera an occasional Australian white cockatoo puts in an appearance also there are quite a number of pukekos between Orewa and Waiwera. There were fledgling thrushes here the second week in August but, except for a few blackbirds, most birds did not begin to nest till September. A sight to see here is the homing of starlings. I counted 23 flocks with several hundred in each passing over my house, besides quite a number of straggler groups with a few dozen in each during the course of half an hour. They roost in the pine plantation at the tip of the peninsula and must travel several miles to their feeding grounds. There are still quite a number about in spite of the fact that many of them are nesting. ( I saw a kingfisher make a dive attack on a young thrush on my section but the mother drove after it in no uncertain manner. The thrush could not fly properly but tnis is the first time I have seen a kingfisher attack a young bird. I have seen them take frogs and mice. An amusing incident which I witnessed in the Morrinsville area was a pukeko charging after a stoat. Presumably the stoat, was in the vicinity, of a nest and the pukeko was able to land quite a few good pecks at the rear end of the stoat and must have chased it several hundred yards. The stoat was going all out. Another incident

was a weasel chasing a rat in full view of several men, the rat taking to a tree* The weasel followed till the rat was edged along the branch to the thin end, when it fell to the ground. and was stunned. Before it could recover, the weasel was down the tree, and had grabbed the rat, which was bigger than itself, and struggling made off, dragging the rat along. The rat started to squeal while on the branch just before it fell off.