BIRD LIFE in the UPPER MARUIA VALLEY

Forest and Bird, Issue 149, 1 August 1963, Page 25

BIRD LIFE in the UPPER MARUIA VALLEY

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Keith Sanders

On reading the article in Forest and Bird for May, giving us a report on the pukeko throughout New Zealand, I noticed that mention was made of the paradise ducks in the Maruia Valley. This has prompted me to write about the bird life in that area, especially around the Station Creek, Rahu, and Lewis Pass.

The bush in this area is mainly heavy beech with the odd patches of native pines (podocarps). The valley floor was originally covered with matagouri, manuka, kowhai, and other species of low scrub, but much of this has been cleared. Also there are some quite large swamp areas. As a result the bird life is quite varied.

As already mentioned, the paradise ducks are to be seen in quite large flocks. (Grey ducks are not quite so common.) The orangefronted parrakeet, an attractive small native parrot, was once quite rare, but in recent years it has made a comeback and is now fairly common in the upper Maruia. Its chattering may be heard in almost any patch of bush. Another bird now quite common is the bush robin. You need not go far into the bush to see this friendly bird, which reminds me that during Easter this year, when on holiday in Maruia and on a tramp up the Alfred River, we stopped to watch one of these birds. It was so quiet it came right on to my shoes and kept pulling at the laces until it got tired of tugging. The pied and black fantail are quite common, also the grey warbler, tomtit, silvereye, tui, and bellbird, and at night the ruru or native owl can still be heard. Native pigeons may be seen in large numbers, especially in the spring. They like the new willow shoots and they all congregate in these trees for a feast. The rifleman, New Zealand’s smallest bird, is now very common throughout Maruia. It is very shy and a good deal of patience and a keen eye are needed to spot it in the beech forest in which it lives.

All along the river beach there are a large variety of waders. Pied stilts, pied oystercatchers, and banded dottrels are all common. There are now black-capped terns to be seen along the river, but to my knowledge none have been known to nest there yet. Blue

herons are numerous along the river and adjoining farmland. The rare white heron (kotuku) may also be seen during the winter months. There used to be a pair come to our farm every winter, but since we shifted from Maruia I haven’t had the same chance to see if they still come about. Two other birds that are not very common are the two species of cuckoos, the shining cuckoo being seen and heard the most. Another bird, though rare, is the kaka, which one may still see during the summer months feeding in pairs in the lowland beech forest. During the winter months keas come down to the lowlands from above the bush line. Another bird that comes down round the farm buildings during the winter is the bush hawk. On one occasion a pair of these bush hawks chased one of my domestic pigeons until as a last means of escape it flew straight into our living room and would not budge for quite some time. Harrier hawks are on the increase throughout the valley and they may be seen practically anywhere.

The black shag seems to be fairly common along the river. During Easter, 1962, I saw a flock of 12 near Station Creek.

As readers will have noticed, there is quite a variety of native birds still to be seen in the Upper Maruia Valley.

Just as a matter of interest the small native bats may be seen during the summer evenings. They have never been common but you can usually manage to see half a dozen or so during the evening.

Of recent years opossums and hedgehogs have become established quite thickly in Maruia. One wonders if these two introduced pests will make any difference to the abundance of bird life. Only time will tell. Tn closing I would like to say that I have lived in Maruia most of my life. We shifted to Richmond just over three years ago, but T still go back to Maruia regularly, and each time T keep a check on the number of each kind of native bird I see each day. Also, I take down notes of anything of interest that may be useful regarding different birds’ habits, etc. I find bird watching a very interesting sparetime hobby.