ALONG THE TRACK

Forest and Bird, Issue 149, 1 August 1963, Page 31

ALONG THE TRACK

Dunedin— Although I live on the flat at South Dunedin, one of the most densely populated areas in New Zealand, I have seen over the years a good number of native birds at my home and on Tonga Park, which is just over our back fence.

As Tonga Park is poorly drained there is sometimes, especially after heavy rain, a shallow lake that covers from a quarter to a half of the park’s ten acres. This attracts, besides the three gulls, grey ducks, the occasional pied stilts (some staying for up to a week), and very rarely a pied oystercatcher. Kingfishers, bellbirds, shining cuckoos, and pied fantails are occasionally present, while waxeyes are common in the winter. On two occasions a harrier has rested on the park and I have been as close as six to ten feet from them before they soared into the air in great spirals.

At night I see or hear the occasional morepork, besides the common introduced German owl.

Stilts, oystercatchers, and white-fronted terns often fly over our place on their way from the head of the harbour to the sea or vice versa. We are also in between the Green Island swamp and the Tomahawk lagoons (a wildlife refuge) and I sometimes see small flocks of the introduced black swans (which are often being attacked by black-backed gulls) and ducks and some possible pukeko on their way to or from the lagoons. Most of these flocks seem to pass over at night time. Many species of introduced birds are seen, and magpies have made their first appearances in Dunedin and on Tonga Park. — D. Mason, 17 years. -

Christchurch— On 26 January seven bus loads of Forest and Bird members visited Lake Grassmere, a wildlife sanctuary. The journey was through Porters Pass, past Lake Lyndon and Lake Pearson, before we arrived at Lake Grassmere. Three or four miles past Lake Lyndon we stopped for lunch. I saw quite a few bellbirds and I had two riflemen within six inches of me. They are very tame. We moved on to Lake Pearson, stopping for twenty minutes. The waterfowl on the lake seemed to be altogether in a long line on the opposite side to us. I saw two crested grebe on one part of the lake, one coming very close to the shore. They look somewhat like a shag except that they have two chestnut-coloured crests on either side of the head. They are quite good divers and build a floating nest. The long line

of birds seemed to be a mixture of paradise duck, black teal, and Canadian geese. At three o’clock we returned to the picnic area for afternoon tea, finally leaving at four o’clock to be home on schedule.— Barry Ashworth. Whakatane. day when we were down at the heads I saw a gull. It had a dark-brown beak and legs. The body was also the same colour, or almost. It flew off in the same manner as a seagull. Murray Wheeler, 10 years. (It was a juvenile black-backed gull.—Ed.) New Plymouth. When tramping with my parents and two brothers on Mount Egmont we observed many native birds. While walking on a track known as the Bells Falls Track we saw a flock of small green birds. These we were unable to identify, but thought they might be greenfinches as this was the time they migrate. They flew around beneath the Dieffenbach Cliffs, at a height of about 4,000 feet, eating the berries of alpine coprosmas. The coprosmas, we noticed, were particularly beautiful. There were many kinds and with their different red berries they made a beautiful sight. Coming down we saw a flock of tuis as thick as sparrows, flying around in the Ngatoro Gorge. They were flying in the branches of the kawaka tree. We watched them through binoculars but we were unable to see if they were eating the berries. —Carol Peters, 14 years. (What was here thought to be greenfinches are more probably silver-eyes.—Ed.) — During a week of the holidays I was staying in Gough’s Bay. As I was walking up the creek I noticed a bird about as big as a thrush digging about on the water’s edge. The bird’s colour was brown and white speckled. It had a long beak. I don’t think it is a N.Z. bird. If you could tell me the name of this bird I would be very pleased. —Susan Stewart. (There is insufficient description to provide identification. If you see it again/ see if you can obtain a few more details. —Ed.) Remuera. On Wednesday, 15 May, we went to Mangere and saw nine black swans, many pied stilts, one shag, six royal spoonbills, and seven geese. They were seen on a small shelly bank half way between Mangere Mountain and Puketutu Island in the fourth oxidation pond at the Manakau purification plant. Spoonbills are white and tall. It is the first time they have come to Mangere. They really live near Foxton. When I saw them they were doing nothing. They have come to nest here. Jane Worth, 8 years. (Royal spoonbills breed at the white heron sanctuary, Okarito, and the bulk of the population winters at the Manawatu River estuary, Foxton. However, small groups can be found scattered about the country. —Ed.) ( 3 /~ -will be paid for each item published in “Along the Track”. We would like you to give your age when you write.)