Lancewood and diving petrel - November 2014

It has been a frustrating spring. Just when the weather appears to be improving there is another wintery blast from the far south. The few still warm days have been glorious but they do seem to have been few and far between.

This year we have had high pest numbers to contend with. Rat numbers were exceptionally high in our pre-control monitoring. This followed a major seed drop earlier in the year. In the past month or so several stoats, a weasel and two ferrets have been trapped. More rabbits have appeared on the un-forested parts of the estate and these may have attracted the ferrets. Our pest control contractor has been working on the possums and rats and I have recently seen young bellbird and tui, so some birds have successfully raised a first brood.

This has been an exceptional year for seeds and flowering in the forest. At present, Quintinia is looking impressive and white rata are in full flower. 

One of the white rata species Metrosideros perforata
which is currently flowering prolifically

A strange phenomenon has been the shedding of leaves by many Lancewoods – a common small tree throughout the estate. They had an impressive flowering and the flocks of kereru and tuis then targeted their clusters of berries. At first, I assumed the carpets of leaves below the trees to be collateral damage from the kereru and perhaps possums. However, many trees have now lost all their leaves. In the last couple of weeks some completely denuded trees have begun to put on new growth so I am hopeful that this may be a natural phenomenon and that many will recover.  Olearia rani  plants, that escaped the catastrophic dieback after its phenomenal flowering two years ago, are now looking reasonably healthy, so maybe these major diebacks are just a part of the forest ecology.

Fallen Lancewood leaves on the forest floor

Several people have commented how the bush seems to be less dense than it was. From our near ground human perspective the adjacent forest does seem to have opened up but I think that this is simply the forest moving towards maturity.

A magnificent Kauri just over the Waiparuparu Stream

So far this year I have completed sixty-four 5 minute bird counts within the estate. This is the only way of providing a direct comparison of the bird numbers year on year. Numbers of all the native species appear to be consistent with previous years. This year I first heard Shining Cuckoo on the estate on the 18^th September – nine days earlier than last year. As with last year a kiwi called near the house in late September. It is difficult to know whether this is a consequence of kiwis moving within the estate or simply reflects the warmer evenings and the fact that we spend more time on the decks. Sara and Rogier recorded Kaka on the upper estate most evenings for a period in spring.

The most exciting and unusual bird record on the estate was seen and photographed by Jude Hooson.  In misty conditions a Diving Petrel was attracted to the house lights at night. Jude was able to photograph it as it fluttered around on the deck. Unfortunately the mobile phone photograph at night through the ranch slider is not clear enough to reproduce here, but is just adequate for identification purposes! The Common Diving Petrel (kuaka) is a small seabird (20cm) which breeds off the NZ east coast including the Mercury Islands and spends most of its time in adjacent waters. It is the most aquatic of all petrels. It flies with a whirring flight close to the surface of the sea. Strangely, Jude said it appeared to be attracted to the moths fluttering against the window. This was probably a response to their movement not as a source of food. Diving Petrels feed mostly on small krill and copepods, swimming underwater using their wings and legs for propulsion. A fascinating record for the estate! It just shows that almost anything can turn up. It also reinforces the importance of taking photographs. Had Jude told me she had watched a Diving Petrel chasing moths on her deck 475metres above sea level I would have suggested she should be certified! With photographic evidence, Jude has made a most extraordinary ornithological record.

 

Diving Petrel (from 'Seabirds' by Peter Harrison)

First signs of spring 2014

Following a period of southerlies the wind has changed to the north and we now have low cloud and warm rain. The days are noticeably drawing out and forest growth is evident. Epiphytic Brachyglottis kirkii is flowering down in the Waiparuparu stream valley and is in bud near the house. On the 17^th August, within the estate, we found the first flowering native clematis of the year. In previous years flowering has occurred further down the 309 long before first flowering on the estate, which has been at the end of August or early September.  Beside our drive there is a single dark red tubular flower of the shrub Alseuosmia macrophylla. 

Again, flowering is earlier than last year. Judi has found a new species of fern for the estate, which on initial examination she thinks is – Polystichum richardii.

Alseuosmia macrophylla

The dawn chorus is now composed of both native and exotic songsters with tui, bellbird, tomtit, grey warbler and silvereye being joined by blackbird, song thrush, dunnock and chaffinch. In the years we have lived up here we have never seen the numbers of tui and kereru that are around the estate at the moment. Tuis are singing everywhere and in fine still weather there are almost constant aerial chases through the bush around the house.  I am not certain if these are territorial disputes or simply related to competition for food. I have seen flocks of more than twenty birds. As many as seven tuis at a time are apparently feeding on honeydew from sooty mould that covers the upper branches of a mature pukatea beside the drive. Elsewhere tuis are busy feeding on lancewood berries, which are prolific this year. In fine weather several tuis have been making aerial sallies after flying insects.

Numerous kereru have been feeding in the taraires, which is good for forest sustainability, as the big fat purple berries need to pass through the pigeon’s digestive system if they are to germinate. Harriers have been displaying high above the forest. When they fly low over the bush they spook the kereru and this is a good opportunity to estimate numbers. Although we have seen a flock of more than twenty birds and groups of half a dozen are common, these numbers pale in comparison to a flock of nearly 200 birds in the Whenuakite kiwi management area near Tairua.

In other bird news, swallows have returned to hawk around the house and three were present yesterday. This morning I had to release a starling from the fireplace. Starlings are only seen occasionally on the estate so this bird must have been prospecting for nest sites and fell down the chimney. The only other bird that has done this was a swallow. They don’t seem to be any the worse for their experience! A lone kaka has been flying over the estate in the last few days and today two spur-winged plovers were mobbing a harrier over the grass paddock. Previously, I have heard plovers calling at night over the estate (on the acoustic kiwi call recordings) but they are rarely around during daytime. It will be interesting to see if they stay and attempt to breed.

Next month I will begin the fifth year of 5 minute bird counts through the estate. These give a direct comparison of bird numbers year by year. It will be fascinating to see if the high winter counts of native species is reflected in the spring survey.

Kereru flocks

Today has been another glorious autumnal day – still, mild and sunny. With the exception of a week or so of cold and wet weather the summer feels like it has gone on and on.

Friends who visited at the weekend marveled at the wealth of bird life on the estate. Fantails, grey warblers, silvereye, tomtit, bellbirds and tuis surrounded us. It is so easy to forget how silent some forests have become. Our friends are seasoned trampers so it was an interesting observation.

For the first time since we have been living up here we have seen flocks of Kereru on the estate. Yesterday a flock of about twenty birds flew down the picnic area valley landing in a rata above the waterfall. It looked as if some of the birds at least were then feeding in the canopy of a miro. Four days ago I saw a flock of a dozen or so kereru near the entrance to lot 2 so these may be the same birds. Through the telescope, I watched about a dozen birds, several feeding on lancewood berries. These birds may have come from within the estate or more likely from elsewhere, as our resident birds were still around. Also the flocking birds were more wary than our regulars, which are very trusting.

I have also noted a number of small groups of tui flying over the bush. One flock of ten birds was the largest group that I have seen since being up here. Tuis had been very quiet during much of April but in the past fortnight they have reappeared. Both tuis and bellbirds are now singing well.

At times the bush is seething with flocks of many tens of silvereyes and the sound of their high-pitched calls can be quite deafening in the early morning. Every so often a bird will burst into song. Several tomtits have been calling and in the last few days I have heard the occasional singing.

In the evening light I was scanning the bush with binoculars. Pairs of fantails were everywhere, presumably hunting for insects flying just above the canopy. The sun was catching their pale fan tails and undersides as they pirouetted above the trees. These dancing pairs were visible all down the valley.  They do appear to have had a good breeding season.

Of the exotic species on the estate, song thrushes are singing strongly.  They are shy birds here and rarely seen in the open. It is interesting how wary most of the introduced species are, in comparison with many of the natives. Pheasant, rosellas, greenfinch, blackbirds and thrushes all fly as soon as a person appears whereas the native species can be extremely confiding.  It is easy to see how devastating to birdlife the introduction of predators such as rats and stoats must have been.

Thankfully, with slightly cooler nights, wasp numbers have reduced to normal levels. There is still some cricket activity heard at night but the only insect of note was another Painted Lady butterfly - in the first week of April.

Judi has recorded a single plant of the small tree ‘Raukawa’, Pseudopanax edgerleyi, a new species for the estate.

wasps,wasps,wasps

We are still enjoying superb summer weather – today is warm and still. The mid March cyclone was not as bad as predicted. We were overseas at the time but very little damage was evident on our return and by all accounts we missed the worst of it as it tracked down the west coast. The present warm weather has resulted in very high wasp numbers through parts of the estate. Where grass has been cut or fresh soil exposed the ground is covered with wasps. They are also very busy around flowering lancewood and climbing rata.

We are currently enjoying a wonderful chorus of bellbirds. It is surprising how one week one species is very active and visible and the next a different species takes its place. Earlier this month the tuis were everywhere and bellbirds were few and far between. In the past few days tui have been flying high over the estate and a few have started singing again but in the early new year they were very active defending ‘their’ rata trees. Tomtits, which have been largely invisible recently, have also begun to sing again. 

One thing you learn when living in the bush is that the apparent absence of a species does not mean it is not present. The smaller birds in particular can be difficult to find when nesting and during the post-breeding period. Fruiting and flowering trees and hatching insects also result in birds moving to feed in different areas. Having not seen or heard a shining cuckoo for some time at the start of the year an adult then appeared at the house. Later, two juvenile birds were calling endlessly to their adopted grey warbler parents. 

The local press has recently published a letter suggesting the DoC 1080 drop has killed all the birds around here. Our experience on the estate (we are adjacent to the 1080 drop zone) is very different. All the regular bush birds are in good numbers and are probably as numerous as we have ever seen them. Harrier numbers may be down but again there are plenty of birds around. There has been no noticeable drop in morepork numbers, which are very high. 

A family of kingfisher had at least three young near the picnic area and they are surprisingly tame around the house. There are plenty of kereru and recently I have seen the occasional display dive. So far this year I have only seen one kaka flying over the estate.

We completed the analysis of the kiwi monitoring recordings and have to report that only one kiwi – a male – was confirmed on the estate. There is still a possibility that other birds are present, but it certainly confirms that numbers are extremely low. It is probably this one bird that has been heard at various locations within the central estate. Sadly the female ‘309’ kiwi I mentioned in my last blog post died of its injuries. Once again it reinforces the importance of keeping dogs out of the estate. 

There are never many butterflies in the forest but this summer I have recorded copper, blue and Helm’s butterflies and on 28^th March there was a painted lady near the house. I recorded this species here in mid march 2012. This could have been a windblown arrival from Australia or maybe from a population that has established locally. There is never a shortage of cabbage whites especially around the vegetable garden!

Metrosideros fulgens - Climbing Rata