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.
