Australasian Bittern Survey (Birdlife Australia)

Australasian Bittern are a partially nocturnal, cryptic, and nomadic heron species, which historically, have been observed in three countries, including Australia, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. The species has been classified as globally endangered since 2016 due to the declining trajectory of its small remaining population (1000 – 2499 individuals). The lack of rigorous baseline data and understanding of breeding behaviour of the species have been identified as barriers to effective conservation efforts aimed at reversing these trajectories.

Very soon, male Australasian Bitterns will begin establishing their territories in freshwater habitats comprising dense reedbeds, and producing a distinct, low frequency call referred to as a ‘boom’. This boom both attracts females and intimidates rivals.  Birdlife Australia is recruiting listeners from across the Australasian Bittern’s range to undertake coordinated listening surveys and help identify this season’s breeding sites.  Ideally, volunteers should be available once over these date ranges:

• September 8 – 12th,
• October 8 – 12th,
• November 6th – 10th,
• December 6th – 10th

There’s no expectation to be available for every date. Listeners can determine how many they’re available for. Even just one dawn or dusk survey during the identified dates is an exceptional contribution.

More information can be found here: https://www.networkbirdlife.org/volunteer-opportunities/keep-an-ear-out-for-australasian-bitterns-at-your-local-wetland

Birdlife Australia

Australasian Shorebird Conference 2022 – Registration open

The 12^th Australasian Shorebird Conference will take place online from 29-30 October 2022.  The Conference is online and registrations are now open here.

The theme for this Conference is “Global Strategies Local Actions” and through the Conference program we will look at what has been happening across the east Asian – Australasian Flyway since the 11^th Australasian Shorebird Conference held in 2018.

We know of the many ongoing challenges that face shorebirds including loss of habitat, hunting, pollution and competition for food resources. Add to that the increasing threats from climate change and greater impacts from a growing human population in the Flyway, their world becomes more and more uncertain.

Strong efforts are being dedicated at the global and local level to understanding, raising awareness about, and addressing the problems facing shorebirds. You will see this reflected through the range of exciting sessions during the two days. Knowledge and action go hand in hand, and we will see the efforts that are being dedicated to achieving better outcomes for shorebirds.

Abstracts on presentations that support these themes are invited.  The deadline for abstract is 15 August and more information is here.

All keen “shorebirders” will find the program of interest however you are engaged with our amazing shorebirds. We encourage you to register and join the Conference to learn more about and be part of the wonderful world of shorebirds and those seeking to ensure their conservation.

The cost of registrations is at an all time low.

If you are a student from East Asia there is support for you to attend.  Please look here for more details.

By registering you have the following benefits:

• Have access to the virtual platform and all sessions during the conference.
• Have access to a wide range of your peers and their latest research.
• As a presenter you will be able to share your latest research or management successes with an international audience of your peers.
• Have the opportunity to connect with your acquaintances and fellow conference attendees using the Meeting Hub. You can share contact details, send chat messages, video chat and set up meetings.
• During live session Q&A sessions you be able to submit written questions to the session chair. The pre-recorded video sessions will be followed by discussion forums where your question will be posed to the author by the session chair.
• Have access to recorded session content for two months after the conference has ended.

Northland “Amokura” Newsletter

Download the latest Northland “Amokura” newsletter here

Other recent newsletters from around the regions are available here

Dead little penguins washing ashore

Bodies of hundreds of little blue penguins have washed up on the beaches of New Zealand’s northern coast in recent weeks. Read the stories:

Dead little blue penguins keep washing ashore in New Zealand
(CNN, 16 June)

Search for clues as bodies of hundreds of little blue penguins wash ashore
(The Guardian, 14 June)

Hundreds of dead penguins wash up on Far North beaches   (RNZ, 13 June)

Fee for Driving on Muriwai Beach

Auckland Council is proposing a fee-based permit system to better control vehicle access to the west coast beach.

Birds NZ is one of many conservation groups agreeing with the proposal.

Read the full story on 1 News (13 June).

(Image by Graham Lowther)

New edition of Checklist

A new edition of the ‘Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand’ was published by Birds New Zealand this week. For the first time in the 69-year history of these checklists, it is digital-only, published as both web-pages and a pdf (links provided below). The checklist provides the bird names and structure used for the popular New Zealand Birds Online website, which has been updated to match the new checklist.

Compared to the previous (2010) edition, the new checklist gives much greater prominence to Māori bird names. The names used in the checklist are derived from a database of 2,515 Māori and Moriori bird names, compiled by Checklist Committee convenor (and NZ Birds Online editor) Dr Colin Miskelly. Dr Miskelly explained that a major motivation for his research was feedback sent to the NZ Birds Online website. “By far the main criticism received was that we didn’t give enough prominence to Māori names for the birds of Aotearoa. And I agreed with them. As the names on the website were based on those in the 2010 checklist, we decided that the best approach was to update the checklist, so that users of the website could look deeper into why each name was selected.”

Many birds have multiple Māori names, as different names may have been given to different life stages, as well as different iwi having their own names for the same species. The Māori bird names presented in the main part of the checklist reflect the Māori bird names that have been used most often in the scientific literature. “This is a different question from what is the most appropriate Māori name to use for each species” said Birds New Zealand president Bruce McKinlay. “I am delighted to see Māori bird names featuring so prominently in the new checklist, and hope that matauranga Māori scholars and iwi will use this new database as a resource to advance their own research into the names that have and should be used for these taonga.”

Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand weblinks
Checklist (webpages) – birdsnz.org.nz/society-publications/checklist/
Full Checklist (pdf) – birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/checklist-2022.pdf
Appendix 3 – Alternative names for NZ birds (webpages) – birdsnz.org.nz/society-publications/checklist/appendix-3-alternative-names-for-new-zealand-birds/
Appendix 3 – Alternative names for NZ birds (pdf) – birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/checklist-2022-appendix3.pdf|
Full database of alternative names for NZ birds (Excel spreadsheet) – birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/supp-2-bird-names-database.xlsx

Contacts for further information or interviews
Dr Colin Miskelly (Bird Curator, Te Papa) – Checklist Committee convener, and New Zealand Birds Online editor – colin.miskelly@tepapa.govt.nz  021 805 231
Bruce McKinlay – Birds New Zealand President – president@birdsnz.org.nz  027 389 1477

Featured image:  Great spotted kiwi, Matthias Dehling, New Zealand Birds Online

Black tern added to New Zealand list

I am pleased to report that black tern has been officially added to the New Zealand list!

The following Te Papa blog tells the story of how it was discovered and recognised:

A new bird for New Zealand – black tern

Thanks very much to Elizabeth Taylor, Oscar Thomas, John Graff, Russell Cannings and Sav Saville for the parts they played, and to Roger Smith, Gordon Petersen and Matthew Rodgers for their images used both in the blog and on the new Black tern page that Oscar wrote for NZ Birds Online:

Black tern

Ngā mihi nui
Colin

Black-naped tern added to New Zealand list

I am pleased to report that black-naped tern has been officially added to the New Zealand list!

The following Te Papa blog tells the story of how it was discovered and recognised:

A new bird for New Zealand – black-naped tern

Congratulations to Hayden Pye for his unique experience that resulted in a new bird species being added to the New Zealand list.

Black-naped tern

Ngā mihi
Colin

MEDIA RELEASE – Birds New Zealand and Toi Toi wines join forces to survey birds in New Zealand

Birds New Zealand and Toi Toi wines (Marlborough Wine Ltd) are pleased to announce a joint sponsorship to support the New Zealand Bird Atlas.

The New Zealand Bird Atlas is a citizen science project aimed at mapping the distribution and relative abundance of all bird species present in New Zealand. It is currently underway, running for 5 years between 2019 and 2024, and anyone with an interest in birds can contribute. The project builds on the legacy of the previous two OSNZ Atlas projects (1969-79 and 1999-2004) and will provide an up-to-date assessment on the current status of our nation’s birds, informing conservation management, policy, and public understanding. To find out how to get involved, click here.

The NZ Bird Atlas is the flagship project of the Society, and supports the society’s objectives in promoting the study and enjoyment of birds in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Toi Toi wines have agreed to sponsor Birds NZ, specifically to support six Atlas trips to survey remote areas of the country and gather vital bird observation data.

“Birds New Zealand is pleased to partner with Toi Toi wines to support the NZ Bird Atlas” said Bruce McKinlay, Birds New Zealand president.

“Toi Toi wines is pleased to be able to support this national citizen science project through this sponsorship” said Kevin Joyce, Founder and Owner of Toi Toi wines. “We expect that this sponsorship will ensure greater coverage of the back country parts of New Zealand, as the project needs complete coverage of the entire country” said Mr Joyce.

Mr McKinlay continued that “Birds NZ is a voluntary organization and this national project relies on member subscriptions and project specific funding to meet its constitutional objectives and to undertake or support high priority research activities, such as the New Zealand Bird Atlas scheme. Birds New Zealand welcomes ToiToi wines as a valued key sponsor for the NZ Bird Atlas”.

New Membership Secretary

We welcome Kurien (Koshy) Yohannan who has taken on the important voluntary role of the Society’s Membership Secretary!

South Island kokako joins global top 25 most wanted species list

With input from the IUCN Species Survival Commission, Re:wild chose the South Island kōkako from a list of over 2200 species of differing taxa assumed to be extinct or extremely rare and missing for over ten years!

Read the press release here

Effects of Sediment on Birds

A new report has been published that reviews the impacts of coastal sediment on seabirds and shorebirds in New Zealand.

The report can be accessed on
https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/conservation/marine-and-coastal/sediment/effects-of-sediment-on-birds-literature-review-2021.pdf

New Publications Page

Council is delighted to advise members of the Society that a switchover was made today from the old Publications component of the Birds New Zealand website to a new site.  The new component is part of a wider programme of website development that now provides improved access to the Society’s scientific journal, “Notornis” (and “NZ Bird Notes”, before 1950), also to “Birds New Zealand” and “Southern Bird” magazines.  The old Publications component of the website which has served the Society so well since its launch in 2006 is no longer accessible.

Members should note that some functions on the new website are not available just now; work on these functions will, of course, continue into 2022 in parallel with development of a new digital publication series to be named “Occasional Publications of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand”, also the reconstruction of the rare birds sightings facility, and the development of a digital Beach Patrol reporting facility.  It would be appreciated if errors or other technical issues that are discovered during your use of the new website could be reported to the Executive Officer.

Council looks forward to keeping all members updated with progress with website development, and for now we are pleased that a fresh new website for Notornis and other publications is available for your use.

Seabird Sensory Systems and Attraction to Artificial Light

Seabirds are vulnerable to light pollution especially when they are fledging. They become disorientated which leads to collisions with anthropogenic structures, groundings and fallout. There is growing research into the types and colours of lights which are attractive to seabirds. Our team, in collaboration with the University of Auckland and Northern NZ Seabird Trust, explored this with the seabirds in the Hauraki Gulf. Using six different types of boat lights we recorded the visitation rates of seabirds to the different lights.

More seabirds were attracted during a new moon compared to a full. Also, we found that the site location was more important compared to the type of light. The different sites had different seabird species compositions. From a seabird’s perspective, when we modelled the lights against the seabird’s visual system we found that white LED light, halogen, flood light and fluorescent lights were very similar to each. However, the red LED light and the green LED light looked the most different from the seabird’s perspective.

Research is currently being conducted into the visual ecology of the seabirds to identify any correlations between light attraction and eyeball sizes. Seabird sensory ecology could be a useful tool to help understand light attraction.

Read more here

International Ornithological Congress 2022

Lost Gold wins a Whitley Award

Lost Gold, the first ever book to examine the ornithology of the subantarctic Auckland Islands, has won the Science and Conservation category of the prestigious Whitley Awards for zoological literature.

Read more here

Webinar: Gob-Smacking Godwits

10,000 Facebook Page Followers!

This weekend we reached 10,000 followers on our Facebook page!

Thank you to everyone who has liked our page recently and a very warm welcome to you from our mascot, Orbell – seen here watching birds from the hide at Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre (where Orbell currently lives).

Membership of Birds New Zealand costs just NZ$1.50 a week. The subscription of $80 per year is very reasonable, and for students it is just $40 per year. Members receive our quarterly colour magazine ‘Birds New Zealand’, our acclaimed quarterly journal ‘Notornis’, and a branded lens cloth. You can join us here: https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/membership-form-nz/#join

2021 BNZRF Projects

12 Projects have been selected for funding this year.

Overview articles are available here

New study reveals why some NZ birds are disappearing faster than others

New research has uncovered why New Zealand’s oldest forest bird families are dying out faster than new arrivals, and it could change how the country approaches conservation work. Read more in this recent Stuff article.