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A transect through pastoral land, from Foxton on the coast to Palmerston North inland, was traversed regularly by car. Counts of most birds except finches, showed starlings to be commonest in the area, followed by white-backed magpies and southern black-backed gulls. There was little seasonal variation in starlings for 1974 but an apparent increase in numbers during 1975. Magpies, gulls, Australasian harriers and pukeko were seen less often during spring than at other times of year, whereas blackbirds and welcome swallows were more frequently counted in spring or summer. Fewer starlings, blackbirds, and kingfishers were seen near the coast than elsewhere, while magpies and harriers were most abundant near the coast and less frequent inland.