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Nocturnal activity of the western weka (Gallirallus australis australis) in an open environment

Notornis, 68 (1), 1-12

S.D. Lamb; H.R. Taylor; R. Powlesland (2021)

Article Type: Paper

Understanding how animal behaviours are affected by external factors such as time of day/year and weather conditions is fundamental to understanding the basic biology of a species and can thus help with conservation management. Weka (Gallirallus australis) is typically crepuscular in its habits, but there is some evidence to suggest that it can also be nocturnal. We conducted a longitudinal study of the nocturnal habits of the western weka (G. australis australis) located at Manaroa in New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds. We used model selection information criterion to examine how the numbers of weka in an open environment (lawn) changed with time of night and season, as well as differing weather and moonlight conditions. In addition, we undertook night-time behavioural observations during a four-month subset of the study period. Numbers of weka declined through the night and increased non-linearly around dawn. Weka were more likely to be present during moonlit nights and at warmer temperatures during the evening. There was considerable seasonal variation, with the highest number of weka during autumn and lowest during summer. Behavioural observations demonstrated that weka were active throughout the night, with foraging being the most frequently-observed behaviour.

Increasing urban abundance of tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) by pest mammal control in surrounding forests

Notornis, 68 (2), 93-107

N. Fitzgerald; J. Innes; C. Watts; D. Thornburrow; S. Bartlam; K. Collins; D. Byers; B. Burns (2021)

Article Type: Paper

Public and our observations during 1999–2004 suggested that tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) visited the city of Hamilton during March to October only, outside the nesting season. From 2004 onwards, we captured and banded 51 adult tūī and fitted radio transmitters to 41 in Waikato urban areas to locate nests. We directly observed 15 nests to determine nesting success and gather evidence of any predation events. Tūī moved 5–23 km from urban areas to surrounding native forests at the onset of nesting, but only four (29%) of 14 unmanaged nests fledged young, due mostly to predation by ship rats (Rattus rattus), swamp harriers (Circus approximans), and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Subsequent effective pest mammal control in forests around Hamilton was associated with greatly increased year-round tūī abundance and nesting in Hamilton. These results confirm previous findings that tūī move widely in winter; that they readily cross pasture in the absence of forest corridors, and that they will permanently inhabit urban areas. Provided adequate food is available, effective control of ship rats and possums can rapidly (1–4 years) increase tūī visits and nesting within 20 km of managed sites, enabling recolonisation of proximate urban habitats by this iconic endemic taxon, despite previous evidence for natal philopatry.

Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2019–2020

Notornis, 68 (4), 253–265

C.M. Miskelly; A.C. Crossland; I. Saville; I. Southey; A.J.D. Tennyson; E.A. Bell (2021)

Article Type: Paper

Abstract: We report Records Appraisal Committee (RAC) decisions regarding Unusual Bird Reports received between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020. Among the 149 submissions accepted by the RAC were the first New Zealand records of collared petrel (Pterodroma brevipes), South Polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki), and rose-crowned fruit dove (Ptilinopus regina). We also report the first accepted breeding record for gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), and the sec- ond accepted sightings of Australian white-faced storm petrel (Pelagodroma marina dulciae) and buff-breasted sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis). Other notable records included the first records of Atlantic yellow-nosed mollymawk (Thalassarche chlororhynchos) from the Snares Islands, nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides) from Antipodes Island, long-tailed skua (Stercorarius longicaudus) from the Chatham Islands, and Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) from the Bounty Islands.





Seasonal survey of waterfowl (Anatidae), shags (Phalacrocoracidae) and fernbird (Bowdleria punctata) at Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau/Sinclair Wetlands, Otago: July 2015 – July 2018

Notornis, 68 (4), 266–273

M.P. Thompson; B. McKinlay (2021)

Article Type: Paper

Abstract: Birds were surveyed once per season over three years from 2015–2018 at Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau/Sinclair Wetlands, Otago. Eight species of waterfowl were observed, including four native species: New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), Australasian shoveler (Anas rhynchotis), paradise shelduck (Tadorna variegata), and grey teal (Anas gracilis). Native species made up 68% of all waterbirds counted. New Zealand scaup dominated at 53%. The highest total number of birds counted was 1167 in winter 2015, and the lowest was 76 in spring 2016. The counts for some species varied greatly from year to year and each species showed some seasonal variation. It appears that more waterfowl are using the lagoons now than 15 years ago. Shag numbers were never greater than 8 individuals. The estimated density of fernbird (Bowdleria punctata) along a 750 m transect varied from 1.0/ha in winter to 2.7/ha in summer. This survey of waterfowl, shags and fernbird provides a reference against which future comparisons investigating long-term trends in bird populations at the Sinclair Wetlands can be made.






Introduced land mammals and their impacts on the birds of the subantarctic Auckland Islands

Notornis, 67 (1), 247-268

J.C. Russell; S.R. Horn; C.M. Miskelly; R.L. Sagar; R.H. Taylor (2020)

Article Type: Paper

Since the European discovery of the Auckland Islands, at least ten species of land mammals have been introduced there. Most arrived in the first half of the ninteenth century during periods of exploitation by sealers and whalers, followed by short-lived Māori and European settlements at Port Ross. Several species required multiple introductions before becoming established. For those populations that naturalised, cattle (Bos taurus) occupied Enderby Island and were eradicated by 1993, goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) remained restricted to the northern end of Auckland Island and were eradicated by 1991, while pigs (Sus scrofa) spread across the entire Auckland Island and remain there today. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) established on Rose and Enderby Islands, and were eradicated in 1993. Cats (Felis catus) and mice (Mus musculus domesticus) were both first recorded in 1840 on Auckland Island and remain there today. Rats (Rattus spp.) have never established on the Auckland Islands. Collectively, cattle, goats, sheep (Ovis aries), pigs, and rabbits transformed habitats and altered ecosystem processes, and suppressed tussock, megaherbs, and woody vegetation on Auckland, Enderby, Rose, Ewing, and Ocean Islands. Cats and pigs are together responsible for the extirpation or major reduction of surface-nesting and burrowing seabird colonies, and ground-nesting land birds from Auckland Island. Before dying out on Enderby Island, pigs had similar impacts there. Mice have altered invertebrate community composition and are likely responsible for lower abundancies of wētā (Dendroplectron aucklandense) and large weevils (Curculionidae) on Auckland Island. Disappointment Island remained free of introduced mammals, while on Adams Island they had only fleeting and minimal impact. Humans also had direct impacts on birds through hunting for consumption, with large surface-nesting seabirds severely affected around Port Ross. The Auckland Island merganser (Mergus australis) was driven to extinction by presumed mammal predation and well-documented museum collecting. Eradication of pigs, cats, and mice from Auckland Island and Masked Island (Carnley Harbour) would remove the last introduced mammals from the New Zealand subantarctic region.




Genetic analyses reveal an unexpected refugial population of subantarctic snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica)

Notornis, 67 (1), 403-418

L.D. Shepherd; M. Bulgarella; O. Haddrath; C.M. Miskelly (2020)

Article Type: Paper

Auckland Island snipe (Coenocorypha aucklandica aucklandica) are presumed to have occurred throughout the Auckland Island archipelago but became restricted to a subset of the islands following mammal introductions. Snipe were known to have survived on Adams Island, Ewing Island, and Disappointment Island. However, it is uncertain whether snipe were continually present on Enderby Island and/or adjacent Rose Island. These islands lie near Ewing Island, and both hosted a suite of introduced mammals until the last species were eradicated in 1993. Using SNPs generated by ddRAD-Seq we identified four genetically distinct groups of snipe that correspond to the expected three refugia, plus a fourth comprised of Enderby Island and Rose Island. Each genetic group also exhibited private microsatellite alleles. We suggest that snipe survived in situ on Rose and/or Enderby Island in the presence of mammals, and discuss the conservation implications of our findings.


Shipwrecks and mollymawks: an account of Disappointment Island birds

Notornis, 67 (1), 213-245

K.J. Walker; G.P. Elliott; K. Rexer-Huber; G.C. Parker; P.M. Sagar; P.J. McClelland (2020)

Article Type: Paper

This paper describes the birds of Disappointment Island, a small pristine island in the subantarctic Auckland Islands archipelago, from an accumulation of observations made by ornithologists during 16 visits to the island during 1907–2019. The island supports large populations of both the Auckland Island rail (Lewinia muelleri) and the Auckland Island teal (Anas aucklandica), most of the global population of the New Zealand endemic white-capped mollymawk (Thalassarche cauta steadi) – an annual average of 63,856 breeding pairs during 2009–17, an estimated 155,500 pairs of the circumpolar white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis), and unquantified numbers of smaller petrels. The topography and vegetation communities of the island are described, the history of visits by ornithologists to the island is outlined, and a list of bird species and their breeding status is recorded.