Publications Archive

Stationary and walking counting methods to obtain numbers of bird species in survey work were compared under Tasmanian forest conditions. For short observation times, the stationary method was clearly inferior to walking at a brisk pace through the survey area. In unsheltered areas, windy conditions significantly reduced the number of species recorded compared with calm conditions in either fine or rainy weather. When time is short, a basic 10-minute walking unit will yield a reasonable percentage of the number of species present.

Recent observations and counts of chicks suggest that predation by rats and cats may be destroying the sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) colony at Denham Bay, Raoul Island. Aspects of this predation and of a comparable situation on Ascension Island are discussed. More management-oriented research is needed on the sooty tern at Raoul Island, and an annual assessment of breeding success and population trends is proposed.

A survey of the distribution of South Island fernbirds (Bowdleria punctata punctata) in relation to vegetation types was made in part of the Kongahu Swamp, Karamea district, West Nelson. The data show that fernbirds have a marked preference for areas with low, dense ground vegetation and emergent shrubbery, and are infrequently seen in cut-over kahikatea forest bordering on swampland, or in level pakihi vegetation lacking shrubs. Observations on fernbird habitat at other places are compared with those for Kongahu Swamp.

Dr. Christopher McGowan. Journal of Morphology. Vol. 160. No. 1 . April 1979.