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Letter to editor

Notornis, 46 (2), 320-320

R.N. Holdaway (1999)

Article Type: Letter

Bird use of the sediment settlement ponds and roost areas at Port Whangarei

Notornis, 46 (4), 470-483

A.J. Beauchamp; G.R. Parrish (1999)

Article Type: Paper

The sediment ponds and tidal flats at Port of Whangarei have been significant roost areas for waders since they were created from dredge tailing in the late 1960s. In 1971, 11 species of waders fed or roosted in this area; New Zealand dotterel (Charadrius obscurus), white-fronted tern (Sterna striata), Caspian tern (S. caspia) and black-backed gull (Larus dominicanus) bred there, and on six islands of mud and shell. Intensive observation in 1979-80 and 1995-98 found that the residency status of many species had changed. There were significant declines in the numbers of New Zealand dotterel, Caspian tern and skylark (Alauda arvensis), and significant increases in the numbers of red-billed gull (L. novaehollandiae scopulinus) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus). These changes were associated with development of sedimentation ponds and increases in weed-stabilised communities and cover by mangroves. Future bird use of this area is very dependent on the management of the ponds, and the rate of encroachment of mangroves or ponds over the main mudflat roost area. A new island would safeguard wader roosting in the upper harbour.

Seasonal mass changes of lesser knots (Calidris canutus) in New Zealand

Notornis, 46 (1), 143-154

P.F. Battley (1999)

Article Type: Paper

Lesser knots (Calidris canutus) are high-Arctic breeding waders that migrate to temperate and tropical regions for the non-breeding season. Seasonal mass changes were examined in lesser knots in New Zealand at the southern end of their migration. Adults showed a large increase in mass in February before their northward migration in March. They were estimated to depart with a ‘fat’ load of around 45%. Subadult birds, most of which winter in New Zealand over the northern breeding season, also showed a mass increase. Mass increases in winter are well documented for European waders but contrary to the European situation, this increase in subadult birds in New Zealand is unlikely to be an adaptive strategy to insure against periods of negative energy balance. Instead, it may be an endogenously orchestrated byproduct that has not been selected against in the pre-migratory period. Such increases may be more widespread in Arctic waders in the Southern Hemisphere than is realised.

Fossils indicate Pelecanoides georgicus had large colonies at Mason Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand

Notornis, 45 (4), 229-246

T.H. Worthy (1998)

Article Type: Paper

Osteological characters distinguishing the South Georgian diving petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) from the common diving petrel (P. urinatrix) are described. P. georgicus is shown to be the main diving petrel in Holocene fossil deposits at Mason Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand, where it is represented by thousands of bones. P. georgicus is also recorded from dune deposits on Chatham Island. The Codfish Island population is thus a remnant of a formerly large Pacific population that bred on Macquarie Island, Auckland Islands, Stewart Island and Chatham Island, and is therefore of high conservation priority.

The decline of North Island weka (Gallirallus australis greyi) at Parekura Bay, Bay of Islands

Notornis, 45 (1), 31-43

A.J. Beauchamp; B. van Berkum; M.J. Closs (1998)

Article Type: Paper

The North Island weka (Gallirallus australis greyi) population at Parekura Bay was monitored in 1991-95, during a long dry El Niño event. Adult weka had declined from ~400, in February 1987 (Beauchamp 1988), to 47-63 Weka in Parekura Bay and Whangamumu areas in June 1991. By March 1995 there were only three weka left there. Enhanced production of young weka was insufficient to prevent decline. Known mortality factors were road kills, Timms traps and dogs and stoats. Throughout the study the population lacked females. A “crowing call” by males was identified as associated with mate loss and mate finding.

Foods of Buller’s shearwaters (Puffinus bulleri) associated with driftnet fisheries in the central North Pacific Ocean

Notornis, 45 (2), 81-92

P. Gould; P. Ostrom; W. Walker (1998)

Article Type: Paper

We examined digestive tract contents and stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) in breast muscles of Buller’s shearwaters (Puffinus bulleri) salvaged from squid and large-mesh driftnets in the central North Pacific Ocean. The epipelagic Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) was the predominant prey, making up 71% of prey mass in digestive tracts. The remainder of the diet included small numbers of crustaceans, small fishes, and squids. The high degree of specialization in the diet seems to indicate that in the North Pacific, Buller’s shearwaters usually feed at or near the water surface and rarely pursue food under water. Although these birds have been observed feeding on scraps from fishing vessels, our data suggest that offal comprises less than 10 percent of the diet. Stable nitrogen isotope values provided quantified information on the timing of arrival of migrants into the North Pacific.

A second intact specimen of the Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae)

Notornis, 45 (4), 247-254

M.J. Imber; A.J.D. Tennyson; G.A. Taylor; P. Johnston (1998)

Article Type: Paper

A breeding male Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae) was found recently dead of injuries by its burrow on 14 November 1996. Intraspecific fighting followed by sepsis of wounds seems the likely cause of death. All parts were preserved. Food items of taiko include four squid species and one fish species. Its intestinal structure suggests a close relationship with the P. mollis group and P. macroptera. Measurements of bones indicate that most subfossil bones previously referred to this species were correctly identified.
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