Some of the 4,000 white fronted terns on the Mole
March was my first month and I wasn’t sure whether counting birds was really my thing. However, it proved to be more interesting than I could have imagined and now I’m hooked.
A closer look at the flock
I wrote to a friend: “Have just been on my first harbour count from Careys Bay to Aramoana. We saw little shags, herons, red-billed gulls, black-backed gulls, pied stilts, pied oystercatchers, variable oystercatchers, caspian terns, bar-tailed godwits, mallard, banded dotterel and spur-winged plovers. We saw but could not include in our figures 4000 white-fronted terns on the mole. Apparently there are usually only 3 or 4 of them. On the opposite side of the harbour is Tairoa Head and we could see royal albatross.”
Facing into the strong wind
It wasn't easy finding room to land
Immature white-fronted tern in the centre
White-fronted tern foraging for food
When I returned on Monday with my camera to photograph the terns I also saw black swans, a kingfisher and brown creeper.
Can you say some more about the purpose(s) of bird counting? – both for you & for the OSNZ, I guess.
I enjoy birdwatching, both the deliberate & the fortuitous: for example, I got closer to a cormorant/pied shag/karuhiruhi today than I’ve done before, quite by chance, & spent a day on Tirirtiri Matangi Island (love the takahe & even more, the saddleback/tīeke) last weekend.
So I understand you get personal enjoyment when you are bird counting. There’s something about quantity (number of different birds, the number count for any one species – why couldn’t you count the 4000 anyway?). There’s also something about quality – the beauty, rarity, whatever of possibly even just one bird.
But you are also doing something useful, purposeful: why are you participating & why does OSNZ organise the counts?
By: Alison Kagen on April 7, 2010
at 10:50 pm
The current harbour survey is the third one undertaken by Otago. The first one was in 1977-8, the second in 1988-9. Several groups from the Otago OSNZ are counting birds, two hours before high tide, around the inner harbour. Currently, this is every month for a year but the count may continue for a second year. Fortunately there is a road around most of the 50 kms.
Since the last survey there have been significant changes in Port construction, dreging regimes and recreational use. By comparing the species and numbers recorded in previous counts we will be able to identify any changes that have occurred during the past 20 years. Data is also available from other counts such as the wader count (more about these will be added later).
The terns we saw at the mole were outside our designated area. However, as we determined it to be a significant event, it was noted in the Otago magazine for March 2010 – which is available online (as are back copies) at http://www.osnz.org.nz/regnews.htm
By: birdzones on April 10, 2010
at 11:42 pm
Love the photos, good selection! And I like how you’ve staged them from the 4000 to individuals.
I especially the 2nd view of the terns, gives a good demonstration of how they position themselves in the same direction.
By: Alison Kagen on April 27, 2010
at 7:50 pm