White Herons of Waitangiroto

Catch-up (November 17th, 2016)

I've finally managed to complete the White Heron blog- it took awhile because I had so many great photos and it was hard to choose which ones to include. 

The main reason we returned to the West Coast so soon after our disastrously wet winter visit was to take a tour to a very special and magical place deep within the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve near Whataroa. A tour to where the only known nesting site of the White Heron/Kotuku in New Zealand is located, on the banks of the Waitangituna Stream.

Access to the nesting site is restricted and tours can only be taken with one company, White Heron Sanctuary Tours, they have a DOC concession to take limited numbers of people and tours to the site. We based ourselves at the rustic 'campground' behind the pub in Whataroa so we could choose a suitable day weather-wise (based on the rain we'd had so far!) and tour time.

It was a good move, we had one clear day in the middle of a week of rain. And after finding out that there was a full load of 12 people on our original tour, we changed our time from early afternoon to late, when there was just the 5 of us. We boarded the minivan at the tour company's office in Whataroa and were then taken on a 20 minute drive along gravel roads, through farmland and native bush to connect with the jet-boat on the Waitangitaona River.

An exhilarating 20 minute jet boat ride with Dion at the helm followed; down the river...

past the river mouth...

...and into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve which is up a side stream that is part of the river system. It's a quiet and calm oasis surrounded by dense bush and the tall kahikatea trees of an old swamp. 

A small unobtrusive jetty comes into view...

  

And it's here that we disembark and follow a boardwalk through the bush and along the edge of the river, anticipation building as we hear the noisy calls of herons nearby...

...and catch sight of number of large white birds roosting in the bush ahead of us. Our guide Dion puts us straight, those aren't White Herons, they are Royal Spoonbills/Kotuku Nutupapa who also nest alongside the herons. They are still gathering, catching up with each other and checking out who has the best courtship display. They nest a few weeks after the herons.

The boardwalk leads on and then finally into a split level bird hide (complete with binoculars for everyone), which is tucked into the bush across the water from a magnificent sight. Fifty to sixty White Herons in various stages of nesting, feeding and displaying, all located within one tiny section of bush on the outside of a slight bend in the river. 

It pays to have a zoom lens, this is the actual view from the hide

And that is it, no rhyme nor reason for it to be here in an area that looks much like the bush further upstream and down, the only nesting site in New Zealand of these rare and sacred birds. 

The feathers of Kotuku were highly prized by Maori and were used to adorn the heads of chiefs both in life and after death. For Maori, to see one of these birds in a lifetime was considered to be good fortune and to liken someone to a Kotuku was paying them a great compliment.

A few herons were resting in the trees beside and above the hide,
 these made ideal close-up subjects

Along with Maori, European settlers also sought out the White Heron for its ornamental feathers; the feathers becoming fashionable in women's hats. The species was almost exterminated to satisfy the demand after its only breeding site here on the Waitangiroto River was discovered in 1865.

Younger, less mature birds also gather at the nesting site.
They will return each year until sexually mature and ready to breed.

It’s thought the first White Herons were windblown across the Tasman Sea from Australia. It’s not known why the White Herons have only one nesting site or why it’s in the location it is. The population of White Heron in New Zealand has always been small and limited, when first found, the population reported was between 50 and 60 birds. There are still only around 200 birds in New Zealand, breeding is not always successful and many chicks don't reach fledgling stage.

In 1944 just 4 nests were recorded. This was when steps were taken to protect the herons and the nesting site, and in 1949 the area was declared a Flora and Fauna Nature Reserve. White Herons only use this area for breeding, usually from mid-September until late February. 

The nesting site on the banks of the river is not far from the Okarito Lagoon, where many of the birds feed and forage for food for their chicks. Over the autumn and winter they disperse widely throughout New Zealand and are generally seen as a single solitary bird. 

As the White Herons return to the breeding ground in spring they transform into their spectacular breeding plumage phase. Long lacy elegant plumes are grown from their back which they display like peacocks. 

The beak changes colour from yellow to black, and around the eyes a bright turquoise blue colour develops.

Male and female look the same, both have similar plumage. They also don’t mate for life. Elaborate courtship displays include shaking twigs and building a false nest, preening displays and fanning of the nuptial plumes.  

Once the female is attracted, she builds the real nest platform which is placed in trees or in the crowns of tree ferns near to or overhanging the water and at various heights from 3 to 13 metres.

The nests are built of sticks and fern fronds, 3-5 eggs are laid and the chicks are ready to fly in December and January. 

Not only do Royal Spoonbills nest nearby but also scattered in amongst and in sometimes very close proximity to the heron nests, are the nests of dozens of Little Shags/Kawau Paka...

...their chicks being very demanding (and dare I say it, very ugly).

Mind you, the heron chicks must come a close second! 

Many of the nests had newly hatched chicks in them but it was quite hard to see them unless they were demanding food. This was one of the bigger chicks, don't you think he looks like one of those plucked squeaky chicken toys you buy for dogs. At least this ugly duckling will grow into a beautiful bird.

Unlike this poor wee chick who has died in the nest. It was quite sad to watch the parent trying to make the chick sit up. It's early in the breeding season and it's likely this pair will lay another clutch of eggs and try again. In a few weeks time it'll be too late for others who lose their chicks.   

We watched this heron in amazement as it flew in with a small eel and tried to feed it to the chick (small for the adult but huge for the chick-remember to click on the photos to enlarge). 

The chick tried hard to swallow it down but was struggling, the adult kept pulling it back out and trying again. I know there were some nearby chicks that would have snatched it given half the chance.

It's not known why the shags and spoonbills nest in the same area as the herons although it's thought is might be that they gain some sort of protection, all nesting together and being able to warn of intruders.

Royal Spoonbills have been breeding here since 1949 and prefer to nest in the taller kahikatea trees. I always think of the Spoonbills as the comical cousins of the White Herons. They look prehistoric when they fly and kind of weird with their big spoon bill, especially as they sweep through estuarine waters searching for food and looking like mini minesweepers. And then during the breeding season they have bright yellow patches above the eye that gives the impression it is the eye, and a goofy top knot. 

And as if to prove my point, I watched these two hi-jinking about far up in the kahikatea tree above the nesting herons. It was rather strange to see Spoonbills so high up in the trees. I've only ever seen them flying or in estuaries feeding at ground level. It's a pity we missed seeing their nests and chicks, but just another reason to return.

 "Get off my back!" says the bird in the middle shot. The bird in the background chooses to ignore the goings-on burying its head in the 'sand'.

"Hey, what happened to your leg!?"

"Huh....I'm sure it was there yesterday"

I could have stayed all day watching the nests and various interactions between the courting birds, the nesting birds and their chicks...

Bye, bye Shellie...

...but before too long it was time to head back to the jetboat and head home on another exhilarating ride up the river, weaving around the willows and through narrow overgrown gaps, flying across shallow shingle banks, scattering Paradise Duck ducklings and chasing their parents along in front of us for miles (unintentionally of course). The jetboat ride was definitely part of the experience and nearly as good as seeing the herons.

Cloud covered Mt Adams looms over the Whataroa valley ahead of us, as we make out way back to the jetty.

As we were the last tour of the day, the boat was loaded onto the trailer and Dion delivered us all back to the office in Whataroa safe and sound.

We both had an awesome time visiting the White Herons and being able to finally tick off one of our bucket-list items. The tour was well worth doing ($135pp Nov'16) and I'd place it as one of the top experiences we've had on this tiki-touring journey of ours. We visited in mid-November but given the chance again, I think I'd add another 2-3 weeks which would have been a little more ideal, with bigger chicks and the Spoonbills nesting. Of course there might not have been as many courtship displays happening.

Love is in the Air- Napier

A stay in Napier is not complete until I've paid a visit to my favourite suburban park to check out my favourite exotic ducks. Though sadly, another duck is missing, leaving just one lonely Plumed Whistling Duck from the original three who have made Anderson Park pond their home for the last 4 to 5 years.

It is not known where the ducks came from but it is thought that they were either storm blown vagrants or perhaps illegally imported eggs that hatched and then been dumped at the pond. Their natural habitat is in tropical northern Australia & Indonesia so they were a very long way from home. Here are the two ducks, taken last October.

The remaining duck has latched onto a pair of black swans, following them around on the grass and in and out of the water. It passed close to me while walking with the swans but as soon as they moved off a way, the duck gave me a wide berth.

The male black swan was very protective too, hissing and chasing me if I got too close. Although I suspect he was probably protecting his lady, it had the desired effect of protecting the duck too.

Amongst the mixed menagerie of domestic and wild ducks that call the pond home, are a number of ducks suffering from 'Angel Wing'; an incurable disease caused by a high-calorie, low vitamin diet of bread. Anderson Park is a favourite place for parents to bring their children to feed the ducks and while there are notices asking that they don't feed the birds, it would seem that nobody takes any notice. This poor fellow will in the end, pay the price.

There was a lot of noise and activity coming from the weeping willow on the island across the pond...

Love is in the air....as dozens of Little Shags/Kawau Paka squabble over nest building duties, feeding duties (for the few that have chicks already) and love making duties! 

Meanwhile, back on the mainland a Barbary Dove is making cooing sounds to his mate in a tree...

...and showing off his exceptional skills at collecting nest material. 

This is the first time I've seen Barbary Doves at Anderson Park; Barbarys are an introduced species with small wild populations in Northland, Auckland, Waikato and the Hasting areas. I've also seen them near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. Since my visit to the park, one has visited Mum & Dads' bird feed table for the first time and I've seen a few sitting on power lines out near Meeanee, so I'm assuming they are fairly well established in the Napier area too.

I walked around to the far side of the pond and who should be making their way at speed across the pond towards me? A loved up pair of swans with a duck in tow...someone needs to tell that duck "...threes a crowd!"

The swans put on an elaborate courtship display of synchronised swimming just for me... 

and him...who was waiting patiently in the background while they circled each other, swam back and forward...

...bowed and twisted their necks together, and then tapped bills..

...forming a perfect heart. All the time their little friend just floated about in the background. Eventually the show was over and the swans headed back towards the island with the plumed whistling duck following at a respectable distance. I wonder what will happen to him when the signets arrive.

I carried on around the edge of the pond and managed to get a quick shot of the notoriously flighty NZ Shoveler Ducks/Kuruwhengi before they took to the pond.

I had one more bird to check out, and he is usually found on a third pond at the far end of the park. I walked along the edge of the stream which joins the ponds, spotting bellbirds, tui, warblers, swallows and kingfisher along the way.

And two or three White Faced Herons/Matuku Moana fishing for their breakfast in the shallow waters. This one is wiggling his foot in the mud, see the bubbles? He's hoping to dislodge a small fish or eel that he can quickly snatch.

It was a thrill to get to the end of the path and find an old favourite still lording it over the back pond. For as long as I can remember there has been a White Heron/Kotuku at Anderson Park. Not all the time and not always by himself (once there were 3 white herons) and probably not the same heron either, but I've very rarely missed seeing a white heron on this pond. 

It's quite ironic that we spent 4-5 weeks on the West Coast- the home of the White Heron- a couple of months ago and failed to see one. Well, that's not quite true. I did manage a fleeting glimpse of one near the Haast River bridge as we sped by. A small white dot on a gravel island as the far end of my view. And then to later hear that one hunts in the NZMCA Park at Hokitika on a regular basis really upset me. He's never called in when we've been there.

You can see that the long feathery breeding plumes are forming on the wings. The only Kotuku heronry is near Whataroa on the West Coast, they don't breed anywhere else in New Zealand (you'll remember we need to revisit Okarito Lagoon to do a tour during the breeding season). It's likely that this heron won't be breeding this year; they are already gathering on the Coast.

'Mirror, mirror on the wall....' He (or it could be a she) stood like this, staring into the water, for over 10 minutes. Stock still staring, not flinching a feather, waiting for a fish to swim by. That is some patience. 

I left the heron to his fishing and walked back up the other side of the stream spotting a small flock of gulls resting on the grass near the middle pond. These aren't just any gulls, these are endemic Black-billed Gulls/Tarapuka and they have the undesirable status of being the most threatened gull in the world. Black-billed gulls mostly breed on the gravel of South Island's braided river systems and are often found around inland lakes and waterways.

I wonder how many people, both residents &/or visitors to Napier know the history behind Anderson Park. The city's largest passive recreation park was once a racecourse and the home of the Napier Park Racing Club which was formed in 1886. Racing ceased in 1960 and moved to Hastings.

Anderson Park has been a constant in my life since childhood; as children we rode our horses to Greenmeadows and the river, skirting the edge of the park on the way. We once walked our show pigs (on harness and leads) through the park to the shops (that's a whole 'nother story) and rode our bikes along the paths. (I also occasionally took shortcuts through the park on my motorbike- naughty girl) We flew kites, attended Christmas concerts, had school sports days, went to the circus, took nieces, nephews & cousins to the playground, watched a brother skateboard and learn to drive in the carpark. 

Later, when Mum & Dad left the farm they purchased a house right across the road from the park, and then shifted again to just around the corner from it. I also had a house not too far from the great green expanse and walked my dog regularly through the park. Over the years I've also walked and run (or staggered) along the paths on a multitude of exercise regimes. I've visited it at sunrise and sunset and at all times in between; it's a park of many moods but it can look quite stark during winter when the trees have shed their leaves or at the height of a typical Hawkes Bay summer when the grass is burnt to a dry cinder. But it's still a lovely park with beautiful mature trees and interesting waterways and birdlife. And it's still a favourite to me.