An Open Sanctuary; Part 2- On the Rail Trail

Real-time

I wonder how many people have seen this bird in New Zealand, let alone know of this bird?

That is a Banded Rail/Mioweka and it is one very shy and secretive bird. 

And it was a  'big wahoo for me!!!' < that's me jumping up & down. I have finally been able to tick the Banded Rail off my virtual 'Bird Life List'. It's only taken me five years of scanning every saltmarsh and estuary we've ever parked near or explored to find one! I keep my 'bird list' in my head not like genuine Birders who photograph & record every aspect of a sighting but it was pretty exciting all the same.

The road to Okoromai Bay

I knew there had been quite a few sightings of Banded Rail in Shakespear Park and that the birds were a little less shy due to the number of people that visit the area, so I got a heads up from an acquaintance on one of the Facebook birding forums I belong to. She lives nearby and spends a lot of time at the park bird watching.

Once I knew where to head, it was 'just' a matter of spending some time scanning the marshes with our binos and looking out for any movement along edges of the mangroves and grasses. David went along one side, I went up another. What a job that is; it's still not easy and you really do have to keep your eyes peeled. There are plenty of Pied Stilts/Poaka who are quick to give the game away as you approach.....

...and even more so if you are near a nesting Pied Stilt.

There's a Banded Rail in the photo below (click to enlarge), you probably won't see it, it's too far away but I've arrowed the spot so you can see (or not as the case may be) how far away we were from the bird spotted. And spotted by none other than my 'bird spotter extraordinaire' David, who has a very good eye (and patience) for this sort of challenge.

It came wandering out of the mangroves following the tide line along as it searched for snails, worms and crabs, along with anything else tasty it found. They are very well camouflaged amongst the mangrove pneumatophores (aerial roots).

Once David spotted it he had to try and grab my attention as I was away off down the road. I could see this little stick figure waving his arms about so I hurried back towards him (he'd sent a text but I had my phone on silent). As soon as the rail spotted my movement (and I was a long way away from it too) it shot back into the mangroves. The nearby Pied Stilt didn't help with it's high pitched alarm call.

We quietly waited for it to venture back out into the open and then watched it weave up and down a small open patch for quite awhile. Once it had finished and moved off out of sight we searched again, along both sides of the road but failed to find another bird. Not too worry, I was more than happy to have finally seen a Banded Rail!

But then a little niggling thought kept playing in my head for the rest of the afternoon and everytime I woke during the night. So there I was, up before the crack of dawn and back down at Okoromai Bay where it was like Piccadilly Station with at least 10 Banded Rail feeding on the grass verge along both sides of the road. As soon as they spotted the vehicle they were off, some across the road, others into the nearby undergrowth (and looking like little mini road runners as they streaked across the tarseal). A couple even flew off- they are strong but reluctant fliers. I've lighten this photo alot, it was still very dark outside.

And this one has been lightened too, this rail stood still in the saltweed. That was until I moved to get a shot out the window and then he was off too.

I watched as several birds, heads down snaked their way quickly through the weed until they reached the cover of the high scrub on the far side of the saltpond and disappeared.

And then I quietly watched from inside the cab with the window down as I scanned the edges waiting for them to reappear. Some even moved back out onto the grass verges beside the road, but always far enough away that I couldn't get a good shot. And then the morning influx of daily runners/jogger/walkers and dogs started arriving which put those ones back down for good.

On the far side of the wetland, two birds came out of the undergrowth together, can you see them? Their camouflage colours work really well here too.....all the time they have their heads down and weren't flicking their tails.

I think they were a pair, they stopped to say hello to each other when their paths crossed as they worked their way back and forth through the saltweed. 

Another bird, making it's way along the back edge, went to check out a bunch of reeds and wandered into their space, it was soon chased off. 

Banded rail  were once widely scattered throughout New Zealand. They have now disappeared from almost all of the South Island and only occur around Nelson and Marlborough. It's thought that they have now disappeared from the lower half of the North Island as well.

Rails spend much of their time feeding under mangrove cover when the tide is out and when it's in, in rushes, tall grass and scrubland in the upper reaches of estuaries. Habitat clearance and drainage has had a significant impact on the banded rail population nationwide. Over 90% of lowland wetlands have been drained and cleared for agriculture since Europeans settled New Zealand. 

I was thrilled to finally be able to say I have seen a Banded Rail and not just one Banded Rail, at least a dozen! Long may they survive in this special little bay (outside the Shakespear Park's predator fence) and not far from suburbia.

Exploring Godley Peaks Road

I’m back to catching up on the new backlog of blogs. I had a brief thought that perhaps I should skip a few or at least condense them a little but then decided against that. The good news is that I shall continue to plod along, there’s just so much interesting stuff to report on, I’d find it hard to pick and choose what to post. The bad news is that this will be the second to last post for a few weeks.

On Thursday, well ahead of the mad frenzy that happens during the pre-Christmas week rush, we’ll be heading off the grid and out of internet and cellphone range. We’ve been looking forward, with much anticipation, to a long break beside one of our favourite high country lakes in Southland. Our Winton family will be bringing their caravan to park beside us for some of the time and we’re really looking forward to spending some quality time with them.

We’ve been parked in the Top 10 Holiday Park at Arthurs Point near Queenstown for the last few days, preparing the van and it's occupants for the Christmas holidays. Lists have been ticked, shopping is finished, the van spic ‘n span, laundry all done, hair cuts completed while the pantry, fridge & freezer will soon be groaning under the weight of four weeks worth of supplies- it’s a long way back to civilization if I forget anything. No doubt the bank balance will also let out a groan.

Which brings me back to this blog post which I must get finished before I do a few last minute chores. We did a day trip from our base in the NZMCA Park at Lake Tekapo, exploring Godley Peaks Road which runs up the western side, to the head of the Lake Tekapo. The road passes below Mt John and the observatory with many places to stop and take in the stunning vistas of the beautiful lake and it’s unbelievable turquoise colour. You can see the road we’re following disappearing over the hill in the distance.

I stitched 4 photos together here for a panorama of the above view, in this one you can see part of another lake, centre left.

That's Lake McGregor and it’s where we’re headed first. We want to check out the camping site before we bring ‘Out There’ up here for a few days. It was no surprise to see lupins growing all along the road verges on our way here and also great clumps growing on the lakes edge. There’s also a fly-fisherman trying his hand just off lake’s edge.

We carry on past Lake McGregor to check on Lake Alexandrina, we’re looking for Australasian Grebes or to be more specific, we're looking for their nests. The lake is only a few hundred metres further on, Lake McGregor is a tiny pool sandwiched between Lake Alexandrina and Lake Tekapo. You may remember we visited here and the top of Lake Aleaxandrina when we were in the MacKenzie country last. It was deserted then and it’s deserted now.

We take a walk along the front of the cribs (aka baches or holiday homes) checking in amongst the boat sheds and around the overhanging trees and grasses looking for a nest.  A lone grebe floats nonchalantly just off shore, we know there’s a nest nearby, one of the crib owners tells us they nest somewhere along the front every year. We don’t locate it and when we next look back another grebe has joined our lone bird and after a brief greeting they both float about like they have no worries.

There are two distinct camping ground areas, one at each lake with another section that stretches along the stream that joins the lakes.

Many of the caravans are closed up for winter, very soon their owners will return for the summer holidays.  We head back to Lake McGregor and stop beside the lake for lunch. We spot a pair of grebes near the roots of a willow tree. It’s very unusual to see them both out of the water. At first we think they might have a nest but they soon swim away and we see that it’s just the tree roots. Perhaps they were checking it out for a possible nest location. Lake McGregor has a mini copy of the famous Lake Wanaka lone tree. We watch as a tourist in a sleeper van washes her dishes in the lake directly below a sign indicating it is an offense to do so. I politely point out that she shouldn’t be doing this.

After lunch we walk back to the stream and decide that this is where we’ll park the van, right beside the lupins with the relaxing sound of a babbling brook below us. Beautiful blooms, trickling water, starry nights, peace and solitude. We can’t wait.

We carry on up the road, heading towards the Godley Peaks Conservation area, that’s Mt Hazard (2123m) in the foreground.

We still can’t escape the dust, an approaching truck swirls a great cloud of dust along behind him, we pull over until he passes.

Once the dusts settles we can see we’re approaching a group of exotic trees lining either side of the road. It’s look like an entrance to a farm station but there are no signs or a cattlestop as is usually the case.

And under the first tree is a flock of merinos with their lambs sheltering from the heat of the day. And to the far left is another tiny lake, Lake Murray. We’re stopping here to explore the lake’s edge, I’ve found out that there is often a pair of Black Stilts feeding in the shallow water. After finding our first black stilt on our Lake Pukaki road trip we’re keen to get a closer view of this very rare and endangered bird.

We park the ute and head off around the edge of the lake. The sheep decide we’re a little too close for comfort and head off in the other direction.

We walk to the top of the lake (it doesn’t take long) scanning the lake through the binoculars as we go.

But all we find is a pied stilt who isn’t too bothered with us but lets all the other waterfowl know that we’re approaching. Ducks and ducklings, swans & signets fast track it out from under the tussock mounds to the centre of the lake. As I walk over a rise, I get a fright as two teddy bears take off for the hills. Ok, well they’re not teddy bears. they’re hares, you’ll have to read this link to see why I call them teddy bears. David tracks them for quite a distance but they out smart us in the end, heading along a dip in the land and up the rocky slope behind the lake.

He spots them sitting on their haunches at the top of the slope, watching us approach along the lake edge before they bound off and out of sight. What magnificent animals they are, we’ve seen quite a few on our travels, mostly in pairs and I’m keen to capture them up close.

With no Black Stilts in sight we continue on around the lake back to the car.

The sheep have settled again nearby and I take a few dozen shots of the cute lambs and their oversized coats.

This little guy especially takes my fancy, he looks a little sorry for himself with his extra baggy coat and wrinkly nose.

We carry on up the road and stop beside the Cass River and the entrance to Godley Peaks Station.

I walk across the bridge, David follows behind in the ute. We stop in the middle and scan the river for trout and the riverbed for terns and stilts. The water is ice blue and crystal clear. The Cass River Delta Conservation area is a release site for captive bred black stilt juveniles, the wide braided lower reaches of the river are ideal stilt habitat.

We drive a few kilometres to the end of the road and turn around in front of the station homestead. Permission is required to travel on further.

We drive back over the bridge and take a side track down to the river to check out the alternate ford crossing. The river is too swift and a little deep so David makes do with washing the wheels in the puddles that have formed in the shingle to the side.

We follow another track down past a long paddock of poplars to a gate, beyond it the track heads across the river’s gravel flats. We’re on the hunt again for Black Stilts. We drive on until we come to swampy ground. We park up and head off towards the river, crossing small streams and boggy ground as we go. We can hear a stilt calling and can see a few birds circling in the distance.

As we get close we can see through the binoculars that it’s definitely a Black Stilt and it’s chasing, first a hawk, and then some gulls, away from it’s territory. It must have a nest or chicks nearby.

Unfortunately it’s too far away for any decent shots and there’s a couple of river braids between us and the river bank it keeps landing on. We settle for a few overhead flybys and watch it carefully as it chases anything that comes close. Sadly it also looks like it’s mate might be a pied stilt too, just like the pair that we saw on the farm dam.

Happy to have found another Black Stilt we head back across the swamp to the ute; it’s time to head for home.

Nature in the Rock Garden

There’s quite an expanse of sand and uneven rocky ground to cross every time I make my way from the NZMCA Park over to the ‘good’ lupin patch on the edge of the Lake Tekapo.

A large patch of ground that turns out to be home to many birds; birds that live quietly and without fuss in an area that usually sees very little foot traffic. Until the lupins are flowering that is. Of course the lupin flowering coincides with the nesting season which means there are often people blundering about in amongst the rocks or passing through (like me) to see the lupins, disturbing the nesting birds and sending them into a panic.

I found this redpoll feeding on the grasses very near the walkway as I cross to the lake edge. Redpolls usually tend to stay high in the trees moving through in flocks chattering away to each other. They are quite skittish and this one didn’t hang around too long. He’s also at the end of lens reach. Redpolls are an introduced species and are quite common in the South Island (not so much in the North Island), and are usually found at higher elevations.

As I approach the edge of a small bay there are a few Pied Stilts/Poaka which are quick to let all and sundry know there’s an intruder on her way.

I scan the rocky terrain ahead and catch sight of a flurry of movement in all directions around and over the rocks. Tiny little birds are dashing about calling little ‘chip, chip, chips’ to each other.

This is the Banded Dotterel/Tūturiwhatu, an endemic small plover (found only in NZ) whose conservation status is ‘Nationally Vulnerable’.

There are nests about and the incubating bird runs off as soon as danger approaches. The birds are well disguised amongst the rocks, and being so tiny, you don’t see them until they run. Some find a high rock to stand on so they can scan their territory, others rush off bobbing up and down and calling as they go.

The nests are shallow scrapes in the sand or gravel and are especially vulnerable to predators and unwary people stepping on them so I tread carefully as I go. The bird on the right is mid-bob. When feeding, Banded Dotterels have the classic ‘run-stop-peck-run’ foraging behaviour.

Sharing the rocky lake side with the dotterels is a bird that is higher up on conservation status than the dotterel, this one is ‘nationally endangered’. The smart looking Black-fronted Tern/Tarapirohe is another endemic bird and one I've been waiting to see at close quarters for awhile. We've see them flying near rivers and as we cross bridges but not up close until now.

The Black-fronted Tern is a small grey tern found on the braided rivers (where they mostly breed), estuaries and harbours of the eastern South Island. They move to coastal areas after breeding and some small populations also head to the North Island.

You might remember the post I did on their much more common cousins, the white fronted terns that danced in front of us on the beach at Greymouth earlier in the year. In that post I explained how the name ‘white-fronted’ refers to the forehead, where a strip of white separates the black cap from the black bill. Most other ‘capped’ terns, including the black-fronted tern, have black caps that reach the bill when in breeding plumage. You can see the distinctive black cap clearly on these birds.

There was a small colony of black-fronted terns nesting in amongst the rocks very close to the lupin patch and before I know it, I was upon a nest. Unlike the dotterels the terns stayed put until the very last moment. The bird on the left is sitting on a nest. They quickly took flight as I backed off…

...and they started dive-bombing and squawking at me. They also bombarded me with sloppy poop, I’m not sure whether that was intentional or they just happened to let go because they were flying. Whatever it was it was very effective and they have good aim; my jacket was covered in great big smelly splotches.

But I did manage to grab one quick shot of the nest! And then exited stage left as fast as I could.

I saw other people cutting through the area at various times and they all made a hasty retreat as well. Unfortunately it was a direct line through the rock garden from the NZMCA Park to town and those that didn’t take the walking track were taking a short cut straight across the nesting area.

Another pair of terns were nesting closer to the water, I stayed well away from another splattering but managed to capture them in the setting sun as they flew past. They are quite gorgeous, I love the cap and their beautiful soft grey tone, and those tiny little feet. Yes, I think these are my favourite terns.

I thought I’d tag the rabbits on the end here…well they are nature too. There’s a rabbit plague around the Church of the Good Shepherd, along the lake front and in amongst the lupins. I took these shots very early in the morning when I went to catch the sunrise. The grounds around the church were alive with rabbits. And they weren’t too worried about the humans walking in amongst them either.

This little cutie was pulling down a flowering bush….

… to have a nibble.

And this one was finishing off a bunch of lupins someone had brought him. A pest eating a pest. Perhaps that’s the answer. Corral the rabbits around the lupin patches and they’ll soon both be gone.