Platform terminal transmitters (PTTs) using the CLS:Argos System were attached to adult sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) at Taiaroa Head, South I, New Zealand. Three PTTs were attached to adults during the pre-breeding period, and 2 were attached to adults during the incubation period. During the pre-laying excursion, 1 male flew a minimum distance of 7700 km over 34 days while another male flew 4200 km during 28 days. The minimum distance flown by a female was 3700 km during 16 days. Pre-breeding birds mainly frequented waters 1000 m deep.
[First paragraphs…] It has long seemed strange that the Kermadec petrels (Pterodroma neglecta Schlegel, 1863) collected by a British warship were first described in the Netherlands. Recent accounts of the voyage of HMS Herald (David 1995), and of its naturalist John MacGillivray (Ralph 1993), have helped to elucidate the chain of events leading to the apparent anomaly.
John MacGillivray was the wayward son of one of the greatest British ornithologists, William MacGillivray, friend of J.J. Audubon (Ralph 1999). He became a ship’s naturalist like Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, and Joseph Hooker, but unlike them went little further. While he was an excellent field observer and made good notes, he was irresponsible in his private life and major writing-up. When MacGillivray was appointed to the Herald the Captain, Henry Mangles Denham, asked for abstracts for the Admiralty of his observations at the places that they visited, such as Tristan da Cunha and St Paul I (Bourne & David 1981, 1995). MacGillivray apparently then took offence when the St Paul I report was published under Denham’s own name (Denham 1854), possibly because he had not included his own, and sent a rude (untraced) comment to a Sydney newspaper. A court of enquiry (including Denham) was held in Sydney on 25 Apr 1855. MacGillivray (was dismissed the following day, but his records were retained on HMS Herald.
[First paragraph…]Sulphur Bay, the southernmost inlet of Lake Rotorua, in the central North Island, New Zealand, is unusual in being a loafing and roosting site for many bird species in an active geothermal area. The shores of the bay including, Motutara Point refuge and the nearby Sulphur Point Wildlife Sanctuary, are home to, among others, black-billed (Larus bulleri) and red-billed (L. novaehollandiae) gulls, New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), black swan (Cygnus atratus), grey duck (Anas superciliosa), bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), New Zealand dabchick (Tachybaptus rufopectus), banded dotterel (Charadrius bicinctus), cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.), pied stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus), and Caspian tern (Sterna caspia). The birds roost and feed amongst geothermal features that include clear-flowing hot springs, hot ground, and fumaroles that emit carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), water vapour (H2O), and other gases into the atmosphere. seemingly untroubled by the gas emissions.
[Full text …] An unfortunate sequence of events during the preparation of the March 2007 issue led to early, corrupt drafts of three papers being printed in error in place of the final versions as checked and approved by the authors. The papers (listed below in their original order of publication) are reprinted in this issue, in their final, uncorrupted form. The Editor regrets and apologises for the embarrassment and inconvenience caused to the authors by the errors in the published papers as a result of these circumstances, which were beyond their control.
Beauchamp. A. J.; Parrish, G. R. 2007. Wader (Charadriifomes) and royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) use of roosts in Whangarei Harbour and Ruakaka Estuary, Northland, 1973-2000. Notornis 54(1): 1-9.
Neuhäuser, M.; Cuming, P. 2007. Climate change and the arrival of self-introduced bird species in New Zealand. Notornis 54(1): 11-14.
Beauchamp, A. J. 2007. Notes on New Zealand pipit (Anthus n. novaeseelandiae) home range, parental care, and the behaviour of dependent young. Notornis 54(1): 44-47.
New Editor for Notornis As already noted on the Ornithological Society of New Zealand website, Dr James Briskie assumed the Editorship of Notornis on 1 January 2008. He will be responsible for the journal from and including Volume 55, part 1, March 2008. The retiring Editor is responsible for all issues up to and including the December 2007 (Volume 54, part 4).
Early on-line publication From 30 June 2008, papers ready for publication will be available on the Notornis website from the end of each calendar month. Normal publication will follow in the first available paper issue.
[First paragraph…]Sir Walter Buller (1888) noted that Sir George Grey had told him that “a party of natives” at Preservation Inlet had described the recent killing of small moa at Preservation Inlet. Anderson (1989) did not give credence to this account, because Grey was never at Preservation Inlet. However, contemporary records (Anon 1878) show that Grey passed the inlet while travelling from Hokitika to Riverton on the SS Hinemoain 1878. It is likely that the ship’s log for the Hinemoa for 1878 was destroyed by a fire involving Marine Department records, so proof that Grey did visit the inlet at the time is not presently available. However, the possibility that he did visit remains and Grey’s claim cannot be dismissed on the basis that he did not do so. If the date of 1868 given by Buller is, as is likely, a mistake, that would account for the absence of any mention of this report by Grey 1870 (Grey 1870).
The 2 species of royal albatrosses, the southern (Diomedea epomophora) and northern (D. sanfordi), breed only in New Zealand, but adults and juveniles are common off the western coast of South America. They can be separated on their plumage at sea. This paper examines the variation in plumages of the royal albatrosses seen in southern Chilean shelf waters at 46°30´S, based on a series of photographs taken in Sep 2004. D. sanfordi were identified by the uniformly black dorsal surface to their wings, and by the absence of a white leading edge to the wing in flight. In contrast, most individuals of D. epomophora had a white leading edge to the humeral and radial section of the wing and generally white flecking on the upper surface of the wing. However, some individuals identified as D. epomophora had no white on the leading edge nor any white on the dorsal surface of the wing. The black carpal patch near the leading edge of the ventral wing surface was variable in occurrence and was not considered diagnostic. D. epomophora out-numbered D. sanfordi by c.9 to 1 in southern Chilean coastal seas in Sep 2004. Most D. sanfordi may have left the area by Sep, moving either to the Patagonian shelf, or to Australasian seas.
The survival of adult and fledgling Antarctic terns (Sterna vittata bethunei) at the subantarctic Snares Islands was studied from 1976 to 2007. Annual adult survival was 0.91 and that of birds banded as fledglings was 0.42 in the first year and 0.94 in subsequent years. On average, a breeding adult would have a reproductive life-span of 10.2 years while a fledgling that survived the first year would have a life expectancy of 17.4 years. The disparity between the survival of birds banded as breeding adults and fledglings is probably be due to relatively small samples sizes. The estimated survival rates of Antarctic terns are similar to those reported for New Zealand fairy terns (S. nereis davisae). No terrestrial predators occur at the Snares Islands, and extensive predator-control is undertaken in the areas where New Zealand fairy terns nest, and so these survival rates may be typical of other breeding terns in the absence of terrestrial predators.
We report the 1st use of a satellite transmitter to track the endemic New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae). The movements of an adult female bush falcon in Kaingaroa Forest east of Lake Taupo, central North Island were monitored during a 3-year period from Feb 2002. The geolocations of the falcon were mapped and revealed that the falcon remained close to her nesting territory throughout the study. The home range included an area of c.200 km2. The falcon nested in pine compartments (0–3 years old) for 3 consecutive years; her nests averaged 5 km apart. After nightfall the falcon was located within the 95% isopleth of her home range, highlighting her sedentary nature. During the breeding season the falcon appeared to wander outside of her home range, with the furthest recorded distance from its centre being 137 km. Throughout the 3 years, observations suggest the falcon preferred to stay close to open areas, which may be related to the frequency of hunting opportunities.
[First paragraphs …] Members of the parvorder Corvida, including the Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen, have a relatively high level of innovative behaviour amongst birds (Timmermans et al. 2000; Lefebvre et al. 2004). An example of this behaviour is tool use in Corvus spp. (Hunt 1996; Caffrey 2000). Although Australian magpies (magpies hereafter) are known to manipulate objects in behaviour such as play (Pellis 1981ab; Kaplan 2004) they have not been reported to use tools. Here, I report a possible case of tool use by an adult magpie.
From 2004 to 2006, I observed a resident group of magpies around the Stardome Observatory in One Tree Hill Domain, Auckland, New Zealand. The Observatory is located on the southwestern slope of the 48 ha park that surrounds the extinct volcanic cone of Maungakiekie, or One Tree Hill. The vegetation consists of mostly grazed pasture amongst native and introduced trees. Public can access the park by either roads or walking tracks. Members of the magpie family are not banded, but the behaviour of the birds that I have observed for 2 years suggests that they consist of the same breeding pair and their offspring. For example, the adult pair is somewhat habituated to human presence and forage around the office window sills of the observatory, sometimes even flying onto them. Breeding pairs of magpie are generally sedentary and live on permanent territories (Kaplan 2004), which is consistent with my observations. The resident pair produced 2 successful broods between 2004 and 2006.
[First paragraph…]The weka (Gallirallus australis) is a remnant species of the diverse suite of avian predators known to have consumed petrels on mainland New Zealand and its offshore islands. The paper by Harper (2006) detailing weka predation of sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) chicks and eggs is therefore a welcome contribution to understanding the ecological relationships between petrels and predators. Unfortunately, I believe that Harper (2006) mis-cited Hawke & Holdaway (2005) in his assertion that weka may present a threat to breeding Westland petrels (Procellaria westlandica).
From satellite tracking data, we recognised 5 major flight patterns in the annual cycles of 3 Chatham albatrosses (Thalassarche eremita) tracked in 1997 and 1998: foraging flights while the birds were breeding; eastward and westward migrations across the southern Pacific Ocean; northward migration along the South American coast; and localised foraging at low latitudes off the northwest coast of South America. We hypothesised that the 5 modes of flight indicated different biological activity. The associated speeds, point-to-point distances flown day-1, and other indices of activity were inferred from distances and times between satellite location records. Mean minimum point-to-point flight speeds were up to 85 km h-1 and were a function of the time interval for the measurement. Daily rates of change for latitude and longitude and the minimum daily distances travelled were calculated. These are the 1st measurements for this species of the sustained speed of flight point-to-point over varied time periods, and for short and long distances throughout the year. These data and the analytical techniques developed show what information can be obtained from a few individuals, and the confounding variables that result from the satellites’ orbits, and the transmitting characteristics of long-duration PTT experiments. The interrupted reception of transmitters through the intermittent satellite passes biases speed and other measurements and difficulties interpreting these data are discussed. The results provide a guide to the design of satellite transmitter experiments for long distance and duration studies with other oceanic species. They also contribute to an understanding of where this species obtains its food, and of its potential risk of interaction with fisheries.
A massive northward movement and wreck of prions (Pachyptila) along the coast of Antofagasta, Chile is described, and I review the occurrence of prions along the west coast of South America. Prions breed in southern Chile and the sub-Antarctic and move northwards to the coasts of northern Chile and Peru in the Southern Hemisphere winter. Chilean and Peruvian wrecks are primarily P. belcheri, with smaller numbers of P. desolata. P. vittata has only been recorded once. The occurrence of P. salvini is unproven. There are no records of P. turtur; a purported specimen from Chile is actually P. belcheri. The only report of P. crassirostris is that of a bone fragment from an archaeological site on Easter Island, Chile.
Following the translocation of North Is kokako (Callaeas cinera wilsoni) to Kapiti I, southern North Is, New Zealand, Department of Conservation staff noted that most pairs were forming between individuals that came from the same source origin. This study investigated whether geographic variation in dialects influenced mate selection and, ultimately, pair formation on Kapiti I. Between Nov 1999 and Mar 2001 songs of male kokako that had paired and were resident at a single site were recorded. In addition, recordings were obtained from the Department of Conservation of birds in the source areas. Analysis of the songs indicated that kokako songs were typical of their areas of origin at the time of translocation and differed from songs of birds from different source areas. Translocated female kokako preferentially chose males whose repertoire was typical of the acoustic environment they experienced before translocation. Song analysis and pair formation of kokako born on Kapiti I indicates that the observed assortative mating was a temporary phenomenon in the years after translocation, which did not continue following juvenile recruitment.
[First paragraph …] A “Sandpiper” was among the many birds killed by a surveying party in Dusky Sound in southern New Zealand on 16 April 1773 during Lieutenant James Cook’s sojourn there in the course of his second (1772-1775) voyage (Forster in Hoare 1982: 256). This “Sandpiper” is likely to be the specimen that Johann Reinhold Forster, the official naturalist on the voyage, described as Charadrius torquatula (Forster 1772-1775: II: 18v,19r). His description was dated 17 April 1773, and that the bird inhabited “portu obscuro” (= Dusky Sound). Forster’s detailed manuscript description in Latin was edited and published later by Lichtenstein (1844: 108-109) who, however, omitted Forster’s date of description. What was almost certainly the same specimen was drawn by Forster’s son, George, the assistant naturalist and natural history draughtsman on the voyage. George Forster’s undated painting, folio 121, is now in The Natural History Museum, London (Lysaght 1959: 301). The original painting has never been published, but it can be viewed online at http://piclib. nhm. ac. uk. Forster’s description and the younger Forster’s painting are of an adult male shore plover Thinornis novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789). Neither of the Forsters recorded taking any specimens of the new species back to England.
Satellite telemetry was used between 1994 and 2004 to identify the distribution of 2 closely-related species of wandering albatross, Gibson’s (Diomedea gibsoni) and Antipodean (D. antipodensis), which breed in the New Zealand subantarctic. Trials of methods of attaching transmitters revealed that harnessed transmitters decreased foraging efficiency and increased mortality, whereas transmitters glued or taped on birds had little effect. There was some overlap in the species foraging ranges, but D. gibsoni mostly foraged in the Tasman Sea and D. antipodensis in the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand. For both species the range of non-breeding birds was larger than that of breeders, but the core areas used by both breeders and non-breeders were similar. Non-breeding male D. antipodensis had the largest range, foraging off the coast of Chile, Antarctica and in the tropical South Pacific. In comparison, the range of D. gibsoni was small, with non-breeding male and female birds foraging westward to the south-eastern Indian Ocean but avoiding Antarctic waters. Individuals of both species and all stages of maturity had preferred but large foraging areas which lasted many years. Some seasonal trends in distribution were found. Both species preferred to forage at the outer edge of shelves and over seamounts, particularly where there were strong currents or eddies and productivity was enhanced, as well as over deep water. Over the past 40 years, longline fisheries used a minimum 89% and 53% of the range over which our study tracked D. gibsoni and D. antipodensis respectively. Of 18 D. gibsoni and 35 D. antipodensis banded birds recovered dead since 1971, 22% and 83% respectively were related to fisheries. The areas where closures of fisheries would be most likely to reduce bycatch are identified.
Photo essay compiled by Murray Williams from text an photographs provided by Don Merton, with additional photographs from Department of Conservation, Hocken Library and Archives New Zealand.
Breeding of North Island kokako (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni) was studied at Mapara, King Country, New Zealand, from 1990 until 2000. Sixty-seven adult and 167 nestling kokako were colour-banded, and radio-transmitters were attached to 49 to identify individuals and to help locate nests. Pair bonds were stable: 7% of pairs split each year for reasons other than mate death. More than 200 nests were located, which permitted observations of breeding-season length, nesting behaviour, clutch and brood size, incubation and nestling periods, and nest success. The nesting season began in late Oct but varied greatly in duration, lasting from 7 weeks in 1993/94 to 21 weeks in 1994/95. We attributed this variation to changes in abundance of key food fruits. Females made up to 5 breeding attempts and fledged as many as 6 chicks in a season. Male-male pairs also built nests, though the apportioning of effort differed from that of conventional pairs. Mean clutch and brood sizes were 2.31 and 1.96, respectively. The incubation period was 18 days and fledging took a further 34-42 days. Sixty-one percent of nesting attempts successfully fledged young when mammalian pests were controlled, as against 8% when there was no predator control. Predation of eggs and chicks by ship rats (Rattus rattus) and brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) was the main cause of nest failure, whereas deaths of nesting adult females mostly caused be stoats (Mustela erminea). Kokako are well adapted to cope with avian predation, but their future conservation depends on management of key small mammalian pests.