Publications Archive

Collections of bird specimens assembled by T.F. Cheeseman

We investigated whether the abundance of the South Island robin (Petroica australis australis) could be explained by the abundance, species richness, diversity, or evenness of leaf-litter invertebrates. We recorded robin abundance indices and collected leaf-litter invertebrates in 3 forest types: mature Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii); mature Monterey pine (Pinus radiata); and old growth kanuka-manuka (Kunzea ericoides – Leptospermum scoparium). Robins were attracted to stations using 5-min playbacks of robin full song in each forest type. Invertebrates were extracted from leaf-litter samples using ‘Tullgren-type’ heat extraction funnels. There was no significant difference between the numbers of robins detected in the Douglas fir (1.14 5 min count-1), or kanuka-manuka forest (0.86 5 min count-1), and no robins were detected in the Monterey pine forest. Kanuka-manuka forest had the greatest biomass and species richness of leaf-litter invertebrates, but the lowest evenness. We believe that the abundance of the South Island robin can not be sufficiently explained by the density or directly of leaf-litter invertebrates.

[First paragraphs…]With the death of Roger Sutton in September 2006 at the age of 84, the Ornithological Society of New Zealand lost a long-standing and stalwart member.A member of the OSNZ for nigh on 50 years, Roger became the Southland Regional Representative in 1966, and served in the role for 17 years, years during which ornithology made considerable strides in Southland and when the local membership reached its peak. Roger was an inspirational RR, introducing many young (and some not so young) people to the delights of bird watching and study. During his time as RR the Southland Region hosted the highly successful 1969 field study course. The members who took part completed the 1st full survey of the main wader sites in the region, and started annual summer and winter wader censuses that were then undertaken at all main roost sites from 1976 to 1999.

[First paragraph…] Occurring on both Auckland and Campbell Is. (52°32.4’S, 169°8.7’E; 11,300 ha), the Auckland Is pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae aucklandicus G.R. Gray) is a subspecies of the New Zealand pipit, Anthus novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae Gmelin (Turbott 1990). At Campbell Is, the pipit is restricted to small offshore islets. A similarly restricted distribution of this southern subspecies to offshore stacks at Campbell Is is reported by Heather & Robertson (1996), and Foggo (1984) who suggested that this situation is caused by the effects of Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and cat (Felis silvestris catus) predation. Foggo (1984) noted that the inability of pipits to co-exist with rats on subantarctic islands has been demonstrated in South Georgia by Pye & Bonner (1980). Foggo & Meurk (1981) commented that it is likely that rats and cats have eliminated this species from the main island. Deliberate burning of vegetation as a farming practice in the early 19th century (Wilmshurst et al. 2004) may also have restricted the distribution of the pipit. Foggo (1984) collected pipits on Dent Is in 1975 and reported that they “were immediately obvious and very tame” during a brief helicopter visit to the summit of Jacquemart Is in 1980 (Foggo & Meurk 1981), adding that on each of these offshore islands the birds had fulvous plumage. Thompson et al. (2005) encountered pipits at 2 locations on Campbell Is in 2003 and that they were distributed more extensively in 2004, 2 main centres being around Penguin Bay in the southwest, and towards the south around Eboulé Peak.

Forbes’ parakeet (Cyanoramphus forbesi) is an endangered taxon now endemic to Mangere I and Little Mangere I in the Chatham Is group, 500 km east of New Zealand. This taxon exists now as a single mixed population consisting of Forbes’ parakeets, Chatham I red-crowned parakeets (C. novaezelandiae chathamensis) and their hybrids (Taylor 1975; Nixon 1982; Chan et al. 2006). Increased attention on the conservation of Forbes’ parakeets followed from the presentation of allozyme and mitochondrial DNA control region genetic evidence which suggested that Forbes’ parakeet should be elevated from a subspecies of yellow-crowned parakeet (C. auriceps forbesi) to full species status (Triggs & Daugherty 1996; Boon et al. 2000).

[First paragraphs …] The ‘sandspit’  on the True Right bank of the Manawatu River, in Foxton Beach Village, (175°14’E 40°30’S) is a significant roosting site for migratory and resident waders, gulls, terns, pied stilts (Himantopus himantopus), royal spoonbills (Platalea regia), shags, ducks, and other birds. The ‘sandspit’  is 2-5 ha, depending on the state of the tide, c.1 km from the Tasman Sea, It is surrounded on 3 sides by the main course of the river and by tidal flats, and as well as this natural isolation, it is protected as a “bird sanctuary” by local bye-laws. On 14 Jan 2006, I observed a flock of 29 wrybills (Anarhynchus frontalis) arrive on the ‘sandspit’, rest briefly, then take flight again and leave the area. The weather was sunny and warm, with a light south-easterly wind, and visibility was good. The tide was rising, being about mid-tide when the birds arrived. The wrybill flock arrived at c.0930 in a compact group and landed on dry sand above high water mark c.20 m in front of my position on the western edge of the ‘sandspit’. The birds settled quickly after landing and, with a few exceptions, they scarcely moved but remained close together,with c.½ of the birds resting on 1 leg. However, the birds in the flock were sufficiently separated to be counted easily using 9 × 25 binoculars. No birds attempted to feed and the flock was silent when resting. The flock rested slightly apart from the numerous lesser knots (Calidris canutus), variable oystercatchers (Haematopus unicolor), bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica), pied stilts (Himantopus himantopus), and several Pacific golden plovers (Pluvialis fulva) that were also roosting on the sandspit. After about 10 min, the wrybills departed, with a few calling as they took flight. The flock quickly gained height to 10–25 m and headed south-west along the river towards the sea, returning the way they had come.

We collected and collated more than 2400 records of the rock wren Xenicus gilviventris, covering the period 1912-2005. These records allowed past and present distribution patterns to be mapped and compared. Areas from which birds have apparently disappeared were identified. The rock wren was common once on mountain ranges along or close to the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand, but have been recorded less frequently in many areas after 1980. More numerous records from some areas and during some decades could have resulted from differences in search effort and from inconsistency in record keeping. Nevertheless, there were consistent anecdotal accounts of decline, evidence of predation by stoats and mice, unsuccessful searches in previous strongholds and the recent extinction of 5 confamilial species indicate that the rock wren should be regarded as a threatened species.

Symbols were corrupted in the captions of several figures; captions with the correct symbols are reproduced below…

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.