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A post-breeding flock of New Zealand Dotterels was monitored for 3.5 years at a site on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand. The pattern of flocking and dispersal was the same each year; the flock began to form in January and was at peak numbers in February and March. Birds began to return to their breeding grounds in late March, and two-thirds of those that bred away from the flock site had left by the end of April. Individual colour- banding showed a very high degree of breeding-site and flock-site fidelity. All the adults in the flock bred within a 16 km radius (the central study area) and none was found outside this area during the study. All adults in the central study area visited the flock each year; however, at two other localities in the greater study area a few birds were entirely sedentary on their breeding grounds and did not visit a flock. Breeding territories of birds resident at the flock site changed little between seasons. Unlike many migratory members of the genus Charadrius, NZ Dotterels of the northern population showed very high mate-retention from one season to the next, with both members of a pair usually occupying their territory for much of the year.

Results of 3499 10 min counts and other shipboard observations made during 27 voyages between Reunion, Mauritius and the subantarctic showed pronounced seasonal variation in the distribution of Barau’s Petrel. Rare south of 20°S in July – August, it appeared in numbers off Reunion by September, and remained mostly confined to tropical waters north of 25°S until November. From December to March, the range of this tropical breeding petrel expanded far south into subtropical waters, with a major foraging zone 1100-1400 km from Reunion. The southernmost record was beyond 41°S. The summer population in the SW Indian Ocean is estimated at 9000-15000 individuals. In tropical waters, Barau’s Petrels feed almost exclusively in multispecies flocks and apparently mostly on schooling fish. Topics of discussion include population trends, migration, foraging radius, and distribution in relation to breeding status and food resources.

Changes in cock Pheasant calling frequency during the breeding season were measured for two Wanganui Pheasant populations between 1986 and 1988 by recording counts at 2-week intervals during the period September to December. Calling intensity varied considerably between successive 2-week intervals. It reached a peak during mid-November but was much less by late December. To estimate variability between successive counts, call counts were recorded in six areas along the Wanganui-Manawatu coast between 6 and 11 November 1988. Within site variance averaged 25% of total variance between and within study sites.

From 13 to 17 August 1990, we surveyed from Doubtful to Milford Sounds, Fiordland, for Fiordland Crested Penguins. Minimum total estimates were 65 nests and 283 penguins. Proper counts were not made at a few sites and some small breeding groups were probably missed, but we are confident that all major breeding sites in the survey area were located. These penguins breed primarily in small isolated colonies on islands, or in small caves on the mainland coastline. The largest breeding site in the survey area was on the Shelter Islands, at the entrance to Doubtful Sound. Most nests were in dugouts under trees or on small ledges under rocky overhangs. A few penguins were breeding on islands up to 30 km from the open sea. We tentatively propose that there are less than 1000 nests for the species annually.

The islands of ‘Ata and Late have been visited for the first time by an ornithologist. The islands are important breeding sites for seabirds. Fregata ariel and F. minor nest on both islands. ‘Ata is the only Tongan island where Sula serrator dactylatra breeds. It also has a large population of Puffinus pacificus, and a few Procelsterna cerulea have been seen. Among forest birds, the abundance of Gallicolumba stairii on Late was most conspicuous. Among the rare and locally distributed birds of Tonga, the whistler Pachycephala melanops and the fruit-dove Ptilinopus perousii were found to be common. The lory Vini australis was seen only occasionally. On Niuafo’ou, Jungle Mynas Acridotheres fuscus have increased dramatically since 1984; the species is now considered a pest on fruit crops. The megapode Megapodius pritchardii seems to be threatened not only by the collecting of eggs, but also by development plans of the Tongan government. Numbers are probably higher than estimated in 1984. The avifaunal history of the three islands is discussed in the light of recent palaeontological findings. Human activities probably had a significant influence on the present-day composition of fauna and flora. The avifauna of Late probably comes close to that of a young volcanic island in pre-human times and so offers great chances for comparative studies in avian ecology. Finally, conservation issues are discussed, stressing the importance of remote Tongan islands for a regional concept of bird preservation.

Radio-tagging of 54 New Zealand Pigeons (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) captured at Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, Marlborough, showed that about half of the birds which fed there in spring on deciduous foliage moved away from the reserve from early summer onwards. They travelled 2-18 km to other areas of native forest. Most remained away for 2-9 months and at least some bred at their summer destinations. Individual birds tracked in different years provided strong evidence for their using traditional seasonal ranges, although the timing of movements varied between years, depending on fruiting phenology and breeding success. Some birds made up to three return movements from and back to Pelorus Bridge within a year, visiting different destinations in different seasons. Late summer and autumn movements were apparently linked to feeding on miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) fruit. Five of 25 radio-tagged pigeons which moved to known destinations away from the reserve occupied areas of privately owned native forest during the breeding season.