Birds during Duck Shooting Season

[GillyJ]

Dunno where you see the big populations of Parries... I certainly no longer do. Due to cars, lack of habitat and guns. Oops I live in Northland.

[GillyJ]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 433&type=1

[Joanna10]

NZ Birds Online describes parries as: having "undergone a remarkable increase in population and distribution since about 1990, including the colonisation of sports fields and other open grassed areas within urban environments. This expansion has occurred in the face of being a gamebird and hunted annually" So I don't think there are any worries about threats to their population surely?
Same goes for Canada Geese and Black Swans and while hunting them may seem cruel to some, I think their numbers may become out of control without it. My visits to Lake Wairarapa and other rural areas often show alarming numbers of the latter species.

Gilly3: I actively support much of what SAFE does but I question the stats re injured ducks during the hunting season. It's not very credible to say "studies show 30% of ducks shot will be crippled and maimed (meaning about 275,000 in NZ)" What studies? I very much doubt that is the case. I will be out in a boat this week on Lake Wairarapa - where lots of hunting occurs - so I will be looking very closely for wounded birds and will post again with what I find.

What bothers me most about the shooting season is the fate of bittern and other endangered birds- I hope they lie low in the raupo during this time, as by flying off they would surely be more vulnerable.

[SomesBirder]

If I remember correctly, Black Swan numbers here were substantially larger before the Wahine storm.

[Pat Miller]

Gilly, places I've seen upward of 100 within the last year or so are Shag Lake (north of Kai Iwi Lakes), Lake Owhareiti, a lake at Henderson Bay, Lake Rototuna on Pouto Peninsula. Those are the ones I can recall. I also see groups of 20, 30, 40 odd, reasonably frequently. Saw a flock that size today near Brynderwyn and a few weeks ago there were 50 or so at a guess on the grassy approaches to the new bridghe in Whangarei, thought there have only been 1 pair there this week and 5 birds this afternoon. Also many paddocks have a pair or two and most farm dams have their resident breeding pair, which in Spring produce up to 10 ducklings, similar to the number Mallards have. That all adds up to a lot of Paradise Ducks, so I stand by my claim in my previous post. The bag limit for Parries has been set high to reduce their numbers, but my impression is that I see Paradise Ducks in more places now than I used to, and I don't think that shooting has had much effect on their numbers. I'm not a duck shooter by the way.

[GillyJ]

It is a very emotive subject for me Pat. I do bird rescue. This last summer I raised 23 day old mallard babies (one family) plus other mallards and shelduck babies….. I get to 'know' them individually and then have to find 'safe' homes for them and I cringe with horror at duck shooting time….. all those little ones end up fairly trusting of humans and I can't tolerate the thought of them being shot out of the sky and maimed for 'sport'….. it is barbaric. It is cruel, it is NOT nice and in my opinion, nothing excuses it. 'The bag limit for Parries'….. that expression upsets me… 'bag' limit? Gawd…..I shake my head… not at you but at the way we supposedly 'think'

[boneywhitefoot]

I disagree, in many places Paradise shellducks are so common that they have to be culled outside of shooting season because they cause damage to crops eg Manawatu/Southland.

I was being a bit naughty mate.

in the 70s and 80s they were almost a rarity now the blasted things are everywhere lol

[Davidthomas]

Although funnily enough there are very few in most areas of the Waikato. I think its a little too heavily farmed/hunted during the shooting season as in a year we would see 2-3 pairs and a few pairs flying over on our farm near Morrinsville. However they would be found frequently at wetlands and ponds but not in any huge numbers (excess of 10 pairs in most cases)

[boneywhitefoot]

give em time .
Once they arrive in numbers youll be rueing the day lol