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Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Tue May 29, 2018 10:04 pm
by Weka1
[youtube]7VOsPk5iZcA[/youtube]
Short video of a Banded Rail under a kanuka canopy on the Russell Peninsula, Northland. I've been using trail cameras for 3 1/2 years. This is the first video of Banded Rail the cameras have taken. A landscape scale pest control has been initiated here and possibly this sighting could be a result of that. These rails are often thought of as being wetland, especially saline, specialists but maybe given half a chance they can extend their habitat preference?

Re: Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 12:23 pm
by Neil Fitzgerald
Cool clip. Saline wetlands seems to be a refuge habitat, and they are certainly not limited to those places on islands like Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands, so it is great to see them in forest at your place. Keep up the pest control!

Re: Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 1:29 pm
by Davidthomas
As Neil has mentioned above it’s clearly a sign that the predator control you’re carrying out has been successful!

We had a similar experience on Urapukapuka island where we heard a banded rail calling in the Manuka scrub not far off the ridgeline track. And as Neil has mentioned they’re everywhere on great barrier. Almost like chickens!

Re: Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 4:52 pm
by David Riddell
They're common and widespread in forest on Tonga, and on Heron Island (Great Barrier Reef) they have to put saucers over the butter dishes in the restaurant to stop the rails helping themselves! You can certainly see the relationship with wekas when they're given the chance. So good that they're getting some breathing space there.

Re: Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 8:38 pm
by zarkov
They were present at Spirits Bay for quite a while, but no longer.

Pest control is pretty rudimentary up there, and stoats were resident in the area.

Re: Banded Rail under kanuka in Northland

Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 8:43 am
by Weka1
Are mangroves and saline wetlands a relict habitat, a refuge from predators?
Oliver (1930) states of the Banded Rail…"generally distributed through the North, South and Stewart Islands…suffering much from the rats"…So rat control may make a difference. Now mainly limited to northern New Zealand, a big change in distribution in 90 years.

I too have seen these birds, a different subspecies admittedly, on Vava’u, Tonga. Interestingly, I was told they were called “Veka” there.