Rifleman on waiheke

[harryhatman]

A birder friend of mine who is a birder visiting from the uk reckons he has had rifleman on waiheke. Has anyone else had sightings there?

I have pointed out that grey warbler and silvereye are most likely options.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Harry

[harryhatman]

His location is .... 'West coast of blackpool bay on the te ara hura trail leading up the steep part of the hill just after the picnic bench at the viewpoint when going uphill. It was in the treed area just at the back of the first house you come to after the picnic bench'

[simon.fordham]

Hi Harry

The simple answer is 'very unlikely'. Whilst one can never say never, riflemen only exist on two Islands in the gulf, a natural population on Hauturu / Little Barrier Island and a translocated one on Tiritiri Matangi. Apart from these two, and an isolated population in the far north, the northernmost population is the in Kaimai Ranges.

Whilst they may be strong flyers over short distances, riflemen are reluctant to cross open ground and are not known to fly across water (except in a helicopter).

Riflemen are also a commonly misidentified bird. I have followed up on two other 'sightings' in the Gulf, one by a newspaper reporter (not a birder) who 'saw a small bird' on Rotoroa Island, looked in a field guide and decided it was a rifleman. The other was by a professional ecologist who reported seeing a rifleman in Shakespear Regional Park. By the time I spoke to her, she had already realized that it was more likely a silvereye.

A media-reported sighting of a rifleman family on the Kapiti Coast in 2016 contained enough information to indicate that this was also likely misidentification.

It would be interesting to hear what details your friend noted. Riflemen do have some distinct behaviours that can help separate them from other similar-sized candidates.

Cheers
Simon

[harryhatman]

While im not convinced myself, i think its worth keeping an eye out for. The guy is a birder and as the other options feel quite obvious I feel there must be a chance.

[AnjelT]

I saw a small bird here in my garden, 2 days ago... smaller than a Fantail, briefly. Then this morning it was outside my window for enough time for me to see it was a Rifleman. So, yes, Rifleman on Waiheke! Also, incidentally i have seen a Bellbird here too...last year
so, I'm thinking perhaps they are coming from Tiritirimatangi, which is fairly nearby.

[Neil Fitzgerald]

If you could get a photo and post it here that would be really helpful. As far as we know, Waiheke is too far for a rifleman to get to unaided, so this would be very interesting to resolve.
Thanks, and welcome.
Neil

[simon.fordham]

Can you please describe what you saw (description and behaviour), AnjelT, and why you deduced that it was a rifleman.

As you will see from my previous post on this thread, it is very unlikely that there will be riflemen on Waiheke .......................... but never say never.

As for bellbird, there have been two translocations to Waiheke but, although there is no evidence of populations having established. However, they are strong dispersers and it is quite likely that birds you are seeing have come from Rakino, Motutapu and / or Motuihe Islands.

Cheers
Simon

[andrewcrossland]

Beware juv Silvereyes with no tails - I've been caught out by those more than once!