Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

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Oscar Thomas
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Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby Oscar Thomas » Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:48 pm

This evening I visited Tuff Crater Reserve, located less than 5 minutes from my house. Banded rails have been reported here in the last week but I didn't come across any. To my surprise, a Spotless crake responded to playback in the raupo there and even decided to pop it's head out. Never would have thought I lived so close to this species. Other highlights were an elderly Swamp harrier that posed for photos, and a flock of 18 California quail. Here is the total bird list: https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S43444916

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zarkov
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby zarkov » Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:19 pm

I was under the impression that Harriers nest there.

Lovely pics btw.
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby Oscar Thomas » Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:23 pm

I believe they do, but I only saw the one bird. It perched several times and circled the crater a lot too.
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby Oscar Thomas » Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:40 pm

I went back here this afternoon and saw two Banded rails well, and also heard 4-5 others. In the raupo areas to the north of the crater there must've been at least 6 Spotless crakes calling. It really is an amazing spot so close to the city.
Over the last week during high tide there has been a Banded dotterel flock on the grass at Warehouse Way nearby, varying from 10-15 birds.
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CMKMStephens
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby CMKMStephens » Mon May 21, 2018 9:31 am

This was excellent advice - going from having never seen a Spotless Crake/pūweto (except in Aust.) to this:

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Kotuku33
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby Kotuku33 » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:34 am

Hello. Please, where exactly in Tuff are you seeing the spotless crakes? What entrance would I need to use?
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby Oscar Thomas » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:20 am

Hi, the best access points are from Warehouse Way or St Peter's Rd. If you park at Warehouse Way you enter the reserve be walking between the Haydn+Rollett building and the Retirement village. At the bottom of the slope you come to the track around the crater. Along the Northern edge of the crater there are nine raupo wetland patches (site of the old tank farm) which the crakes live in. From St Peter's Rd this can be accessed by parking at the bottom of the road and walking down to the left around the crater for about 5 minutes. These raupo sites are on the opposite side of the path from the mangroves. I last heard one there on Sunday, best of luck as you have to be quiet and patient (and put up with the joggers and dog walkers!).
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zarkov
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Re: Spotless crake & Banded Rail - Tuff Crater, Auckland

Postby zarkov » Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:36 am

I was there a couple of days ago.

There's zero parking anywhere north of the crater during the week, also gumboots are a good idea atm.

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