Maungatautari

Discuss natural history subjects not strictly related to birds. Reports of interesting mammal, reptile, and invertebrate sightings are welcome.
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Graham Saunders
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Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:53 pm

Maungatautari

Postby Graham Saunders » Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:44 am

I went to Maungatautari with a colleague last night. Primarily we sent to see creep crawlies, but it turned out to be disappointing regarding them; it may have been a little too cool (ca. 11 oC). However, from the viewing platform we did see about 15 Bats (Long-tailed I presume) silhouetted against the pale sky at about 9 - 9.30 pm. And were accosted by a very friendly Kaka, who was still flying around, clumsily, when it seemed too dark for it to see. We were also treated to a Morepork family. Initially the parents were calling, not "more-pork", but a call reminiscent of Kiwi. Of course as we realised it was moving about us, and was 16 m up in the trees, we revised our identification. We saw an adult feed two recently fledged young; or rather we could just make this out in our torch beams. We did hear something large fossicking in the undergrowth, which we thought, by elimination, was a Kiwi, but we couldn't find it, and we didn't hear any calls. There were some glow worms near the aviary, a couple of large spiders and a few unidentified moths, but very few invertebrates, even when we turned over the leaf litter, rotten logs etc. I think another nighttime trip on a warmer evening would be worthwhile. On a positive note, there were very few biting nasties, and insect repellant wasn't needed; maybe that's because we were not near water.

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