Obviously incorrect reports on eBird

[Mike Bickerdike]

Not sure it's an obviously incorrect report, but this alert from eBird dubiously claims 4 sooty shearwater off Tirititi: https://ebird.org/checklist/S190242940

I'm very doubtful for a few reasons: (i) I was there, and spent some time scanning the work-up of shearwaters and didn't see any, (ii) I took many photos of the same work-up and have carefully inspected them all to see if I could find any other shearwater or petrel species but can't see any, and (iii) there are no previous records on eBird of sooty close to Auckland at this time of year (they've barely ever been recorded north of Wellington in July or August).

[Neil Fitzgerald]

How about all the Pōpokotea / whitehead records from Aotea / Great Barrier Island? I thought maybe I'd missed something and they had been reintroduced, or rediscovered. A relict population would be big news, but no, a couple of people who I am sure would know about these things tell me they are, as far as we know, still absent from the island. Now, who's going to prove me wrong?

https://ebird.org/checklist/S38901465
https://ebird.org/checklist/S166911377
https://ebird.org/checklist/S132650867
https://ebird.org/checklist/S44078974
https://ebird.org/atlasnz/checklist/S129894994
https://ebird.org/checklist/S165537264
https://ebird.org/checklist/S40403024
https://ebird.org/checklist/S40404839

(325.68 KiB) Viewed 8410 times

[paradoxdinokipi]

Quite a few of our native birds that seem to have eBird data misallign with known reintroduction spots, tourists would be my guess... (obvious with kiwis), but what especially confuses me are Wekas as for a flightless bird they seem to be amazing dispersers (or perhaps some records are 'dumped birds')? For at least Northern NZ I know they're present in the Russell Peninsula and thus adjoining areas in that part of the Far North (yet records around Paihia itself seem rather sketchy with the only one with comments saying 'Flagstaff Hill' which is on the peninsula... with the only other Weka reports on eBird which seem to have quite a few observers at least for Northland being at this locale called 'Lodore Farm' in the center (perhaps a reintroduced population which I can't find info for online?), others in the region/in western Northland seem entirely dubious with no comments, (the only one which does is one at Lake Omapere, which if the 'Lodore Farm' wekas are real, possible dispersion??)
The ones that particularly interest me although are the 3 reports of Weka near Whangerei, 1 near the city and 2 on Bream Head Peninsula, 2 being by local birders who would definitely know their stuff and the other one having a bloody trail cam photo!!! Yet I don't seem to be able to find anything about these Wekas in the region online nor is there anything to go off besides the 3 records??
Weka reports around Auckland are also interesting, I know Kawau Island and at least Waiheke (something I only learned after my last visit 2 years ago when I thought there wasn't any), Rotoroa, Ponui and possibility to disperse to more since I believe that's the theory on how they appeared at Kawakawa Bay on the mainland? Yet there's still a considerable! amount of records dotted all over other areas of Auckland outside these regions, whilst the 'zoo wild birds ONLY' & the ones in the Waitekeres are well the former obviously captive the latter I also assume mis ids considering no comments, the Tiritiri Matangi birds I also believe are just erronous ids by tourists, with although some observations having photos I find it more likely to be people forgetting where they were as theres absolutely no mention of the birds online.
Not too sure what to make of the records offshore of Kawau, especially the Snells Beach one with photos (unless they meant they saw it off Kawau?), I'm not certain of the Weka records in the Hunuas but I assume besides those records (and seemingly another population offshore of Aotea looking at eBird?) all the other Weka records most likely prove to be mis-identifications/faulty in some way.
Very much would like to know more about if theres any Wekas in the Whangarei/Bream Head vicinity although!

[simon.fordham]

I also assume mis ids considering no comments, the Tiritiri Matangi birds I also believe are just erronous ids by tourists, with although some observations having photos I find it more likely to be people forgetting where they were as theres absolutely no mention of the birds online.

Not the case with the Tiri birds, paradoxdinokipi. There was a bird on the Island for 18 years, disappearing 15-20 years ago. The story went that it was likely dumped there in the '80s. I heard this bird calling on many occasions, usually at night, and saw it once in Wattle Valley. Then, some time around 10 years ago, a visitor reported seeing one on the Island, and had a video to prove it. I don't know what happened to this individual (the bird, not the visitor), but it was never seen again

[paradoxdinokipi]

Wow, did not know that thank you so much! I'd have thought that at least an article or something along those lines would pop up when I searched for Weka on Tiri as there's usually a lot of information on the island, bird translocations... But I suppose not! [Although I assume quite a few of the more recent ones are still erronous]

Would it perhaps be related to this observation on iNaturalist?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107165157

[simon.fordham]

That is possibly the same record I referred to as 'about 10 years ago', although I can find no record in any Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi publications or emails from 2012.

[Cathymitch]

Regarding weka at Bream Head. We own a property at Ocean Beach, adjacent to BH Reserve, and have lived here full time since 2014. I have not seen or heard weka here in that time - but of course not going to say there are none here on that basis.
The trail cam photo was from a camera set up to monitor a GFP breeding site at the end of the BH peninsula - very steep terrain a 1-hour scramble from the main track! The study site was set up in 2016 and trail cameras have been used up there ever since, at least during the breeding season. Monitoring has been more intense in the past 2-3 years with 6 cameras set up year-round. In addition, the Reserve is also monitored with Predator Free 2050 cameras, set up throughout the Reserve and serviced regularly. The photo I posted to eBIrd (Dec 2022) is the only on-camera weka detection at BH - quite a surprise and not what you want to see at a seabird breeding site!
I seem to recall that a month or two after that camera detection, one was picked up on a PDF2050 camera at Taurikura Ridge, approx 5km from the GFP site - waiting on confirmation of this. I also heard from a local that he had heard that a weka/wekas were released some time ago at Parua Bay, approx. 20km from the GFP site, but unfortunately he can't remember much more about it.
Will let you know if I get any more info...

[paradoxdinokipi]

Alright wow thanks! I suppose it's more likely that random people are just liberating wekas in random places rather than genuine dispersal?

[Neil Fitzgerald]

I wouldn't say that. While there has surely been some illegal (maybe accidental) moving of weka (South Is birds in the North Island, for instance), they are known to be great dispersers. This is probably a big part of the reason most translocations of weka have failed, which suggests that birds popping up in random places are probably doomed, or at least won't establish.

[paradoxdinokipi]

https://ebird.org/checklist/S186885816
Pacific Golden Plover at an urban park, I'd highly doubt the ider got it correct

https://ebird.org/checklist/S60855031
https://ebird.org/checklist/S146064885
Kiwi and Fernbird also reported at Western Springs