Fiordland islands bird surveys

General birdwatching discussion, help with bird identification, and all other things relating to wild birds and birding in NZ that don't fit in one of the other forums.
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Fiordland islands bird surveys

Postby Colin Miskelly » Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:10 pm

Kia ora

A Te Papa + DOC team surveyed 53 islands in Breaksea and Dusky Sounds last month, continuing on from surveys of islands in Dusky Sound in 2016, and Chalky & Preservation Inlets in 2017.

A summary of Breaksea Sound findings is in the Te Papa blog: https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2020/01/07/fiordlands-breaksea-sound-30-years-after-the-rats/

Dusky Sound has so many islands that it justified a second visit, mainly surveying islands in the Passage Islands and Many Islands (south of Anchor Island) that were not included in the 2016 survey.

The team included Atlas contributors Alan Tennyson and myself from Te Papa, and Colin Bishop, Graeme Taylor, Terry Greene and Jenny Rickett from DOC, resulting in 98 checklists from 28 islands in Breaksea Sound, and 54 checklists from 25 islands in Dusky Sound.

Major findings included the spread of broad-billed prions and South Island robins following rat eradications and stoat control on islands in Breaksea Sound. Also the disappearance or decline of dunnocks and tomtits on islands where robins had re-established.

Ngā mihi
Colin

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