BirdingNZ.net

I'm looking for some info please. Where are the closest known breeding sites of the following to Hamilton:
NZ scaup, black shag, pied shag, little black shag, little shag, bittern, banded rail, marsh crake, fernbird
?

Do scaup breed at Karapiro? Any closer?
Do banded rails breed at Raglan Harbour? Any closer?
Fernbird are at Moanatua. Any closer?

Hi Neil,

How much detail do you need? I just wrote up an in-depth assessment with links to eBird records but some how accidentally deleted it before sending--urg! So here is the brief version.

I've recorded scaup nesting only twice (that I can recall)--Horahora Bridge (Karapiro) and a small roadside dam near the Cambridge industrial park.

I believe all 3 species of shag nest in Whangamarino and in the Haworth Memorial Reserve in Te Aroha but I've never noted them anywhere else.

Fernbird are at Moanatuatua but also around Lake Serpentine (which is easier to access), plus the coastal harbours. Banded Rail are also in some pockets of the west coast harbours though I've never had them inland.

Marsh Crake are at Ngaroto and that's about it as far as I can tell (Plus Whangamarino). I would bet they're at Taharoa but haven't properly surveyed it.

I have yet to find a booming bittern near Hamilton (away from Whangamarino) but I believe Liam had one at Rotokauri last summer.

Russ C
Morrinsville, NZ

Yup I had 2-4 booming bittern in January this year at Lake Rotokauri

I believe there's been a relatively recent report of banded rail at Lake Koromatua, but don't know anything about it. Don't think breeding has been confirmed, but there's a lot of community restoration work going in, including predator control, so it might be a place to watch.
https://monicalogues.com/2015/09/14/lak ... -projects/

The brief version is a good start, thanks Russ. Could you elaborate on the roadside dam near the Cambridge industrial park? I can't picture it. My understanding of the fernbirds at Serpentine/Rotopiko is that they are occasional visitors. How occasional I don't know, but it doesn't sound like established breeding. I couldn't elicit any response when I was there a few months ago. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
The bitterns at Rotokauri are very interesting. I knew (from reports here) that it was good for spotless crakes but bittern is next level. This place needs more attention.
David, thanks for the heads up on Lake Koromatua. I'll ask Monica for clarification.

The scaup spot in Cambridge (not actually that reliable for scaup but where a female raised ducklings at least once) is actually on Cambridge Rd south of the Waikato River near the intersection of Matos Segedin Dr.

Ah, I've glanced at that pond a few times. Thanks heaps.