Golden Bay fernbirds

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.
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kengeorge
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:38 pm
Location: Golden Bay

Golden Bay fernbirds

Postby kengeorge » Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:28 am

Not sure if others around the country are noticing the same thing, and this is a totally unscientific count, but I'm seeing a significant increase in the number of fernbirds around Golden Bay. Fernbirds have always been around here in reasonably good numbers, but in the last 2-3 years, more and more are showing up in more and more places, including locations where I've not previously seen them- the local golf course margins here in Pohara for instance. I've not noticed that the normal background level of predator control has increased, nor the trapping areas widened, so I'm not sure what's driving the fernbird numbers. Parallel to the fernbird increase has been the local weka increase, and over the same period of time. When I first moved to Golden Bay 7 years ago, you had to take a 2 hour drive up the Cobb Valley to see weka, now we have them in our backyard and we hear them calling locally every day. One weka family has taken to incessantly tapping on a neighbour's ranchslider doors at all hours here in suburban Pohara.....
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zarkov
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Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Torbay.

Re: Golden Bay fernbirds

Postby zarkov » Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:59 pm

1080.

It's paying dividends all over the place now.

Haven't seen a dead possum on the road for ages.
SusieDale
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Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 4:57 pm

Re: Golden Bay fernbirds

Postby SusieDale » Tue Aug 28, 2018 5:06 pm

Have there been any sightings of fernbirds in the wetlands around the Takaka river mouth / Rangihaeata?
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kengeorge
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:38 pm
Location: Golden Bay

Re: Golden Bay fernbirds

Postby kengeorge » Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:53 pm

Not sure about that particular location, I'll ask around. There are fernbirds in the scrub around the entrance road to the Takaka Golf Club in Pohara, and out at the wetlands at Mangarakau of course, that's always been a stronghold with all the intensive predator control that goes on out there. In the scrub at the gateway at the beginning of the Abel Tasman walk in Wainui Bay used to be a good area too, but they have 'upgraded' the entrance there recently, cleared a lot of the scrub and built nice carparks, picnic areas, seating and information stands, nice for all the tourists but probably not so good for the fernbird habitat out there.

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