Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Bird sighting information. Use this forum to report bird sightings (especially rare and unusual birds), census and field count results, and trip reports. Messages posted to this forum will also be sent as a plain text email to the BIRDING-NZ newsgroup.
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby Colin Miskelly » Mon May 09, 2022 8:55 am

Kia ora

The following message was sent to NZ Birds Online yesterday:

"Pair of Barn Owls sighted in Rakaia River Bed - Steeles Road, past the second carpark, over the flooded Culvert, in some old man Pines.

Quite large birds, not sure of significance, very cool to see though."

I have asked if any images were taken (no response yet)

Hopefully someone local can follow this up

Ngā mihi
Colin
andrewcrossland
Posts: 2132
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:29 pm
Location: Christchurch

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby andrewcrossland » Tue May 10, 2022 12:17 am

Hi Colin, please ask them to pin point the precise spot on a google earth map because steels road is a classic dogs breakfast of a road. And one person’s concept of a carpark is another’s slightly wider bit of grass and shingle spot along an otherwise featureless road!! Thanks
Jan
Posts: 1871
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:43 am
Location: Christchurch

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby Jan » Tue May 10, 2022 8:31 am

I can guess where the person saw these birds from looking on the satellite version of google maps for oldman pines. But i'm not wasting fuel on going there - though I imagine the flooded culvert would be fairly obvious? Barn Owls aren't large, either, so who knows what this bod saw?
bombaydave2
Posts: 118
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 10:54 pm

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby bombaydave2 » Tue May 10, 2022 8:52 am

Was this during the day? If so birds would be on branch close to trunk. Sightings around Franklin indicate they use old man pines for day roost. Especially large trees taller than surrounding canopy. I wouldn't be suprised if they are there. I believe they are more common than we think. Theres so much perfect habitat and large areas of land unobserved by birders.
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby Colin Miskelly » Tue May 10, 2022 9:18 am

I have asked for a map, but hope the original description is sufficient in case no map is forthcoming

I am interested to know more about the Franklin birds bombaydave. The Records Appraisal Committee has not yet accepted any barn owl records from South Auckland or north Waikato, mainly because the three Unusual Bird Reports of barn owls submitted from that part of the country were based on birds being heard, without a recording being obtained (i.e. there was very little information for the RAC to base their decision on). Do you have any images of birds roosting during the day that you would be prepared to submit as an Unusual Bird Report?

Many thanks
Colin
bombaydave2
Posts: 118
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 10:54 pm

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby bombaydave2 » Tue May 10, 2022 9:42 am

Hi colin. I have sent undisclosed to niel and ian in past. Drop me an email and I will forward some info. dgmatthews26@outlook.com
No photos or recordings. Most secondhand reports from non birders.
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby Colin Miskelly » Tue May 10, 2022 10:10 am

Thanks Dave

I suggest wait until there is an image, sound recording, and/or detailed description of a bird seen, before submitting an Unusual Bird Report.

It would be good to have at least one confirmed record from that part of the country to provide context for the spate of possible or probable records.

Ngā mihi
Colin
andrewcrossland
Posts: 2132
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:29 pm
Location: Christchurch

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby andrewcrossland » Tue May 10, 2022 10:17 pm

any update?
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby Colin Miskelly » Wed May 11, 2022 8:58 am

The observer got back to me last night with some interesting comments and the map below

There are no photographs of the Rakaia owls, which he described as "pretty big"

"I am certain it was Barn Owls, I had seen one before, my Dad ran one over once not far from the Te Pirita Saw Mill, (but that was years ago). "

and later:

"I do remember the owl dad run over, and I would have been in my late teens at the time, (almost 40 now), and I remember being quite shocked, as it was as big as one of the black back gulls we had on the farm. ( I think it damaged the windscreen too, but not so sure on that one)."

Directions: "go to the bottom of the Terrace, then take a hard right, and follow the track till it gets to a Fish & Game sign that warns about didymo. Park there, DO NOT DRIVE ANY FURTHER the flooded culvet is easily crossed on foot, as long as the river is under 150 Cu.
They need to walk along the track and then take the first left turn, there is a semi open space, then random stands of pine trees. They were in one of those, but I really didn't take much notice of which particular one, I really didn't think it was that odd, until I got home a few days later and told the Missus about it, and she got all keen."
Rakaia barn owl location.JPG
Rakaia barn owl location.JPG (109.03 KiB) Viewed 1258 times
andrewcrossland
Posts: 2132
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:29 pm
Location: Christchurch

Re: Barn owls in Rakaia River bed

Postby andrewcrossland » Wed May 11, 2022 9:31 am

Ha ha! perfect! well there you go!, an absolutely clear reason why one should always seek as much gen as possible on precise locations!!

The location as mapped and the location as described are 2.24 kms apart!

And thats precisely why I asked my earlier question: "please ask them to pin point the precise spot on a google earth map because steels road is a classic dogs breakfast of a road. And one person’s concept of a carpark is another’s slightly wider bit of grass and shingle spot along an otherwise featureless road!!"

For those folks who don't know the Rakaia Riverbed - its a really, really big habitat (over 2km across in places) and a maddening environemtn to navigate your way around as every flood changes the riverscape.

Although my dear friend Jan's comment: ("I can guess where the person saw these birds from looking on the satellite version of google maps for oldman pines. But i'm not wasting fuel on going there - though I imagine the flooded culvert would be fairly obvious?" ) had a fatal flaw....... ie; why do you need to cross the culvert at the end of Steeles Road if you want to look at the oldman pines?

The locational info was: "Pair of Barn Owls sighted in Rakaia River Bed - Steeles Road, past the second carpark, over the flooded Culvert, in some old man Pines."

So based on Google Earth there's the point where Steele Road ends, the 2 (maybe) carparks (shown as 1 & 2 ), the (maybe) crossing point on the culvert (blue) and the (maybe) old man pines (yellow arrows) that ......... can be accessed by NOT crossing the culvert . hmmm.

owl 2.jpg
owl 2.jpg (239.05 KiB) Viewed 1244 times


So, ok, lets just double check on that one and ask the finder for a map with an x-marks a spot?
And here it is.....

owl 1.jpg
owl 1.jpg (224.93 KiB) Viewed 1244 times


brilliant! - time to chuck the kids in the back of the 4WD and go for a look. It looks like a rough track so I might take the Toyota rather than the Holden. 50/50 its Barn Owls and 50/50 its Whēkau I reckon?!

Return to “Bird Sightings and Alerts”