Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

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Paul Gibson
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Location: Whanganui

Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Paul Gibson » Mon Feb 20, 2023 2:24 pm

We now have a nesting colony of Nankeen night heron at Upokongaro, near Whanganui. There are three live nests, and one with at least two chicks. This is only the second time their nests have been found in NZ, and the first time for 28 years. We were there this morning and birds were busy with their nesting duties, and gave us great daytime views, considering they are nocturnal. The chicks were on the nest this morning, but often are found wandering from the nest, and will do so more as they grow. So, an exciting time for us Nankeen watchers, as things continue to develop.
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CMKMStephens
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Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby CMKMStephens » Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:04 pm

Great photos
Paul Gibson
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Location: Whanganui

Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Paul Gibson » Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:38 pm

Thank you. The birds lately, with their breeding activities, have been very photogenic. We were there again today and a chick partially showed itself briefly, high up on the outside of the nesting tree - so neat to see. Birders from far and near are taking coffee at Upokongaro these days, and most go away very happy.

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Wrybill
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Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Wrybill » Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:23 pm

Those are Lovely Pics have been there once in 2020 but never saw any i however saw a White Faced heron nest which was nice as they allowed some approach.

Cheers'
Wrybill/Saul
128 Species on my life-list, Latest Lifer Pectoral Sandpiper, Hokio Stream
jimmifinn
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Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby jimmifinn » Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:04 pm

Census night 2023 seems an appropriate time to offer an update the numbers of Nankeen Night-herons at Upokongaro. The activity in the trees behind the café, Behind The Door On 4, has been intense during the previous month. With there being two fledged juveniles and at least two other chicks, the interest from birders has been massive and as Paul Gibson told me yesterday, there have been more birders than birds at times, in the café gardens.

At the cafe all three adult pairs have established nests and from the Holm Oak (two nests) we have seen three chicks emerge. In the most recent nest, in the Macrocarpa, a chick has been seen and heard yipping for food. There may yet be more to come from this nest.

So the café count at 8-03-2023 is 6 adults, all nesting in pairs and 4 juveniles from 3 nests. Two of the juveniles fledged on 27 February and 3 March respectively and are now regularly seen flying about the trees, in the flower gardens, or walking along the former carport roof. In total there are 10 Nankeen Night-herons in the trees behind the cafe and some of these birds are usually able to be seen by the café clients as they enjoy coffee and nibbles or something more substantial.

Next door, on the private property known as The Gooses Roost, there are two adults and a three year old bird, but the current breeding status of these birds is as yet, unknown.

The total count in the combined Upokongaro colony is now 9 adults and 4 youngsters with more chicks likely to be added in the near future.

It has been an exciting summer at Upokongaro for bird watchers and there have been Nankeen twitchers from far and wide who have successfully visited to see and photograph these very special birds.

Jim Norris
2023-03-3 Nankeen Upokongaro IMG_5577 (2).JPG
Two fledgling Nsnkeen Night-herons 3 March 2023
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An adult Nankeen Night-heron in tge Macrocarpa tree at Upokongaro 3 March 2023.
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Paul Gibson
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Location: Whanganui

Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Paul Gibson » Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:27 pm

The night herons continue to raise chicks from three live nests that have given us great opportunities for study and photos. Many birders have visited and I just want to put the message out, in case any plan visits, that THE CAFE IS TO BE CLOSED OVER EASTER, from Friday to Monday inclusive. It is possible to see the birds from outside the cafe grounds, but chances are greatly reduced.
jimmifinn
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Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby jimmifinn » Tue Apr 11, 2023 10:27 pm

As we were advised by the previous post, the café at Upokongaro was closed over the Easter Weekend. While this was disappointing for those who came to Whanganui looking forward to a Nankeen Night-heron sighting, it provided a welcome opportunity to address a problem with kittens that live down by the river.

Over the three days prior to Easter, while I was watching the post sunset night flights, there were four half grown kittens coming up at about 6.30pm and trotting across the road to enter the café gardens through a gap above the bottom hinge of a gate. They clearly knew their way across the road to the café drive that leads to the Holm Oak where at the moment there are two occupied nests.

My concern was because the kittens appeared each night just after the adult Nankeens had left for the river with chicks then unattended by adults for the time the Nankeens were away. Usually there was a lot of chick yapping which clearly advertised the presence of chicks in the nests and also the fact they were not supported by the protection of an adult. I found it creepy that the kittens appeared to enter the café grounds only after the adult Nankeens had left for the night.

I don't know if these kittens would be able to climb the Holm oak and kill a small chick, but with the co-operation of the café I was allowed to set traps in the garden while the café was closed. It is also true that we don't have any evidence of feline predation of chicks, but we did lose one from the first productive Holm oak nest and another, from the two that hatched in the Macrocarpa nest.

The result of the weekend trapping was that I took five kittens to the SPCA in Whanganui to be re-homed. That certainly was not my idea but a condition imposed by the staff who said of the kittens, 'Aaw they are so cute'.
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First kitten catch 2023-04-07
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Since Easter Monday I haven't seen another kitten and I am hoping that pressure from feline predators is somewhat less, although I have been told, predators are inclined to move in to any gap that has been created.

There are still two, perhaps three young chicks in two occupied nests in the Holm Oak. The surviving chick from the Macrocarpa nest is roaming about the upper foliage and often seen stretching and flapping its wings. It is now about 41 days old and must be nearing its first flight and fledging.
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Macrocarpa chick 2023-04-10
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Paul Gibson
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Location: Whanganui

Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Paul Gibson » Sat Apr 15, 2023 2:54 pm

The possibly last chick of the season was this morning still in the Macrocarpa tree, close to where the nest was. The bird put on a tremendous show for the many people there to see it. Chicks from earlier nests seem to have dispersed, where to I don't know. These last few days the adults have not been seen out and about and have gone back to their daytime sleeping routine. What a fantastic season it has been for the Nankeens, and for those lucky to be seeing them.
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Paul Gibson
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Location: Whanganui

Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Paul Gibson » Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:13 am

Yesterday Jim Norris and I had a great encounter with the night herons, as they sunned themselves in the late afternoon. There were 11 birds, and at one time I had eight in sight together. Among them was a juvenile (4 -6 months old), and a sub-adult.

The cafe staff tell us birders continue to call wanting to see the Nankeens, but don't find them as they are no longer on the cafe grounds. If someone is really wanting to see the birds, it is best they message one of us Whanganui birders, and we may be able to help you.

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Michael Szabo
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Re: Nankeen Night Heron Upokongaro

Postby Michael Szabo » Fri Jul 21, 2023 2:51 pm

Jim Norris has posted the following update with photo to Facebook describing how he and Paul Gibson saw 5 birds including the juvenile from the 'Behind the Door on 4' café garden in Upokongaro on Wednesday:

"They were across the stream and I saw them while standing beside the café woodshed. I then went round to Makirikiri Road where it is possible to get down to the stream. There were in fact 8 birds sunning in the Poplars directly above where Paul Gibson and I were standing. It was after sunset that the number increased to 11 as others joined them when they flew out to the Whanganui River for their night time foraging.

The Nankeens appear to have left the Holm oak but are still nearby. Some of them are roosting in a Eucalypt in the grounds of the next door Goose's Roost, a privately-owned property.

The others may be daytime roosting in a thicket of Black Bamboo that is growing on the right bank of the Upokongaro Stream.
The important point that I wanted to make is that the Nankeens, including at least 1 of the juveniles, are continuing to be seen as they sun themselves in the afternoon's winter sunshine. This gives better viewing in the deciduous Poplars than was earlier possible in the evergreen Holm oak where they were nesting.

My photo here was taken yesterday, 20 July and was the first time since fledging, we have seen these two Nankeens together on the same branch."
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Photo by Jim Norris.
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