BirdingNZ.net

Paul

You made this morning's paper!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-n ... rdwatchers

Hi Raptor, Thanks, yes someone has just emailed me the article and picture. The paper got the number of birds in Northland wrong, sure I said 16-18 birds, not 13 like they printed. Thanks also for early posting yesterday morning. Paul

Four pelicans seen in the Whanganui River Estuary at 6 pm this evening. A client who lives opposite the river phoned me to say they were sitting on a sand bank just downstream from the SH3 road bridge. By the time we got there they had flown downstream, and unfortunately we were unable to locate them again. It is now "Pelicans in Whanganui".

Look like we have all eighteen 2-4-year-old nonbreeding immature pelicans that don't breed in NZ until December 2015 or 2016.

We have been unable to locate again the pelicans around Wanganui despite many out searching local estuaries and lakes yesterday. But one interesting fact that has emerged is that DoC now report that pelicans were seen at Urenui in North Taranaki, prior to their arrival in Patea, in South Taranaki. Does this suggest they are some of the Northland birds moving south?

I'm copying this note from the 'Kaipara pelicans' topic to back up Paul's thoughts:

Re: Kaipara pelicans
Postby flossiepip » Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:41 pm
"I know all the reports are on the Taranaki pelicans at the moment so I thought it may be worth reporting one pelican on the river above Ruawai at Tokatoka 7.30am. The first that I have seen for a week or two."

There was a report on the birdingNZ. yahoo website of 8 birds at South Kaipara Head on 9 December circling on thermals and heading South (and alluded to on page 1 of the Taranaki thread on this website by David Lawrie. The birds at Patea according to the report here turned up on the evening of 12 December. So Urenui fits in well with these all being 8 birds from Northland on their way south. Flossiepip,s recent sighting and my sighting of 14 a couple or 3 weeks ago means that there could still be 6 in Northland (10 if the whole 18 from the Tapora April sightings are still around). Man they're mobile little critters! I wonder if the Taranaki/Whanganui adventurers will return to their Kaipara base this time.
Pat

They're probably looking for more salubrious surroundings.

I was through TokaToka last week, and I'm bound to say, it didn't seem like a pelican paradise to me.


Somewhere in Golden Bay would be much nicer.

I wish we could ask private pilots and boaties to look for these huge birds over the summer. Can someone 'official' please put out a press release? Provide a photo, and a contact email or mobile number.

Please do keep distance from these pelicans, they become stressed / nervous seeing people close up.
Give them their chance to tour NZ....remember they are young birds, at 2-3 year old.