Wellington City biodiversity

[Colin Miskelly]

An immature falcon flew over our house (Mt Cook, Wellington - near the old museum) this evening, pursued by a couple of tui. And a couple of kaka circled over soon after. The falcon was the first in the three months that we have been here, but kaka are seen or heard several times a week, and tui are common.

Colin Miskelly

[Colin Miskelly]

Just on dusk this evening the tui (plural) stopped their eventide song and started alarm calling. I looked up in time to see two tui escort a falcon over our house, heading towards Zealandia/Karori Sanctuary. Probably returning home to roost.

Colin Miskelly

[Colin Miskelly]

A red-crowned parakeet flew over our house this morning (17 April 2011), Mt Cook, central Wellington. This is the second time we have seen them here (2 seen on 26 December 2010). There is a small population now resident in Karori Sanctuary about 3 km as the kakariki flies.

Kaka still heard (and occasionally seen) most weeks.

Colin Miskelly

[Colin Miskelly]

For the second month in a row, kaka was the first species to make it on to our monthly home bird list (at least 2 calling at 1:53 am on 1 July).

We live about 2 km from Zealandia / Karori Sanctuary, and have recorded kaka in 26 of the 27 months we have lived in Mt Cook, Wellington.

Regards to all
Colin

[Colin Miskelly]

Heard then saw a falcon over our house this morning (Mt Cook, central Wellington). It is the first from home this year, but 4th in 2 years living here.

Colin

[Nikki McArthur]

Last evening while walking along the Wellington waterfront near Frank Kitts Park my partner and I heard little penguins calling out on the water. We could just make out a group of 4 penguins about 200m offshore, swimming in the direction of the marina near Oriental Parade.

A couple of evenings ago I was also walking along the waterfront near Queens Wharf and came across a spotted shag in stunning breeding plumage hunting small fish in the water just metres from the wharf. The bird seemed completely oblivious of the dozens of commuters walking past just metres away, and the commuters seemed equally oblivious to the action going on in the water...

Cheers,
Nikki

[Michael Szabo]

Yes, I've seen little penguins and spotted shags reasonably regularly in the area of the harbour adjacent to Te Papa and over on the Chaffers marina structures. A couple of other species that you can often expect to see in the vicinity are white-fronted terns, fluttering shearwater and reef heron (usually in flight). I also saw quite good numbers of cape petrels resting on the water one foggy winter day when visiting Wellington in 1996. I haven't yet seen a skulking crake in the Waitangi wetland but you never know what might turn up ... Peter Reese reported a long-tailed cuckoo perched on a power line last year and there were the unusually pale juvenile tui in the bush next to Te Papa late last year.

Happy birding!

[Nikki McArthur]

Thanks for that Michael, its always interesting to get some context to one's observations. Funny you mention the possibility of a crake pitching up in the wetland - exactly the same (admittedly mostly wishful!) thought popped into my head the first time I walked through there a few months ago!

Cheers,
Nikki

[Michael Szabo]

Yes, it's always worth a bit of wishful thinking - even a pukeko would be nice!

Cheers,
Michael

[Nikki McArthur]

There was a reef heron present on the Wellington Waterfront this morning, near the TSB arena. The bird was being harried by a red-billed gull & was pretty restless, so didn't stick around for long.

Nikki