Northern Shoveler at Miranda

[philbattley]

Hey Sav, no the record was submitted, accepted, and published in Notornis! For some reason the mention of the female was omitted from the field guide, NZBirdsOnline and evidently the Checklist (mine is out of office at the moment). No reason for it.

Cheers, Phil

Hi Byrd,

Not quite. I have a couple of (very poor) photos from Aug 1989 of the drake at Pauri Lake, Wanganui. It is accompanied by a female which seems to have been lost to all literature, including the Checklist. I'll have to chase it up to see what happened to that record. Perhaps it wasnt accepted?

[Alan Tennyson]

I just heard that the Norfolk Island bird was last seen on 7 July, so it stayed there about a month. The Aug 1989 Pauri Lake, Wanganui, sighting is in the 2010 NZ Checklist but only as a "record", hence it doesn't specify the number of birds.
cheers

[philbattley]

Here's a link to the Pauri Lake record, if anyone wants to see it:

https://notornis.osnz.org.nz/northern-shovelers-near-wanganui

Cheers, Phil

[ourspot]

Dropped into Miranda overnight on Sunday on way home from Taupo - had a scan of the stilt ponds at high tide late afternoon and no sign of the Northern Shoveler. There were about 40 shoveler foraging in the ponds, and at one stage a harrier swooped low and they all took flight but there was no sign of a prominent white breast amongst them.

Did however see a bunch of red knots up near the hide and a lone marsh sandpiper. Was staying down at the Miranda Holiday Park and as we arrived we saw a White Heron by the bridge next to the entrance, and then the next morning at 7.15am as we wallowed in the hot pool 5 rooks flew low overhead cawwing - they were flying in north-west direction presumably heading to feed in the fields for the day.

Cheers
Scott

[RussCannings]

I've got a drake northern shoveler at miranda right now (sat). It's in the stilt pools.

Russ

[RussCannings]

Still present around 330pm (fide Oscar et al.). Nice Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage also in the area.

Here are a couple pics from the morning:

20180519_110130.jpg (179.24 KiB) Viewed 3688 times

NOSL1.jpg (180.84 KiB) Viewed 3688 times

Russ C
Morrinsville, NZ

[Oscar Thomas]

Some photos from me as well. There was also a young NZ dabchick on the pond and a flock of SC cockatoos along Mangatangi Rd.

[Grahame]

Northern Shoveler showing well in front of main hide @ 1320

[Bruce Keeley]

Great, extended view this afternoon from the main hide. Mostly amongst other Shoveler with no sign of animosity.
When not feeding it made many short flights like rhynchotis males do during courtship, though they didn't seem focussed towards any particular bird.
No similar flights seen by rhynchotis males. Is this northern testosterone being got rid of?

[George Hobson]

Bird has been seen throughout the day today. Michael and I caught up with it 20min ago in the stilt ponds.