Just passing on a very credible report of a male Northern Shoveler in the Stilt Ponds at Miranda found by Janie Vaughan just a little while ago. She has no internet so I am posting this on her behalf.
As described to me - green head without a white crescent on the face but a bright eye. Very white breast and whiter at the rear end. Sides chestnut but white along the top where the feathers cover the wing. It was in the main, central pond, the one with the all the Black Swans in at the moment.
Ian
Northern Shoveler at Miranda
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- sav
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
I wonder if it's the one that has been on Norfolk for a few weeks?
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
Ian
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
The bird is currently on the far side of the shellbank from the hide. Distant but adequate views
Cheers
Gillian
Cheers
Gillian
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
Thanks for the update Gillian (and for Janie for finding it and getting the word out via Ian!). It sounds like the bird was MIA for a while today before being re-found in the afternoon. Often when I visit Miranda in the winter most of the shoveler and teal spend high tide offshore (or at least beyond the shellbanks) before spreading out on the mudflats. Therefore if the bird isn't immediately conspicuous, it's worth scoping the distant duck flocks carefully from the hide as well as from Ray's Rest to the north. There are also a few ponds and small lakes along the main road north of Kaiaua that shovelers occasionally frequent.
Let's hope all the twitchers turn up a few other goodies while they're out there! It's been a long winter...
Russ C
Cambridge, NZ
Let's hope all the twitchers turn up a few other goodies while they're out there! It's been a long winter...
Russ C
Cambridge, NZ
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
A big THANK YOU to Ian and Gillian for putting the news out so quickly and being so helpful.
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
He is in the stilt ponds at moment. He was easy to spot from the road but when i went to walk around by the mangroves the black swan frightened them up and the shovelers flew out into the firth.
Last edited by rukuhia on Tue Aug 08, 2017 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bob Rigter
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
Some bad pictures from yesterday. First spotted in flight at considerable distance with the big white breast very obvious but there are lots of funny ducks so wasn't sure until the 2 straps on each side of the back were seen. Fortunately in came in later and offered quite good scope views and was identifiable with binoculars from the hide.
I think this is a high tide bird on the ponds or outside the shellbank and it was right in the middle of the main shoveler flock. It was not always obvious but stood out when it angled to catch the light so just be patient.
Ian
I think this is a high tide bird on the ponds or outside the shellbank and it was right in the middle of the main shoveler flock. It was not always obvious but stood out when it angled to catch the light so just be patient.
Ian
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
looking at the photos on New Zealand Birds Online, they are all from the species' natural range apart for the recent one on Norfolk Island and a dead NZ specimen. So is this current bird perhaps the first one photographed alive in NZ?
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Re: Northern Shoveler at Miranda
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?
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?