This was my first rail sighting and as I understand it they're not commonly seem in the lower half of the north island. Maybe a sign of an improving environment at Pauatahanui? A report has been submitted on ebird as suggested.
Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
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bsd1
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Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
As suggested when I posted on another topic I'm reporting the sighting of a banded rail at Pauatahanui, Porirua. I was out wandering with the hope of spotting fernbird and popped into the hide overlooking the pool by Grays Road. I opened one of the viewing ports and was surprised to see a banded rail apparently sunning itself a short distance away. I got a number of photos as the bird sat still, just occasionally turning its head and once having a good shake. It stayed in the same spot for 5 minutes or so before a passing harrier spooked it and it disappeared into the reeds.
This was my first rail sighting and as I understand it they're not commonly seem in the lower half of the north island. Maybe a sign of an improving environment at Pauatahanui? A report has been submitted on ebird as suggested.
This was my first rail sighting and as I understand it they're not commonly seem in the lower half of the north island. Maybe a sign of an improving environment at Pauatahanui? A report has been submitted on ebird as suggested.
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boneywhitefoot
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Re: Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
Great news , I don't know of any other sightings in recent years
Boney Whitefoot Photography
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https://boneywhitefoot.wordpress.com/
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Jim_j
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Re: Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
The Friends of Pauatahanui will be chuffed!!
I just had a look in the OSNZ Bird Distribution Atlas which cover 1994-2004 and nothing in those years - I've not heard of any since I've been in Wellie (1992) - but someone with eBird skills might be able to check if there are reports that haven't been highlighted before.
Closest birds I know of are Nelson/Golden Bay/Lower Sounds (and that's basically it for the South Island) - I think the closest NI records ae probably Whakatane?
Great report
cheers
Jim
I just had a look in the OSNZ Bird Distribution Atlas which cover 1994-2004 and nothing in those years - I've not heard of any since I've been in Wellie (1992) - but someone with eBird skills might be able to check if there are reports that haven't been highlighted before.
Closest birds I know of are Nelson/Golden Bay/Lower Sounds (and that's basically it for the South Island) - I think the closest NI records ae probably Whakatane?
Great report
cheers
Jim
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David Riddell
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Re: Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
Just checking eBird, there have been a (very) few records from the southern North Island, including a couple from the vicinity of Pauatahanui - see https://ebird.org/newzealand/map/bubrai ... 0&eyr=2018. There was one reported at Taupo Swamp in 2003, and one at Pauatahanui in August this year. Otherwise there are isolated records from Kapiti (2010) and over the ranges in the Masterton District (2016). A great sighting all the same - clearly a very rare bird in that part of the country.
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Colin Miskelly
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Re: Banded Rail spotted at Pauatahanui
Hi all
I have been offline for the past week or so, and so missed this thread
This is the fourth sighting of a banded rail at Pauatahanui that I have heard of in the past year (since Oct 2018). Two of them have been submitted as Unusual Bird Reports (http://rare.birds.org.nz/), one accepted and one pending. Hopefully there is more than one bird!
Cheers
Colin
I have been offline for the past week or so, and so missed this thread
This is the fourth sighting of a banded rail at Pauatahanui that I have heard of in the past year (since Oct 2018). Two of them have been submitted as Unusual Bird Reports (http://rare.birds.org.nz/), one accepted and one pending. Hopefully there is more than one bird!
Cheers
Colin