Found by ranger John Skilton this morning.
It's been 10 yrs since a Cape Barren was last seen at Travis.
Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
- GrahameNZ
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
Do you know where in the wetland it was seen Grahame?
- GrahameNZ
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
HI David,
It was quite mobile.
Started just behind the stockyards, went to the big paddock on the nth side, back to the bird hide where I took this image, then swam off on it's own.
When I last saw it it did a flyby of the bird hide and looked like it went back to the stockyard paddock.
Like Canadas mobile.
Could be anywhere from Bexley to Travis
It was quite mobile.
Started just behind the stockyards, went to the big paddock on the nth side, back to the bird hide where I took this image, then swam off on it's own.
When I last saw it it did a flyby of the bird hide and looked like it went back to the stockyard paddock.
Like Canadas mobile.
Could be anywhere from Bexley to Travis
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
No worries. Thanks for that. Might go have a wander tomorrow.
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
Bird was present in the stockyards this morning with Canada Geese. Could the St. Anne's birds decided to move?
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
I had a report from Paul G yesterday evening, the immature goose was in the cattle yards yesterday afternoon.
Cheers, Grahame
Cheers, Grahame
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
Paul G has just told me that it is flew off towards the Port Hills around 1130.
Cheers, Grahame
Cheers, Grahame
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
The "wild-flying" Cape Barren Geese are not from St Annes Lagoon. They are presumably escapes from several collections of Cape Barrens in the wider CHCH area, including Peacock Springs, Orana Park, Lower Styx Road and presumably others. There have been sightings of birds away from these collections for over 20 years. Currently there are birds that have joined Canada Goose flocks or are living alone in ones and twos. They are most often seen between the Rakaia Rivermouth in the south and Ashley Estuary in the north. There's probably at least 30 birds in collections around central Canterbury and probably <10 wild living ones. In the 1980s-early 90s there were 2-3 pairs centered on the Cam River at the northern end of the CHCH motorway and these bred, but I don't know of any other "wild" breeding.
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
Bird was present again this morning in the cattle paddocks associating with Canada geese. Seemed pretty unperturbed by people wandering past. I suspect it’s one of the ones seen at Kaitoreti spit associating with Canada geese and has moved with the geese to Travis wetland. But I could well be wrong.
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Re: Cape Barren Goose, Travis Wetland, ChCh
Unlikely. The geese have only recently finished wing moult and GPS tracked birds on Kaitorete have stayed around Ellesmere. We don't see a lot of goose movement between Lake Ellesmere and the Christchurch wetlands as banding data has shown that their source areas are quite different (upper Rakaia v Upper Waimakariri and upper Hurunui catchments). Cape Barren Geese seen in CHCH wetlands are probably escapes, or wild-living birds that originbated at either Orana Park, Peacock Springs or Lower Stx Rd.