NORTHERN SHOVELER in Te Aroha
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:44 pm
Hi all,
Enjoyed some wonderful sun in the late afternoon at the Howarth Memorial Wetlands in Te Aroha. While a bit choked with willow, this is always a birdy place and offers an impressive variety of plants as well (Mostly exotics).
Highlight was most certainly a drake Northern Shoveler that was sleeping and swimming among a large group of Aussie Shovelers. This was along the eastern edge of the park where the trail runs parallel to the Waihou River. There is an obvious open area which offers the best views of the waterfowl flocks. *Note that there are shovelers dotted throughout the reserve so it's worth keeping an eye out on the entire walk. The birds move around a lot, especially now that they're courting. Another place to check is just north of Te Aroha at the sewage ponds (just west of the road to Paeroa). You can drive right to the gate of the ponds as this is an access point for the cycle trail. There are usually 60-100 shovelers here as well.
Here is the full eBird checklist with more details from my walk today: https://ebird.org/atlasnz/view/checklist/S59097385
Unfortunately I did not manage a photo as I only had binoculars.
Russ C
Morrinsville, NZ
Enjoyed some wonderful sun in the late afternoon at the Howarth Memorial Wetlands in Te Aroha. While a bit choked with willow, this is always a birdy place and offers an impressive variety of plants as well (Mostly exotics).
Highlight was most certainly a drake Northern Shoveler that was sleeping and swimming among a large group of Aussie Shovelers. This was along the eastern edge of the park where the trail runs parallel to the Waihou River. There is an obvious open area which offers the best views of the waterfowl flocks. *Note that there are shovelers dotted throughout the reserve so it's worth keeping an eye out on the entire walk. The birds move around a lot, especially now that they're courting. Another place to check is just north of Te Aroha at the sewage ponds (just west of the road to Paeroa). You can drive right to the gate of the ponds as this is an access point for the cycle trail. There are usually 60-100 shovelers here as well.
Here is the full eBird checklist with more details from my walk today: https://ebird.org/atlasnz/view/checklist/S59097385
Unfortunately I did not manage a photo as I only had binoculars.
Russ C
Morrinsville, NZ