18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

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Nikki McArthur
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18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Nikki McArthur » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:22 pm

Hi all,

I was at the Wairau Lagoons (Hardings Rd) today, and a flock of EIGHTEEN glossy ibis flew across the walking track and landed amongst the royal spoonbills nesting on the island in the sewage pond.

A quick look on eBird tells me this is now the highest single count of glossy ibis recorded in eBird for NZ - the previous record was a flock of 15 birds seen by Imogen Warren at Foxton Estuary on the 8th April, 2017. The previous highest count in eBird for the Wairau Lagoons was 8 birds seen by Neil Robertson on the 1st December, 2017, and Will Parsons reported 9 birds on this forum, on October 25th, 2017.

Regards,
Nikki
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Nikki McArthur
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Nikki McArthur » Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:05 am

Addendum: I've just reviewed a number of pending eBird records for Marlborough, and have discovered that Les Feasey reported 10 glossy ibis from the Wairau Lagoons on the 18th September. So numbers are definitely trending upwards!
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Les Feasey
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Les Feasey » Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:30 pm

Hi Nikki,
After looking at the photos at home, eighteen doesn't surprise me. Good work.
There were 2 Glossy Ibis on the island when I was there on 18 September, and I went back to the car to get the camera. Another 8 flew in as I set up. I wrote up an observation and posted it, then some 12 Glossy Ibis took off, circled, and landed. There were still at least 2 on the island, and some must have been were hidden in the vegetation. A great photo op.
Many of those that landed did so on the vegetation and became completely concealed as they worked their way in. There were also Cattle Egret, and the Royal Spoonbill put on quite a display in their breeding plumage. I'll update my eBird observation now I've had a look at the photos back at home.
Cheers,
Les
Glossy Ibis.jpg
Wairau Lagoon Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis.jpg (1.25 MiB) Viewed 3745 times
Les Feasey
Opua, Far North
Christopher
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Christopher » Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:43 pm

Hi all - a bit of a random question that I'm sure has been discussed on the forum somewhere - at what point would the growing Glossy Ibis population become a 'native' species? I understand this small group has been breeding for at least a couple years now?
Thanks!

Chris
Ian Southey
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Ian Southey » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:52 am

Christopher

Native (or indigenous) just means that nobody picked them up and brought them here. Glossy Ibises arrived naturally under their own steam so they are, and have always been native. The interesting thing will be whether or not they continue to breed, increase and spread. In Australia I think they are more of a nomadic inland bird with White Ibises more likely to be seen in habitats like we have in New Zealand. Maybe that's why they like Marlborough.

Ian
fras444
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby fras444 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:21 am

That is a interesting question....
I think Christopher was meaning, how many times a new arrival needs to breed for it to be classed as a native species.
Regarding the status. Are they breeding still?
Ian Southey
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Ian Southey » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:48 am

What I meant is that Glossy Ibises are a native species without ever needing to breed.

Ian
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Nikki McArthur
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby Nikki McArthur » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:27 am

As Ian has mentioned, glossy ibis are already considered 'native', given the fact that the species has reached NZ of its own accord. Perhaps more relevant is the fact that the latest version of the "Conservation Status of NZ Birds" now lists glossy ibis as a "coloniser" rather than a "vagrant" due to the recent breeding attempts at the Wairau Lagoons and Wainono Lagoon:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/nztcs19entire.pdf

Cheers,
Nikki
fras444
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby fras444 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 3:09 pm

Interesting... I always thought that the glossy Ibis was considered a migrant before it's successful breeding attempts....
I find that this subject can either be as straight forward or as clear as mud.......

For example.. Some sources describe the bartailed gotwit as a "native migrant...." others just as a migrant.... Some sources only lable a species as native only if it's currently breeding, some sources don't lable a species as native even if it just started breeding and has been mentioned to have bred after time of writing and some sources continue to describe species as a native even though a pair bred but no longer breeds
The field guide to nz birds....I always thought the labeling was very straightforward.... Vagrant (a random occurrence), straggler (a migrant blown of course), uncommon visitor??? Not sure exactly what makes a bird an uncomon visitor different to a vagrant??? ( that was used to describe the nakeen kestral) then there is migrant and then you have native...

Any bird that naturally arrives be it a migrant bird or any of those labels above, is fully protected and is classed as native as long as the bird turned up naturally unassisted. But to be actually labeled a native species... I always thought that bird must have breed and continually be breeding successfully...
Then you go into subspeciesand then endemic...
That's what I have always understood anyway...

Then you have birds that have bred very recently such as the horay grebe and the wood duck. Are they classed as native straight away or do they have to breed for a number of years and become established before they are labeled native, particularly nz birdsonline

Anyway how are those glossy Isbis doing regarding breeding??? Did they breed this season
Last edited by fras444 on Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
fras444
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Re: 18 Glossy Ibis, Wairau Lagoons

Postby fras444 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:11 pm

But it is a interesting question to ask what you guys think...

Any species that arrives here on its own becomes protected as it is instantly classed as native...

SO GUYS..... When do you personally describe a recent arrival to be a true native species??


As a vagrant/straggler/visitor or an annual migrant Or....

If either, a pair That has... attempted to nest/laid a clutch such as the white-winged black terns in the south island. When a clutch is laid and a brood is successfully raised such as the Horay grebe, or when a huge clutch/number has been successfully been raised such as the Aussie wood ducks or. More than a couple of breeding successes such as the Glossy Ibis or when the species is all but established and the broods are also breeding such as the Barn owl?

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