Shining Cuckoos 2018

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CMKMStephens
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby CMKMStephens » Sun Oct 28, 2018 4:52 pm

Heard one in Zealandia on my typical fencline walk (finally)
Jim_j
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Jim_j » Sun Oct 28, 2018 5:15 pm

Had a couple of days in Nelson, Kaiteriteri, Marahau- none heard or seen although my daughter said she has heard the occasional one around.

Cheers Jim
Jim_j
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Jim_j » Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:49 pm

FINALLY heard one calling today in Pukerua Bay.

If numbers have plummeted as the lack of reports suggests then my money is on the ex tropical cyclone that hit at the end of last summer?
(I had thought the arctic waders might be the first big NZ casualty of climate change....)
Hopefully I'm wrong and numbers will build.

Cheers Jim
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kengeorge
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby kengeorge » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:14 am

I reckon you could be on to something there Jim, in that period early February to mid-March, we had a total of 4 significant weather events come thru our way (one of which knocked out the Takaka Hill Rd and isolated us for a couple of weeks- road still not fixed completely). A couple of the storms, I had concerns about loosing the roof on the house. All of the storms came from the north-west down across the Tasman, the later couple around the time the cuckoos would have begun migrating in that direction.......anybody noticing a parallel drop in numbers for the long-tailed cuckoos? The long tails are pretty rare around here anyway so I wouldn't know if there was a numbers drop or not.
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Jim_j » Wed Oct 31, 2018 1:01 pm

Must admit I haven't been up the hills round Wellington so far this season so haven't heard any LTCs - normally hear them in the Tararuas, Rimutakas, Kapiti Island etc.
There is no topic for them on this site this season so unless a sighting has been made under another topic then (ominously?) no reports.....
Cheers Jim
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kengeorge
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby kengeorge » Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:36 pm

I haven't managed to get up the Cobb Valley yet, DOC won't have the road open again until December apparently. That was another of our roads that was knocked out by one of the late summer storms. The Cobb was always another good area for shining cuckoos, plus many other endemics. For years the local predator control volunteers had run a network of traplines up there, with the road knocked out last autumn, unfortunately I don't think there has been any trapline maintenance done all year. Hope it's not too nasty up there when we get back in.
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Neil Fitzgerald
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Sat Nov 03, 2018 2:15 pm

I don't get any impression of reduced numbers of shining cuckoos here. I hear them just about every time I step outside. But, if groups from different regions migrate at different times, perhaps storm events could disproportionately affect different regions? Wild speculation, but maybe my Pirongia birds did better than some other areas.
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Jim_j » Sat Nov 03, 2018 3:26 pm

Thanks Neil
Good to know there are numbers around in some places at least
Normally this time of year I also hear them just about every time I walk out the door - this season only heard a single call far!

I was basing my theory, on the lack of records recorded on this thread - but of course it may be that people are just not bothering to comment when compared with other years?
I also imagine if there are low numbers in some areas then birds will tend to move off further in search of mates?

You would also tend to think if the birds did depart as a mass migration it might have been noticed by now.. so a theory of various staged migrations from different areas seems quite plausible.

I hope to get out in the Tararuas this week so will be listening out for both Shining & LTCs

cheers
jim
Bruce Keeley
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Bruce Keeley » Sat Nov 03, 2018 8:00 pm

My experience in Howick, East Auckland, tallies with other records of scarcity. Normally from late September I have day-time calling/singing (not every day, by any means) and frequently hear birds on the move at night. Not one record so far. Nor in nearby Mangemangeroa Bush reserve on two recent visits. However one neighbour of the reserve has reported one bird calling.
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Liam Ballard
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Re: Shining Cuckoos 2018

Postby Liam Ballard » Sat Nov 03, 2018 9:42 pm

No scarcity here in the Waikato District! In Glen Massey the cuckoos are alive and well, and I hear them throughout the day.
Liam Ballard

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