Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

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Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

Postby Colin Miskelly » Wed Jul 03, 2019 3:39 pm

Hi all

I have been sent the following email from a Waikanae birder:

"On 3 July my wife was walking down the Waikanae river track when she saw a very unusual black and white bird. It was about the size of a blackbird but she is familiar with pied black birds and unlike blackbirds this one fanned its tail in flight. (She is an experienced birder and is very observant of detail), She also said it had considerable more white on the body and head and was not a magpie.

I showed her a Magpie Lark image and she confirmed the bird she saw was very similar."
GrahamB
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:29 am
Location: Waikanae, Kapiti Coast

Re: Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

Postby GrahamB » Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:21 pm

Any idea where along the river, Colin?

Cheers, Graham
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Re: Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

Postby Colin Miskelly » Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:45 pm

That is all the info I have Graham. I have passed your email address and request for info to my correspondent

Na
Colin
GrahamB
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:29 am
Location: Waikanae, Kapiti Coast

Re: Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

Postby GrahamB » Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:28 pm

Thanks Colin,
I'll go down there tomorrow and try the various open-space areas. There are "pied"/leucistic blackbirds in the general area and can be seen occasionally along Te Moana Road.
Cheers,
Graham
GrahamB
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:29 am
Location: Waikanae, Kapiti Coast

Re: Possible magpie-lark, Waikanae

Postby GrahamB » Fri Jul 05, 2019 12:46 pm

Don't get excited - nothing on the putative Magpie Lark yet. Just got back from a walk down the North bank path, in a clear slot between the showers (well, almost); from Edgewater Park (Fleetwood Grove) to just pass the Equestrian Centre. It was very birdy in the sunshine, with lots of activity on the fields and paddocks. A few big piles of wood chips at the western end of Edgewater Park had attracted over a dozen fantails that were skimming over and on it. In fact it was fantail heaven along most of the path - almost a continuous aerial escort of them. A newly-sewn piece of floodbank between the footbridge and pylons had hundreds of House Sparrows to feed on it along with numerous Yellowhammers and Chaffinches. Heaps of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes on the grass areas. The only "black & white" birds were about four Oz magpies on the sports field and pylons, two Pied Stilts on an isolated patch of vegetation in midstream of the full river and, at a pinch, four Spur-winged Plovers in the paddock next to the equestrian centre. Still plenty of areas to look at though. Cheers, GrahamB

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