Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

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erikforsyth
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Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby erikforsyth » Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:09 pm

Hi all

was at Redwoods cycling track today and was surprised to hear no fewer than 5 NI Robins singing. Two small flocks of Whitehead and several Tomtits seen throughout. Tui, fantail, Warbler and Bellbird also noted.
As far as I can see there is no trapping for predators in the area. The forest is 90% exotic with the undergrowth and small patches of native bush

cheers
Erik
Rockjumper Birding Tours
www.rockjumperbirding.com
Mike Vincent
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby Mike Vincent » Mon Jul 22, 2019 9:09 pm

If you go further into the forest in the vicinity of Hill Rd you stand a very good chance of seeing Falcon and Pipit
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erikforsyth
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R. I heard thate: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby erikforsyth » Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:48 pm

Hi Mike

many thanks for info. i read that falcon bred there 2 years ago.

Best regards
Erik
Rockjumper Birding Tours
www.rockjumperbirding.com
Davidthomas
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby Davidthomas » Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:35 pm

I seem to remember something about the canopy walk doing some pest control in the area around that? But I could well be wrong.
fras444
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby fras444 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:59 pm

The redwoods forest also backs onto the native forest that flank the blue lake and also loosely flows all the way through to mount Tarawera and back in towards the rotomas
fras444
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby fras444 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:37 pm

Tis surprising through especially seeing how sterile it is in the redwoods although robin's and the like are primarily insect feeders.
But yeah if you look on Google, although large swathes of green is pine forest, there is some nice nativ3 undergrowth in those older forest blocks with flowering nativ3 species such as five finger and there are lots of little native corridors that link into large native blocks.
As I said, Rotorua is almost completely ringed with forest (which is quite impressive) some impressive tawa forest pockets and some well vegitated gullies.
From the redwoods a robin could have spread from the native forest that backs onto the redwoods that lines the blue lake and extends around lake okareka then you have huge swaths of native forest from okataina/Tarawera that is then loosely connects via pine and small blocks of native through to the rotomas and the kokako forests of Rotorua then with little pockets of native/exotics connects with the Kaharoa kokako forest stronghold from there it it merges into the mamaku/kaimai/coromandel ranges.
Wow through the exotics... the redwoods also links up with the Te Urewera/kaweka...
And as far as a tui and bellbird flies. Rotorua city itself is full of native trees that connect to Mt Ngongotaha and little forest pocket jumps... It links back up with the mumakus.
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Tim Barnard
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby Tim Barnard » Sun Jul 28, 2019 8:01 am

I am lucky to work next to the Whaka Forest so I am spoiled having a good selection of bush birds close by. Our field crews at Scion spend a lot of time in the plantations of the CNI and often report Fernbirds, Tomtits, Robins and Whiteheads out in Kaingaroa - and of course there are the falcons too. Plantations are far from the barren wildernesses some would have us believe.
fras444
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby fras444 » Sun Jul 28, 2019 8:16 pm

Rotorua in general is such an awesome birding hotspot as a district :D
From kiwi and Kokako to the Caspian terns and a inland black/red-billed gull colony and everything inbetween
Definitly mate, although the redwoods are a bit of an exception regarding a very sterile look.. most forest plantations do have a native understory esp ones near native forest blocks. Also some people do forget that the tomtits, whiteheads, robin's and the like are insect feeders, I'm not sure what pine blocks are like but they should have some sort of insect life in there along with some native shrubs etc in the undergrowth. There is habitat there.
fras444
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Re: Bushbirds at Redwoods Cycle Track, Rotorua

Postby fras444 » Sun Jul 28, 2019 8:28 pm

If you had one of those birding marathons where you had to stay in one district for a year or you could only count birds in the district you lived in... Rotorua would have to be "the" place where you could be right up there in a winning position... (land based anyway!!! One boat trip would blow anything....) but yeah I've seen royal Spoonbills, pied shags, banded dottetels. Caspian terns are often seen around sulphur point. You have all three gulls breeding in all but one location. There was a spot near the redwoods where the three species of blackfooted shags breed. Hope the all the works near he puia havnt stuffed it. Then you got all but all the north island forest endemics barring the "extinced" mainland species I.e saddleback. Then all of those wetlands must hold populations of all the crakes and rails. There are reports, going from nzbirds.nz that Aust Dabchicks are found on Some of the lakes Some farms must have peafowls.... Even a blue duck turned up at paradise valley a while back... you know... if you were bird spotting that particular year... you could have all but ticked a huge proportion of birds found on the north island

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