Obviously incorrect reports on eBird

[Micah Pomare]

This photo appeared on the NZ Bird Atlas page on eBird yesterday. It has to be wrongly identified unless some miraculous process takes place during growth to transform a pointy stilt-like bill used for picking objects off a surface, as this one is doing, into one that is broad and used for dabbling, as a grey teal would have.

NZ Atlas picture_eBird_28-04-22_17h25.png
I've obviously blurred the photographer's name, because mistakes can be made, even inadvertently when adding media (clicking on the wrong species), but the broader point is that such errors can creep into these records and not be picked up (until later perhaps, fortuitiously so in this case). It also isn't clear if this was entered as part of the Atlas process or comes from an earlier submission, given that there is no Macaulay accession number attached to the photo.

looks to me like a pied stilt chick but I could be wrong

[Ken George]

Just checking out some target ticks for an upcoming Auckland weekend, noticed that a weka was observed on the end of Princess Wharf in downtown Auckland on 26th January 2019. Those darned weka sure get around!

[ZionCooper]

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107863557 - South Island Robin in Hinewai? Not likely!

[Samsperdy]

Hi Zion!
That was my checklist from a little while back.
I am fairly certain that it was a robin though I saw it in poor light and it could’ve just been a tomtit with odd behaviour.
However, the missing wing-bar and the long legs definitely made me think I had a encountered a SI Robin instead.
I did not file a UBR at the time as I wasn’t familiar with the society and Birds NZ back then.

[ZionCooper]

Hi Sam,
South Island Robin would have to travel very far to get to Hinewai (Arthur’s Pass is one of the nearer populations). Could it have possibly been a female Tomtit?

[Samsperdy]

It definitely could have been a female tomtit. As unlikely and unbelievable as it seems to have seen a SI robin the behaviours and evidence suggested to me that I had seen it. Of course realistically I probably messed up and just saw what I thought was a robin and if that is the case I will take down my checklist so it does not mess up the ebird database.

[FraserGurney]

Hi Sam, don't stress about it - it's an easy mistake to make. No need to take your checklist down, you could just change the robin to a tomtit in the list. Hopefully one day there will be robins on Banks Peninsula.

Cheers,
Fraser

[Jan]

Canterbury museum has specimens of Mohua collected from Banks peninsula in the 1800s. Must have been wonderful there, once.

[NoahF]

I'm pretty sure Robins were released at Hinewai at some stage but almost immediately disappeared. Unlikely no one has seen then for 20+ years until now.

[Arnazzzz]

Was just checking out Mohua distribution and came across this checklist:
https://ebird.org/atlasnz/checklist/S107246865

As far as I know there are no Mohua that side of Arthurs Pass, nor are there rockwren in this location. Most of the other parrot and forest species seem pretty unlikely given the alpine location, especially all at once.