Gull-billed Terns at Paerata

[Ian Southey]

Just after 4pm today I saw four Gull-billed Terns on the outskirts of Paerata, between Pukekohe and Drury. There were two very sharp looking adults, maybe a first year bird with a white crown and black behind the eyes and the fourth had a smudgy grey crown with black from the eyes across the nape. They were very much like the Manawatu birds but obviously not the same individuals.

They looked to be very happy hawking drowned worms from a ploughed paddock so I sprinted home to get the camera but 30 or 40 minutes later I couldn't find them. If this is what they like to eat they could turn up anywhere but maybe they will roost with other terns on the harbour.

Ian

[Ian Southey]

I may have seen these birds again. This morning I was right down the end of Urquharts Rd, Karaka checking ploughed paddocks and saw about 4 large terns flying up and down in the distance and the flight pattern seemed about right for what that's worth. I had the scope on them and was looking for the bill colour but couldn't see it and I thought I might if I they were Caspian's, even at that distance. One bird may have had a pale crown otherwise I thought they looked black. Behind them were the houses at Weymouth and the birds were dipping below the crest of the hill so I'm not sure if they were feeding on the edge of the paddock or over the mudflats. Maybe Weymouth would have been closer.

Also in the distance that way were 52+ spoonbills in two Macrocarpa trees. Beside the road as I came in I saw 14 Banded Dotterel on the corner of Aulyns Rd, a SIPO flock and after hearing them for some time, 8 NZ Dotterel in a paddock behind me. Not bad given the tide was out. Could be a good beat for census this weekend.

Also saw a brood of about 8 very young Mallard ducklings. Not much of a winter apparently.

Ian
Ian

[Suzi]

Does anyone check the small beach at Conifer Grove regularly ? That might be another place to sight these GBTs.

From memory the beach is accessed down a walkway at the end of Keywella Drive ? The site was where a Hudsonian Godwit was roosting a year (or so !?) ago.

Suzi

[Ian Southey]

I probably didn't see these birds at Weymouth. Last week I went to locate the spoonbill roost (at the end of Weymouth Rd) and realised the distances involved and decided the birds I saw were more likely Caspian Terns fishing over the channel not Gull-billeds working the paddock.

However, on Manukau census today I found four Gull-billed Terns at Kirk's that match the Paerata birds very well, two with black caps, one with a whitish cap and the other with a smudgy cap. Amongst other birds there I was even more surprised to see a Terek Sandpiper. Then on the way home I saw two more just round the corner in Wright road with Jersey cattle and some White-faced Herons. Both of these birds had white caps with black behind the eye. They were snapping up food on the ground as well as on the wing and after about 20 minutes headed about east inland.

Ian

[Clinton9]

Hi Ian,
You saw six gull-billed terns ???

Clinton.

[Ian Southey]

Yes.

Also Tony Habraken reported three more from the base of the Awhitu Peninsula yesterday too.

Ian

[Clinton9]

Hi Ian,

This make NINE Gull-billed terns !!!

Clinton.

[Ian Southey]

I went back at lunchtime yesterday for another look. There were four Gull-billed Terns with two Red-billed Gulls on the same paddock in Wright Rd but a harrier put them up before I was organised. Figured they'd appear on the roost at Kirk's so went down and saw them hunting in the mangroves. When I went across I saw six Gull-billed Terns sitting on the mud which seemed to match with sunday's numbers and they sat quite well. It seemed as if there were too many black capped birds and not enough youngsters but two more joined in to make a flock of eight Gull-billed Terns which probably included all the birds I've seen (so far). Most of the black capped birds had some white feathers in the crown, maybe one didn't, so I think these are actually young birds. I'll check wing moults later.

They were catching crabs in the channels even diving half a body length under water to pick them up. This could be a good place for them so maybe they will stay put for a while. I think the last time we had these sort of numbers was in the 1970s.

Ian

[Ian Southey]

Still having trouble counting. This afternoon Tim Barnard and I saw nine Gull-billed Terns on Wright Rd, Kingseat in the same paddock that I have seen birds over the last three days.

You can get there by leaving the motorway at Papakura and heading west for some distance. Pass through Karaka, Te Hihi and Kingseat on the main road and you will get to a roundabout, go straight across and Wright Road is at the top of the hill, the first turn on the right. Near the seaward end there is a right angle bend and I have seen the terns just past there from the bottom of the hill looking left. They come and go so it may be worth waiting a bit. While they often fed well away from us there were some close passes. I have seen them there fairly loosely around high tide but I don't know if they go out to the mudflats at low tide or not. It seems to be a good place as there has consistently been a mob of herons, some Red-billed Gulls and other birds there but that may change as the cattle move on and the grass grows up.

They also feed over the mangrove area that starts on the other side of the road but access there is through private property.

Good luck,

Ian

[phil hammond]

hi all

4 were present at the location down wright road described by ian [thanks ian] at 2pm yesterday. they and gulls were gone by 2.15---but not in a flock

1 flew north [over my head for good views] toward kirks
another followed the same path about 2 minutes later
the other 2 flew S.W. 6or7 minutes later towards clarkes beach