Eastern Curlew (?) at Hutt Estuary

[SomesBirder]

Today I visited the Hutt estuary, without expecting much, as there is little to see there, and the tide was relatively high. However, I noticed a greyish bird on an isolated part of land that was surrounded by water. With a small hope that it was a godwit and not a boring, regular white-faced heron, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when the bird turned around for me to see a giant, curved bill. It was a curlew (probably not a whimbrel).
I suspect that this is the same bird that was seen at Manawatu and then Ohau. To think that a bird as scarce and unique in New Zealand as this would turn up in the polluted mud-puddle known as the Hutt estuary. This is the first I have ever seen, and probably the rarest bird I have seen in New Zealand without being told of it by this forum first.
Pictures to come in soon.

[David Lawrie]

just goes to show that regular visits to even unpromising places can bring great rewards. Well done your persistance has paid off. I look forward to the photos

[SomesBirder]

These are probably my best photos, edited. My camera's zoom was not great, and these are extremely mediocre compared to my usual standards, but I suppose they could be worse. The black-backed gull spoiled one of these. I would have spent longer than five minutes photographing the curlew, but I think there was some sort of commotion going on near the boat sheds, so I quickly took off.
The curlew stood true to the description from many field guides; I was about thirty metres away from it and would not have reached it anyway due to the water in my way, but it took off and flew around the estuary a couple of times before thankfully landing again. Unfortunately, I did not hear it call.
Migrant waders are rare at the Hutt estuary. I remember seeing that somewhat photographed a godwit there late last year or early this year, and even though I rushed to the estuary just two hours after it was reported I never saw it. Seeing this curlew completely made up for it.

[SomesBirder]

These are not much better...

[BJC]

I suggest that care needs to be taken when using throwaway terms like "polluted mud puddle", as in the initial post of this thread. Unsupported negative comments may not only discourage visitors to this wildlife site but also don't take into account the efforts of those attempting to protect and improve the environment here.

Although the Hutt River estuary poses some environmental concerns regarding fine grained sedimentation and nutrient input (as would be expected for any comparable waterway flowing through urban centres), a recent monitoring survey showed that the dominant habitat - the unvegetated mud flats attracting the waders - were in generally fair condition and well populated with the appropriate invertebrate biota. Heavy metals, PAHs, TP and TN were all in low concentrations and oxygenation was at moderate levels.

See:
http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/council-pu ... 010-11.pdf
for details.

[SomesBirder]

I did not mean to cause offence, BJC, but if you were to compare this estuary to Manawatu or Thames, then this estuary is almost exactly what I said it was. The Hutt estuary is extremely unpopular as a birding site as is; it is too small and the only real highlight is the sizable number of spoonbills that frequent the area. I should also note that the estuary is fringed by small trees instead of swamp vegetation, and so this decreases the diversity of the birds. Also, at high tide, birds that are not gulls, mallards or cormorants have almost nowhere to go. The pied stilt is a bird that is common at estuaries like Pauatahanui and Manawatu, but I have only ever seen one once at the Hutt estuary; a probable juvenile that I saw early last year.

It really is disappointing that the number of bird species at the Hutt estuary is not more diverse.

[SomesBirder]

I suppose these pictures are acceptable for the book that I might make in the future, but why is the quality toned down when I post pictures on this forum?! I swear these photos look better on both my camera and my computer.

[Byrd]

well done on the curlew! I've seen them overseas but not yet in New Zealand...still looking!! My memory swears that I saw one at Kaikoura when I was a teenager but that was before I was properly birding so I discount it (and I can't be sure my memory isn't just lying outright to me!!)

[SomesBirder]

Thank you. As I said before, I never expected it to turn up there. This must be one of the only records of a curlew in the lower Wellington region. Does anyone know where the rest are?

Why does the OSNZ say that curlews are only reportable at Stewart Island, the Kermadec Islands, the Chatham Islands and sub-Antarctic islands? Because they are considerably uncommon migrants to New Zealand now, I would say that they should be reportable South of the Bay of Plenty, except for Canterbury.

[David Lawrie]

Curlew are usually very hard to approach, so your photos are better than many I have seen. There are not many in NZ each year but they are distinctive by their size, and a good record. I would encourage you submit a UBR to the records appraisal committee any way to ensure that is officially recorded from this unusual location. Keep up the good observations.