- SHOREBIRD MONITORING -
June 2017

Thursday June 8th
2 hours after high tide (2.69m at 6:07am), mild & calm

1 reef heron
1 Caspian tern
1 shag
1 female Paradise shelduck
1 black-back gull
13 red-bill gull
9 oystercatchers
4 spur-wing plover
20 dotterel
1 shag
NO pied stilts


I'd read Reef Heron have been seen in the bay, but not on my watch till now, and they're on the nationally endangered list too. Took a while for me to realise that what I'd assumed to be our resident white-faced heron was indeed a new visitor. Less furtive in behaviour & feeding well out into water beyond the range of any other shorebirds here. A distinctively hunched posture, bill yellow instead of black

Thursday June 15th
2 hours after high tide (2.64m at 10:53am), cool & clear

When tides are this low 2 hours after high tide is a little late to see the birds closely congregated. 30 minutes earlier would have allowed a more comprehensive count, & perhaps revealed more pied stilts too if they do indeed depart as the tide drops.

8 oystercatchers
1 Caspian tern
8 spur-wing plover
8 kotare
8 pied stilts
34 dotterel

The most spur-wing plovers seen together. No sign of the reef heron. Kotare are generally present, but 8 scattered across the lagoon today was more than usual. Dotterels: approx. half juvenile & half adult as determined by behaviour

Images of lower Te Matuku Bay are intended to provide a sense of place
rather than show specific conditions on monitoring days