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Flora and Fauna of Wooded Island, Inner Hauraki Gulf, by G.A. Taylor

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Flora and Fauna of Wooded Island, Inner Hauraki Gulf, by G.A. Taylor Tane 37: 91-98 (1999) FLORA AND FAUNA OF WOODED ISLAND, INNER HAURAKI GULF G.A. Taylor1 and A.J.D. Tennyson2 '50 Kinghorne Street, Strathmore, Wellington, 21 Lincoln Street, Brooklyn, Wellington SUMMARY Wooded Island has a vascular flora of 33 species of which 70% are native. The island is covered mainly in a low forest of taupata (Coprosma repens), coastal mahoe (Melicytus novae-zelandiae) and boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum). There are significant colonies of common diving petrels (Pelecanoides urinatrix) and fluttering shearwaters (Puffinus gavia). Blue penguins (Eudyptula minor) and white-fronted terns (Sterna striata) also breed on the island. Eradication of boxthorn is recommended, as it is having an impact on the survival of the seabirds. Keywords: Pelecanoides urinatrix; Puffinus gavia; vascular flora; Wooded Island; New Zealand INTRODUCTION Wooded Island (0.95 ha) lies 200 m off the northern coast of Tiritiri Matangi Island, inner Hauraki Gulf (Lat 36° 35'S, Long 174° 53'E) (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Wooded Island from Tiritiri Matangi Island, August 1987. Photo: G.A. Taylor. 91 The island is sometimes known as Little Tiri Island. Two visits were made to Wooded Island by the authors. On 29 August 1987, GAT, Tim Lovegrove and John Dowding landed at 0945 h and spent about two hours ashore. Two adjacent rock stacks were also surveyed on this visit. On 1 February 1989, GAT, AJDT and Gill Eller landed between 1200-1500 h on the main island and also checked the north-western rock stack. During our landings, we compiled a list of all vascular plant species, seabirds were surveyed, landbirds noted and searches made for reptiles. VEGETATION The main island is covered in a low forest of taupata (Coprosma repens) and coastal mahoe (Melicytus novae- zelandiae) with emergent pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) occasional near the summit. A dense thicket of boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum) exists on the western and lower northern slopes. The ground cover under the forest is kept relatively barren by the activity of burrowing petrels. Small- flowered nightshade (Solatium americanum) and black nightshade (Solatium nigrum) were common under the forest in August, along with patches of Einadia trigonos. A fringe of coastal herbfield covers the northern and eastern side of the main island (Fig. 2) and is present on the two stacks. New Zealand ice plant (Disphyma australe), Fig. 2. The northern coast of Wooded Island, glasswort (Sarcocornia quinqueflora), February 1989. Note coastal herbfield and low Einadia trigonos and shore groundsel forest of taupata and boxthorn. Photo: G.A. Taylor. (Senecio lautus) are common in the coastal herbfield. FLORA Thirty-three vascular plant species (70% native) were recorded during the two visits. The ten adventive species recorded were mainly herbs and grasses. Most of the plant species found on Wooded Island are typical of small island floras in the 92 Hauraki Gulf (pers. obs.). The species list below has the following abundance scale: a = abundant, c = common, o = occasional, s = scarce. * = adventive species. Wooded SW NW Island Stack Stack Ferns Asplenium haurakiense Dicotyledons Coprosma repens Cotula australis Crassula sieberiana Dichondra repens Disphyma australe Einadia trigonos E. triandra Lycium ferocissimum* Melicytus novae-zelandiae Metrosideros excelsa Muehlenbeckia complexa Pelargonium inodorum Phytolacca octandra* Pittosporum crassifolium Polycarpon tetraphyllum* Sarcocornia quinqueflora Senecio lautus Solanum americanum S. nigrum* Sonchus oleraceus* Spergularia media Stellaria media* Tetragonia trigyna Verbena bonariensis* Wahlenbergia vernicosa Monocotyledons Arthropodium cirratum Bromus willdenowii* Holcus lanatus* Isolepis nodosa Lachnagrostis littoralis Poa annua* Rytidosperma biannulare 93 FAUNA Birds Common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix) - on 29 August, a diving petrel incubating an egg (38 mm x 30 mm) was found in a burrow. Another white egg (41 mm x 32 mm) was found nearby on the surface. The incubating adult was in a burrow with an entrance 10 cm wide and 5 cm high. Most of the petrel burrow entrances on Wooded Island were of similar dimensions. The abundance of diving petrel burrows was a dominant feature on Wooded Island. The density was estimated as 4-5 burrow entrances per m2 on the summit plateau, 4 burrow entrances per m2 on the north-east slope and 1-3 burrow entrances per m2 elsewhere on the island. If 6000 m" of habitat is available on Wooded Island (excluding shoreline rocks and stacks) and diving petrel burrows average 2 entrances per m2, then 12,000 entrances could be present on the island. If 40% of these burrow entrances hold a breeding pair (Marchant & Higgins 1990), then an estimated 4800 pairs may breed on Wooded Island. We believe that the breeding population is between 1000-10,000 pairs. Less than five diving petrel-sized burrows were noted on the north-west stack. One was in a patch of glasswort, the others were in rock crevices and were revealed only by the presence of fresh brick-red excreta at the entrance. No diving petrel burrows were seen on the south-west stack. Fluttering shearwater (Puffinus gavia) - a dead adult fluttering shearwater was found caught up in a boxthorn shrub on 29 August, and a partial skeleton was found during the February visit. We found empty burrows near the summit that were slightly larger and longer than diving petrel burrows. These were possibly being excavated by fluttering shearwaters in August. On 1 February, two fluttering shearwater chicks were found in burrows under ice plant on the lower northern slope. The first chick (banded X-3008) was covered in down, but the primaries and tail were well emerged. The chick was still heavy and was probably 1-3 weeks off fledging. The second chick (banded X-3009) was in fresh plumage with only a few wisps of down present. It was very close to fledging. Quite a few empty shearwater-sized burrows with down feathers present were found, suggesting that most chicks had already departed by early February. Most of the fluttering shearwater burrows found in February were under ice plant near the shoreline. From the density of burrows observed in February, we estimated that up to 200 pairs may breed on Wooded Island. Blue penguin [Eudyptula minor) - penguin burrows were scattered over the island from the shoreline to the summit. Three birds were seen in burrows in August, and moulted feathers were noted outside c. 12 burrows on the island's summit in February. 94 Little shag (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) - one seen in August. Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) - one pale-phased bird with pointed tail feathers flew over the island during the February visit. Southern black-backed gull (Larus dominicanus) - two were seen in August, and four birds and an empty nest were noted in February. Red-billed gull (Larus scopulinus) - two adults and two large chicks were seen on the north-west stack in February. White-fronted tern (Sterna striata) - a nesting colony of c. 30 nearly-fledged chicks and several adults was present on the north-west stack on 1 February. Empty nest sites were found scattered all over the stack. Red-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) - one was seen in August and three were seen in February. Welcome swallow (Hirundo tahitica) - two were seen in August. House sparrow (Passer domesticus) - two were seen in August. Hedge sparrow (Prunella modularis) - one was seen in August. Bellbird (Anthornis melanura) - at least three were seen in August. Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) - six birds were seen and a tui corpse was found under the forest in February. Grey warbler (Gerygone igata) - three were seen in February. Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) - two were seen in August and two were noted in February Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - one was seen in August and six were seen in February. Mammals We saw no sign of any introduced mammals. Rodents are almost certainly absent. Reptiles No skinks or geckos were seen despite searching under rocks, fallen branches and in other likely habitats. The apparent absence of reptiles was unexpected on this island, as reptiles are usually common on petrel islands free of introduced mammals (Whitaker 1978). Further searches, especially at night, may be more successful. Invertebrates Only incidental records of invertebrates encountered are listed here. Tenebrionid beetles (Mimopeus sp.) were common under rocks. Shore earwigs (Anisolabis littorea) were present. A honeybee (Apis mellifera) was seen feeding on a boxthorn shrub and a bumblebee (Bombus sp.) was noted. German or common wasps (Vespula sp.) were also noted. Silverfish and cicadas were recorded on the February visit. A small centipede (c. 16 mm long) and 3-4 mm isopods were seen on the north-west stack. 95 DISCUSSION Wooded Island is an important breeding ground for seabirds. It has the only known large diving petrel colony in the inner Hauraki Gulf. The nearest large breeding colony of diving petrels is on Sail Rock (Atkinson 1972), although a few birds nest on Tiritiri Matangi Island (presumably an overflow from Wooded Island), and also on Maria Island in The Noises group (Cunningham & Moors 1985). Fluttering shearwater colonies are also rare in the inner Hauraki Gulf. A few birds nest on Tiritiri Matangi Island (pers. obs.). There is also a small colony on Horuhoru Rock off Waiheke Island (pers. obs.). The nearest large colonies are on the North-west Chicken Islands (where a few thousand pairs were estimated by AJDT on a visit on 9 December 1992) and the Bream Islands near Whangarei (P. Miller pers. comm.). The densely-burrowed colony of diving petrels and fluttering shearwaters on Wooded Island provides a stark contrast with the sparse populations present on neighbouring Tiritiri Matangi Island, which at the time of our visits, still had a population of Pacific rats or kiore {Rattus exulans). These rodents were eradicated in 1993 (C.R. Veitch pers. comm.). On 20 November 1989, we located c. 15 fluttering shearwater burrows on the north-western headland opposite Wooded Island.
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