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NOTORNIS Journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand Volume 25 Part 4 December 1978 OFFICERS 1978 - 79 President - Mr. B. D. BELL, Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington Vice-president - Mr. M. L. FALCONER, 188 Miromiro Road, Normandale, Lower Hutt Editor - Mr. B. D. HEATHER, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, Silverstrearn Treasurer - Mr. H. W. M. HOGG, P.O. Box 3011, Dunedin Secretary - Mr. H, A. BEST, Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, Wellington Council Members: Dr. BEN D. BELL, 45 Gurney Road, Belmont, Lower Hutt Mrs. B. BROWN, 39 Red Hill Road, Papakura Dr. P. C. BULL, 131 Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt Mr D. E. CROCKETT, 21 McMillan Avenue, Kamo, Whangarei Mr. F. C. KINSKY, 338 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington 5 Mrs. S. M. REED, 4 Mamaku Street, Auckland 5 Mr. R. R. SUTTON, Lorneville, No. 4 R.D., Invercargill Conveners and Organisers: Rare Birds Committee (Acting): Mr. B. D. BELL Beach Patrol: Mr. C. R. VEITCH, Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, P.O. Box 2220, Auckland Card Committee: Mr. R. N. THOMAS, 25 Ravenswood Drive, Forest Hill, Auckland 10 Field Investigation Committee: Mr. B. D. BELL ' Librarian: Miss A. J. GOODWIN, R.D. 1, Clevedon Nest Records: Mr. D. E. CROCKETT Recording (including material for Classified Surnmarised Notes) : Mr. R. B. SIBSON, 26 Entrican Avenue, Remuera, Auckland Representative on Member Bodies' Committee of Royal Society of N.Z.: Mr. B. D. BELL Assistant Editor: Mr A. BLACKBURN, 10 Score Road, Gisborne Editor of OSNZ News: Mr P. SAGAR, 2/362 Hereford St., Christchurch SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP Annual Subscription: Ordinary membership $6; Husband/Wife member- ship $9; Life membership $120 (age over 30); Junior member- ship (age under 20) $4.50; Family membership (one Notornis er household) other members of a family living in one house iold where one is already a member $3; Institutional subscrip tions $10; overseas subscriptions $2.00 extra. Subscriptions are payable on a calendar year basis at the time of application for membership and on receipt of invoice each January. Prompt payment of subscription will ensure continued receipt of Notornis and of OSNZ News. Applications for membership, changes of address and letters of resig- nation should be sent to the Treasurer. Editorial matters ONLY should be addressed to the Editor. Exchanges and library subscriptions should be referred to the Treasurer. [Registered with the GPO, Gisborne, as a publication] ISSN 0029 .4470 CONTENTS -*- DAWSON. D . G .. DILKS. P . J .. GAZE. P . D .. McBURNEY. J . G . R .. WILSON. P . R . Seasonal differences in bird counts in forests near Reefton ...... ...... ............ 257 EDGAR. A . T . Field Study Course. Bay of Plenty. January 1978 279 LOVEGROVE. T . G . Seabird Observations between New Zealand and Fiji ...... ............ ............ ............ 291 SKINNER. J . F . Status of the Pied Tit (Petroica macrocephala toitoi) in the Waitakere Range. Auckland. 1:nterim Report 299 TARBURTON. M . K . Some Recent Observations on Seabirds Breeding in Fiji ...... .................. ............ 303 FOX. N . C . The Distribution and Numbers of New Zealand Falcons .................................... SIBSON, R . B . Classified Summarised Notes ............ Short Notes FOOKS, P . Leach's Fork-tailed Storm Petrel ...... ...... PIERCE, R . J . Feeding Methods of an Oriental Pratincole GOFFIN, 'R . B. Unusual Flock of Fairy Terns ...... ...... FLUX, J . E . C . Helpers and Scroungers at Starling Nests JUKES, W . M . Golfing Gulls ...... ............ ...... SAGAR, P . M . Australian Pelicans in Canterbury ...... LATHAM, P . C . M . Asiatic Whimbrel Catching Crabs STIDOLPH, R . Feral Barbary Doves Shedding Raindrops Letters JOHN WARHAM ........................ ...... K . WODZICKI ...... ............ .................. G . W . JOHNSTONE .............................. Corrigendum .........._ ........................ Printed by TE RAU PRESS LTD., Pel Street. Gislbrne REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES FAR NORTH: D. E. Crockett, 21 McMillan Ave., Kamo, Whangarei. NORTHLAND: 1 Ph. 50954. AUCKLAND: Mrs S. Reed, 4 Marnaku St., ~uckland5. Ph. 547784. ' SOUTH AUCKLAND: Mrs Beth Brown, 39 Red Hill Rd., Papakura. Ph. 2988157. WAIKATO: Mrs B. Seddon, 11 Grey Street, Cambridge. Ph. 7764. BAY OF PLENTY: R. M. Weston, 250 River Road, Kawerau..Ph. 8357. VOLCANIC PLATEAU: R. W. Jackson, 9 Kenrick Road, Rotorua. Ph. 86907. / GISBORNE/WAIROA: 1. C. Henley, 9 on St., Gisborne. Ph. 85181. TARANAKI: R. W. 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Bell, 9 Ferry Road, Seatoun, Wellington: OSNZ tie (mid-grey with Notornis motifs). $6.00 NOTORNIS is the journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (Inc.) Editor: B. D. Heather, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, SILVERSTREAM VOLUME 25 PART 4 DECEMBER, 1978 I SEASONAL DIFFERENCES %NBIRD COUNTS IN FORESTS NEAR REEFTON, SOUTH ISLAND, NEW EE'ALANB By D. G. DAWSON, P. J. DILKS, P. D. GAZE, J. G. R. McBURNEY and P. R. WILSON ABSTRACT Birds were counted in four forest areas every second month of a year to determine broad habitat preferences of the different species and the factors affecting the numbers counted. Most species showed marked seasonal changes in conspicuousness. The differences between the numbers of birds counted by different observers were generally small compared with the differences between areas and seasons. Many species were more abundant in the valley-bottom forest than in the two hill-country forests; only a few species preferred high-altitude forest. The preferred habitat of some species changed with season. The implications of these findings for bird conservation in Westland forests are discussed. INTRODUCTION Conservation issues, such as those raised by proposals to exploit S~uthIsland beech fcrests ccmmercially (Thomson l97l), require information on the kinds and numbers of birds living in different forested areas. Dawson & Bull (1975) described what seemed a practical technique for counting birds in forests, and this paper reports the use of the technique to compare the bird populations of four forests near Reefton every second month for a year. The study had two main aims: to document broad habitat preferences and the seasonal distribution of each species of bird, and to examine the various factors influencing the numbers counted. This paper compares the areas and examines the effects of season and different observers on the numbers counted. A preliminary examination indicates that weather, noise (produced by running water, traffic, cicadas, ctc.) and hour of day were not significant in the differences that ~ccurred. 258 DAWSGN et at. NCTCRNIS 25 FIGURE 1 - The location of the four study areas. STUDY AREAS AND METHODS Four study areas were selected (Fig. 1). Two represent the main hill-country "types" (as mapped by the Naticnal Forest Survey, Masters kt ~1.1957) of the forests proposed for conversion to exotics or beech management in the West Coast Beech Utilisation Scheme (Thcmson 1971; N.Z. Fored Service staff, Reefton, pers. comm.). These were at Recfton Saddle (type PB5: 310-430 ,m a.s.1.) and at Te Wharau (type PB15: 300-420 m a.s.1.). The third area, type PB1, sampled zt Fletcher Creek (230 m a.s.l.), is a remnant of the type of SEASONAL DIFFERENCES IN BIRD COUNTS 2 59 Fletcher Creek Reefton Saddle Te Wharau Rahu Saddle Rimu -. Miro .- 8 -- Yellow silver pine . -. Kahikatea - - Hall's totara - - Southern rata - - .. Broadleaf - - . -. Pseudopanax spp. - - . - *. - . -. Stinkwood - - 0. -- Horopito - . a .- Rohutu - - 0 . o &,sine dbarkata - - Mingimingi -. o Coprosma 'colensoi - - . ~et&ideros dfisa .- t . -- Astelia nema -. -. -- .- Lawyer - - o -- .- ..