No.22 June 2019 The Magazine of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand NO.22 JUNE 2019 Proud sponsors of Birds New Zealand From the President's Desk Find us in your local 3 New World or PAKn’ Save 5 Bar-tailed Godwit foraging ecology 6 Shore Plovers set new record 7 Hauraki Gulf Spotted Shags 9 Fairy Terns and mangroves 10 New Zealand Bird Atlas launched 13 Saving Hawai’ian songbirds 14 The Mystery of the Adzebills PUBLISHERS 15 KākāpŌ ‘baby boom’ Published on behalf of the members of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand 16 Regional Roundup (Inc), P.O. Box 834, Nelson 7040, New Zealand. Email: [email protected] Website: www.osnz.org.nz 19 Reviews Editor: Michael Szabo, 6/238 The Esplanade, Island Bay, Wellington 6023. Email: [email protected] Tel: (04) 383 5784 ISSN 2357-1586 (Print) ISSN 2357-1594 (Online) We welcome advertising enquiries. Free classified ads for members are at the COVER IMAGE editor’s discretion. Articles or illustrations related to birds in New Zealand and the Erect-crested Penguin, Kaikoura. Photo by Mike Ashbee South Pacific region are welcome in electronic form, such as news about birds, www.mikeashbeephotography.com members’ activities, birding sites, identification, letters, reviews, or photographs. Copy deadlines are 10th Feb, May, Aug and 1st Nov. Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent those of OSNZ (Inc) or the editor. India’s dawn chorus Join us for a fully escorted, small-group, bird-lovers and wildlife tour in north India. 20 days, departing 14 October 2019. India’s diversity of habitat types and altitudes give it a rich bird life. It has over 1200 bird species including 70 raptors, 30 duck and geese species, and 8 stork varieties. We visit 5 magnificent National Parks: in the Himalayas, the Ganges Plains and on the Deccan Plateau. In this season we will also see masses of migratory birds from north Asia. And wildlife, including tigers, is a bonus. Contact: colourindia.co.nz | [email protected] 09 422 0111 | 021 235 3932 2 BIRDS NEW ZEALAND I Number 22 June 2019 From the President’s Desk Council Meeting Sub-committee with the purpose of developing a strategic The Birds New Zealand Council met in February in Christchurch overview of the Society’s finances and a view to ensuring that and again at the end of May. At the February meeting we the Society is sustainable and viable in the long term. The Sub- considered our progress on developing our Health and Safety committee recently met and identified some tasks to start this resources and commissioned work on developing a hazard work. Contributions from Society members on how we might register for the activities we undertake. We received a report approach this task are welcome. from Mike Bell on progress with the design of the New Zealand Notornis Survey Bird Atlas; adopted the Conservation Policy Statement; and evaluated the need for three meetings a year as a possible cost Council conducted an electronic survey at the end of 2018 savings measure. There is a fuller report on the Bird Atlas on to investigate how members are using our scientific journal, pages 10-12 of this edition. Notornis. Council wanted to gain a broad overview of how useful our members find the journal, and the preferred method Society Secretary of access to it. The survey was completed by only 371 members, It was with considerable sadness that I recently received a letter with the majority (65%) of respondents regularly reading at least of resignation from the Society’s Secretary Denise Fastier. This part of Notornis. The journal is viewed generally in a positive is a sad loss as Denise was an extremely effective Secretary and light, and received an overall 'enjoyment' rating of 67 out of we will miss her energy at the Council table. We have arranged 100. Our members involved in ornithological research find it temporary cover, but Council would like to co-opt a permanent to be a valuable resource, with some of our general members replacement as quickly as we can. If you would like to join commenting that the journal is 'too scientific or technical' Council in this important role please either give me a ring or send for them to enjoy. While there is a willingness among some me an email to discuss what it means. members to switch to online-only options if it will help the Society reduce costs, generally our membership would prefer Changes on Council to continue receiving the hard copy quarterly. Council does not The formal announcement of changes to Council occurred at the intend to make any changes to the distribution of Notornis but AGM but I would like to acknowledge the contribution made these results will allow us to track the changing needs of our by Helen Taylor and Sharon Alderson in their respective time membership over time. on Council. Both retired at the end of the AGM in Wellington. Library Sharon has made a real difference through her work in the establishment of the Society’s Youth Camps and helping to I’ve recently received copies of two scientific journals.Bird Study strengthen governance of the Society, and Helen has worked so is published by the British Trust for Ornithology, with a focus hard leading the rebranding of the Society and the development on field ornithology mainly within the Western Palearctic. of the new website. Thank you both. Colin Miskelly has rejoined Ornithological Science is published by the Ornithological Society Council to carry on his good work: thank you Colin. Eleanor of Japan and has a wider focus on science, covering all aspects Gunby (Canterbury) and Josie Galbraith (Auckland) have joined of ornithology. These, and other ornithological publications Council. from around the globe, are available through the Society’s library at Auckland Museum. I encourage you to look up the Finance Sub-committee list of available periodicals http://osnz.org.nz/borrowing-birds- The Society is incredibly active at the moment and Council wants new-zealand-books-periodicals and to email Trina Smith, our to build on this momentum to grow our Society into the future. Librarian, to gain access to them via [email protected] She To be successful in this requires good ideas and projects, but also is looking forward to the Society’s library resources having sustainable finances. Recent projects have been funded through more usage by the membership. It is one of the most significant our partners T-Gear Charitable Trust and ‘Goodness Kitchen’, and collections of ornithological science in the country, so please put also through Society Reserves. Council is concerned that this it all to use. is not sustainable and that we need to have a more long-term Finally, the group of Royal Spoonbills roosting at Andersons strategic approach concerning our income generation and how Bay Inlet has been gradually getting smaller as individuals head to ensure that the funding of Society activities is sustainable. off on their northward migration. After a hard day chasing a Part of this as I discussed in my last column is ensuring that mouse around my desk at work it is the stuff of envy to see them subscriptions are paid on time. To support the Treasurer in taking looking so relaxed on the bird roost at high tide or undertaking a more strategic approach, Council has established a Finance an easy forage at mid and low tides. I’m sure that they will enjoy their winter in the north before coming south again. Two travel grants are offered every two years: $500 (if the AOC is AOC 2019 Student Travel Grants held in New Zealand) or $1,000 (if held in Australia) each. A travel The Australasian Ornithological Conference (AOC) is a biennial grant is awarded once to any one person. Successful applicants conference hosted jointly between Birds New Zealand and Birds are expected to write a short report on their conference expe- Australia. The 2019 AOC will be held in Darwin from 3 to 5 July. rience for publication in Birds New Zealand and/or submit an Birds New Zealand offers travel grants to assist postgraduate article to Notornis. To be eligible, applicants must be current Birds research students from New Zealand to present their findings at New Zealand members and postgraduate students at the time of the AOC. submitting an application. Applications for travel grants are open now and close on 1 August 2019 Number 22 June 2019 I BIRDS NEW ZEALAND 3 RAC Report 2018 The online Unusual Bird Report (UBR) reporting system on the Birds New Zealand website is working well, and is the main source of UBRs received. Receipt of UBRs is acknowledged promptly by the RAC Secretary. Batches of UBRs are sent to the committee members every 2 months, and they then have Upland Sandpiper was the first rare bird report accepted for NZ 2 months to provide comment. All RAC members reliably kept (1967). Photo by David Rintoul/New Zealand Birds Online. within deadlines during 2018. Response letters were typically sent out 3-5 months after UBRs were received. A total of 124 UBRs was received in 2018, and assessed between March 2018 ‘Another Unusual Birds Report and February 2019. This is the largest number of submissions received by the committee in a single year. Ninety-eight (79%) of from Auckland Museum’ these UBRs were accepted by the committee. One new species (Macquarie Island Shag) was added to the New Zealand list. Over three days in November 2018, Paul Garner-Richards An online database of Unusual Bird Reports (http://rare.birds.