Environment – Fledglings begin to fly

Being able to report on the summer’s breeding results is always such a joyful occasion. The hihi that were translocated to Shakespear Open Sanctuary last year were all juveniles, so this was their first breeding season. They did really well, with 60 fledglings (35 female and 25 male) and at least half of the founders also confirmed to still be here. Hihi have high energy demands, which is why they are provided with sugar water. The feeder along Waterfall Gully track has provided delightful opportunities to spot them from the nearby bench. Unfortunately, it was vandalised at the end of March. Luckily, repairs were quick and as far as we know, no birds were harmed by this mean-spirited act.

Tūturiwhatu/NZ dotterel are also easy to see and enjoy: they are the small birds that look like wind-up toys as they whirr around on the beach very fast. A total of four fledglings from five nests illustrates that this species keeps requiring all the help we can give.

Much harder to observe are some of the seabirds that breed in natural burrows or in special nest boxes where they are active at night. We can only monitor the nest boxes, because the natural burrows tend to be inaccessible on cliff faces. This season we banded seven ōi/grey-faced petrel chicks and two pakahā/fluttering shearwater chicks. It is really cool to have these species nesting at Shakespear Open Sanctuary, because most petrel species have vanished from the mainland and only breed on offshore islands.

Such offshore species include Tītī/Cook’s petrel and Tāiko black petrel who regularly fly between their nesting grounds on Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands to the feeding grounds in the Tasman, passing over us all at night. Unfortunately, April and May are “petrel crash months” as their fledglings are out for the first time. They are still learning how to transform from a nestling in a dark burrow to an adult soaring the open ocean.  No surprise then that sometimes they crash, especially when disoriented by the bright lights of the city. They cannot fly off again after such a crash, and end up “stuck” in backyards, sport fields, streets, ditches or culverts. 

So, keep an eye out for the next six to eight weeks, and if you find a petrel: use a towel or item of clothing rather than your bare hands to handle them (this protects their waterproofing). Try to keep the bird in a quiet, well-ventilated box or area and do not try to feed or water them.  Keep them safe from traffic or pets. Call the DOC hotline at 0800 362 468, Birdcare Aotearoa on 027 816 9219 or your local vet, for further instructions.

For more information on SOSSI (Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Inc.) see www.sossi.org.nz or our Facebook page.