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DOC's work
- 2010-2011 season
- 2009-2010 season
  - NZ fairy tern/ tara-iti photo gallery

New Zealand fairy tern/tara-iti project 2009-2010 season

Waipu Wildlife Refuge

Two NZ fairy tern pairs nested on the spit with 10 eggs laid through 5 attempts (1 pair nested 3 times and the other twice). A third pair were seen periodically but were not recorded to have nested, however their plumage indicated that eggs could have been laid and lost before being found.

Two chicks hatched but unfortunately neither fledged. This season we decided to try keeping eggs in their nests as much as possible. This resulted in no eggs from Northland travelling to Auckland Zoo.

Predators have been a major problem again this season, in particular cats. Four eggs were confirmed through the presence of prints to have been taken by cats, while two eggs just prior to hatching and two 11 day old chicks also disappeared. While no prints were found it is suspected that these were also predated. One egg in the fifth set of eggs was observed being picked up and dropped by a Variable oystercatcher, proving a long-suspected theory that Variable oystercatchers had been responsible for loss of eggs.

We were however fortunate this season to have excellent weather conditions conducive for producing chicks with wind primarily from the west and no cyclone systems. This enabled us to keep eggs on the spit rather than taking them to the zoo minimising disturbance and potential infection. Because of this when we did have king tides we were able to try different techniques that we have not used often and we will have more confidence to use in the future.

Mangawhai Wildlife Refuge

It proved to be a busy season at Mangawhai with five NZ fairy tern pairs nesting on the spit and nine eggs laid, of which six NZ fairy tern chicks fledged.

Rangi Zimmerman returned after a year away pursuing other DOC employment. Rangi was the trainee ranger warden at Waipu during the 2007/2008 NZ fairy tern breeding season and has returned to the project with enthusiasm and excellent monitoring skills.

Rangi's initial focus was to become familiar with the traps along the forest edge on the southern boundary of the Mangawhai Wildlife Refuge. These had been serviced during winter and continued throughout the breeding season catching rats, weasels, stoats and hedgehogs.

Temporary fencing was erected early in the season around key nesting areas. This helped visitors became familiar with them and meant we were prepared should the birds nest inside these areas and not cause further disturbance during those critical first days of incubation.

Nest 1

The first nest of the season proved particularly stressful due to the arrival of a third adult who wanted the female. This adult proceeded to bring her fish, make nest scrapes, disturb the other male, copulate with her and peck the chicks after they had hatched. However, despite this disturbance both chicks successfully fledged.

Nest 2

The chicks from the second nesting pair also experienced disturbance from other adult NZ fairy terns, but again, both were raised successfully and after the chicks left the nest site with their parents, were seen in Port Albert a couple of days later. The site of their nest was a bit of a concern due to potential king tides reaching and pooling it, but Rangi prepared for this by placing sandbags in the low areas.

Nest 3

This established pair once again nested in a shell area where they have successfully raised chicks for a number of seasons. They laid one egg and this was joined three days later by an egg, which had transferred from another nest because the female disappeared for two days.

When the chicks hatched, five days apart, they became affectionately known as "Big Chick" and "Little Chick". Although there was concern that "Big Chick" might eat all of the food, it was recorded on numerous occasions that the parents would intentionally walk past him to ensure that "Little Chick" was fed. Both chicks successfully fledged.

Nest 4

This nesting pair has a dubious history. Their first known breeding attempt was last season when an egg was laid but then deserted within 24hrs. This year when they showed nesting behaviour, Rangi kept a close eye on them.

The female laid one egg, but then disappeared for two days, so Rangi, exchanged the egg for a dummy egg. When the female returned two days later she laid a second egg and both parents resumed consistent incubation.

However, on the day the egg was to be candled, Rangi arrived at the site to find that both the egg and the dummy egg had disappeared. The only visible evidence seen was a set of human footprints leading to the shell patch and then away from it. While we cannot absolutely prove that a person took the eggs, the evidence points to it being the most likely scenario. The pair did re-nest but unfortunately, this embryo died.

Nest 5

The arrival of a fifth pair late in the season caused a stir, as they were from Waipu. They had already laid three clutches at Waipu this season, but each attempt had been lost to predators. They laid one egg at Mangawhai, but unfortunately, it was infertile. However, this was the first record of four clutches being laid in one season and the first known time that a long term, site-faithful breeder has switched a site and re-nested somewhere else in the same season.

Papakanui

The Department of Conservation's effort to protect the critically endangered New Zealand fairy tern/tara-iti at Papakanui continued in the summer of 2009-10. Two wardens were employed to protect and monitor nesting fairy terns, undertake predator control and carry out public education and law-enforcement amongst visitors to the area.

A pair of fairy terns banded WpG-M and B-RM made one confirmed nesting attempt in the dunes where Rangitira Beach meets Papakanui Spit. They laid two eggs, one of which hatched. The resulting chick was banded WM-Y and went on to fledge.

Other individual fairy terns, including two potential breeding pairs, were also seen at Papakanui over the summer. However, no further nests were found.

Predator control was done by trapping (DOC 250 and Victor leg-hold traps) and shooting, and the number of predators caught was comparable to what was caught during the previous summer.

Pakiri

The summer of 2009/10 was the seventh consecutive season in which the resident pair of New Zealand fairy terns (female: M-WR/male: M-YW) nested at the Pakiri River mouth.

The topography of Pakiri Beach had yet altered again from the previous year with the river having moved a little further south during winter leaving a large breeding area on its northern, less peopled side.

The pair produced one two-egg nest in a flat shelly area north of the river mouth and the chicks hatched on 6 and 7 December 2009. Both chicks grew evenly. They were confident fliers and divers as at 22 January 2010.

After the disappearance of two eggs in Mangawhai on 21 December 2009, the chicks were watched over in the evenings as well as during the day for two weeks.

Again, it was an ideal season without any incidents and with good weather during any critical high tide periods.

I did not get to observe the chicks' development as closely as in the previous year due to my manning people's main river crossing point by the river mouth. Also, the New Zealand fairy tern family chose a base diagonally across the fenced-off area where they were mostly obscured to observation by debris and heat haze.