Dawn Chorus Bulletin 127 ISSN 1171-8595 November 2021
Storm leaves a trail of damage on the Island
Welcome to spring: the purple flowers of tītoki
Special meeting to consider major rule changes
The story of a lighthouse work boat
Chairchat
Lockdown means more AGM changes
The latest Covid-19 lockdown means the AGM of the Supporters has to be postponed again. If lockdown status allows it will now be on 15 November. However, because of the uncertainty surrounding whether the AGM will go ahead even then, it has also been decided to postpone consideration of the proposed constitutional changes until an Extraordinary General Meeting on 15 March (the agenda is on page 5 of the magazine). We have been consulting with Ian Haynes, our Honorary Solicitor, who has indicated that because of the lockdowns the Charities Commission and Incorporated Societies Registrar have agreed to flexibility around the dates for AGMs. Notification of the changes has been sent to members but we are including details in the magazine as a reminder. We realise that if you only read the print issue the AGM date will be gone by the time it arrives. Under our present rules a quorum of 30 members must be physically present, so we hope that is possible. But members unable to be present physically will be able to observe digitally via Zoom For anyone still confused as to what the rule changes mean, I thought I should repeat the explanation I offered before: •New Rule 4 adds the word ‘families’. There are no other changes. •New Rule 4(a) states that membership rights commence from the date of approval by the Committee, apart from voting rights, which begin two months later. •New Rule 7(c) lets notice of General Meetings be posted or emailed to members. •New Rule 7(d) is to enable SoTM to hold AGMs virtually should it be required, for example if lockdowns should prevent meetings in person. •New Rule 7(f) follows from Anne Rimmer’s motion last year and will allow the AGM to decide whether to keep the status quo of one vote per individual or family membership, or to allow a family to have two votes where there are two or more adults in the family. •New Rule 9(a) (in addition to Rule 7(c)) provides for notices to be posted or emailed to members. Carl Hayson
DAMAGE: The end of the Island's boat ramp has been washed away.
Tiritiri Titbits
Storm leaves a trail of damage on Tiritiri The storm that caused extensive flooding and damage in West Auckland in early Spring also lashed Tiritiri, dropping 102.7mm of rain in a day and leaving a trail of destruction. The combination of high winds and more than 100mm of rain: •Smashed the end of the boat ramp beside the wharf. •Washed out the entrance to the Kawerau Track from Hobbs Beach. •Created a slip in the face of the eastern dam at the Silvester Wetlands. •Washed a lot of gravel from roads and tracks. •Blocked numerous side drains and culverts. •Left a trail of debris and minor washouts. Needless to say lockdown restrictions have complicated efforts to assess the damage and it has been impossible to organise repairs. Ranger Emma Dunning, who was on the Island, said the heavy rain was ‘enough to have water in places it hasn’t been for a while. All the dams filled to overflowing, all the valleys had flowing streams and at the nikau grove on the Wattle Track the water was flowing over the boardwalk.’ The wild weather has continued since then with ‘gusty winds from every direction’ and more rain. Rainfall figures for August and September, at 166mm and 131.3mm, were the highest for years. By
comparison, last year the two months had 113.70mm and 39.15mm, and in 2019 September had only 99.3mm and August 77.9mm. Emma said once the lockdown dropped to level 3 ‘we were able to get the engineers out to look at the storm damage. The boat ramp is still useable but will need some remedial work. '‘The dam needs to be drained, as water is still seeping through the dam face, before further investigations and options to repair can be considered. And we are looking at a variety of options for the access to the Kawerau Track. So plenty to keep us busy without the public here.’ SoTM works organiser Ian Higgins said he was very relieved the damage to the ramp ‘will not prevent barges landing when that becomes permissible again. Luckily we always take the barge in on the high tide, which means it sits quite high up on the ramp.’ To add to the problems, he said, the lockdown had already forced the cancellation of a barge trip intended to bring over construction materials; a planned visit by engineers to scope out upgrading work on the Kawerau Track was unable to take place; the usual weekend maintenance work was not possible; and the Labour Working Weekend looked unlikely to be able to take place.
Welcome to spring: The cover photo of a female tītoki tree with flowers and fruit was taken by Warren Brewer
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Dawn Chorus 127 November 2021
WASHED OUT: Heavy rain has left a slip in the face of the Silvester Wetland Dam (at left) and washed away the entrance to the Kawerau Track from Hobbs Beach. Photos / Emma Dunning TiriKids to the rescue TiriKids pages from Dawn Chorus are now being posted on the SoTM website to provide a bit of environmental entertainment for bored youngsters. In addition, extra pages of the delightful TiriKids from this issue, with its game involving decoding signal flags, are going to be run off. When it is possible to re-open the Watchtower, with its display of flags that children often ask about, the pages will be available to visitors. Ranger hits the road By the time you read this, ranger Hedley Timbs, who arrived on the Island back in April on a sixmonth placement, will have left to walk Te Araroa, the national walkway. Hedley sent a farewell message saying he has ‘had a memorable six months on the magic Island, and will miss the birds, the views, and the serenity. Lockdown meant I could pretend to be a lighthouse keeper and live out here fulltime. I did feel a bit guilty that the Supporters missed out on the flowering kōwhai and kūmarahou, and the penguin chicks. ‘Thanks to all the kind people who made my Tiri time more like pleasure than work, I wish you well and hope to see you again. I am off to do Te Araroa and will enjoy seeing the Island in the distance as I walk along the bays.’ Hedley came to Tiritiri so ranger Talia Hochwimmer could spend six months as a supervisor of the inner islands of Rangito-
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to, Motutapu and Motuihe to broaden her experience. While you were away Ranger Emma Dunning reports on what we've missed while Tiritiri has been locked down: We all know the Island is a truly special place, and to be here without people is a unique experience that is hard to describe. Tiritiri is normally such a bustling place, with all the comings and goings of volunteers, supporters, schools, public, researchers, and contractors. Even in winter and the reduced ferry days, no two days are the same and things rarely go perfectly to plan. But lockdown comes with a physical slow down, time tune into what is happening around us, sync with island-time, watch the season change and the grass grow. Spring has been a real lesson that we need nature and the wildlife a lot more than they need us. There are things that have to be done, whether we humans are here to witness it or not. The plants all woke from their winter slumbers, bursting into flower. The birds have territories to claim, mates to find, nests to build and, as time has passed, eggs to incubate, chicks to feed. Over the last eight weeks we have seen the end of the kōwhai season, the karo flowers come and go, the flowering of the puawhānanga/NZ clematis and karaka,
the return of the pīpīwharauroa/shining cuckoo, pūtangitangi/paradise shelduck and spur-winged plover, and the hatching of the kororā/little penguin, and pāteke chicks. The dawn chorus has ramped up to its spring crescendo, becoming the Island’s alarm clock. Now, mid-October, the tī kōuka/cabbage trees are flowering, along with the harakeke/NZ flax and rewarewa. The takahē are nesting, hihi are ready for laying and the chirping of other chicks is being heard. The bunkhouse dam pāteke have ducklings, the kororā/little penguin chicks in the boxes are growing fast, there are spur-winged plovers with chicks in the southern paddock and the eagle rays are back in good numbers at the wharf. Large numbers of tākapu/Australasian gannets are effortlessly cruising the air currents and there are large boil ups of fish. But alas still no marine mammals close to shore. The easing of restrictions has seen a few people return to the Island to stretch their legs off their boats. To be honest it has taken a bit to get adjusted, but I’m coming around. I hope you are all doing ok and managing to connect with nature wherever you can. Rest assured that the Island and everything that calls it home is doing great and will be here, along with us, to welcome you all back as soon as it is possible. Tiritiri TV Finally, if you need an urgent fix of Tiritiri, just Google 'Urban Wildlife Trust Wildcams' and you can see the tūī feeder outside the Visitor Centre as well as other wildcams showing albatross and penguin.
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New plan to display Tiritiri's lighthouse treasures SoTM is trying a new approach to finding somewhere to house its growing Lighthouse Museum collection. The plan now is to seek approval to expand the old lighthouse workshop shed, in which some of the exhibits are now displayed, by restoring the lean-to which once held the lighthouse generator. The original proposal (below, left), put forward in 2017, was to add an extension built in the style of the period and aimed at minimising the visual impact. This would have provided space to display the magnificent 6.4m Cuvier Light. ‘However,’ says chair Carl Hayson, ‘despite obtaining consent from Iwi and DOC, the application for resource consent was turned down by Auckland Council, on the basis of information from Heritage NZ, who were concerned about the impact of the building on the historic lighthouse precinct.’ Talks with Heri-
tage NZ have gone nowhere so ‘reluctantly, therefore, it has been decided to abandon this project and seek other options.’ One of the options (below, right) is a project to reconstruct the lean-to for the old generator engine for the lighthouse station. Carl said this was demolished when the engine was taken to Stony Batter on Waiheke Island though the concrete base is still there. This would at least provide space for more exhibits, including the old lighthouse boat which is being restored by former lighthouse keeper Ray Walter. Carl says a resource consent application has been submitted to the Council. ‘We are hoping that this will be successful and the missing section added back to the main shed.’ Meanwhile, he says, SoTM will continue to explore other options for displaying the Cuvier Light somewhere adjacent to the lighthouse.
The story of a lighthouse boat called Helping Hand In Ray Walter’s garage at home is a boat with the wonderful name of Helping Hand and this is its story as told by him. Ray bought the boat when he moved from Mokohinau to Tiritiri. Now he’s restoring it to go on display in the Lighthouse Museum. In the 1950s the Marine Department decided to upgrade the small work boats on the three island lighthouses in the gulf – Mokohinau, Cuvier and Tiritiri Matangi – plus Cape Brett. These stations were serviced by a variety of contractors by sea but did not have suitable boats for getting stores ashore. The new boats were designed to carry quite big loads, be good sea boats, and be able to be both lifted ashore and launched by the stations’ cargo cranes. In addition, they were meant for recreational use and to enable the keepers to go fishing to supplement their food supplies. The boat for Tiritiri was to be smaller as the station had a suitable wharf for landing stores. The three larger boats were to be 12-feet (3700mm) long and 5-feet (1600mm) wide, fitted with cork-filled buoyancy tanks under the three seats and able to be rowed by two people. I know from my own experience that the boat at Mokohinau could carry two 200-litre drums of diesel or three slings of coal, at five bags to the sling, equal to threequarters of a ton. They were powered by long-shaft, four horsepower Seagull outboard motors. In the 1960s the Cape Brett boat was lost in a severe storm that destroyed the boatshed. The Cuvier boat was lost when picking up stores from the lighthouse service boat. Conditions meant it was unable to get back under the crane to be lifted ashore after unloading the stores. The keeper, Bill Kiddy, with some difficulty motored around to the beach and landed the boat there. But it was a rough boulder beach, the boat was destroyed and Bill was lucky to get out unhurt. When I arrived at Mokohinau in 1972 the boat there was condemned and replaced by an aluminium one which was a horrible little boat. In my spare time I did the old wooden boat up. This was quite a big job as it needed to have a lot of work done, including the fitting of 18 tingles (or patches) where planks were split. The original lifting points were from the keel and were rusted through so I fitted new lifting points, one on the interior of the bow and one each side of the transom. She was named Helping Hand – what a wonderful name for a boat – and became our work boat for the next eight years. When the station was automated and the department disposed of all of the station equipment I purchased the boat and outboard for $200. It was used by me and the family at Tiritiri for fishing and recreation. Since my retirement the boat has been in storage and requires some work to bring her up to standard. When the new extension is added to the present museum it will be housed there as part of lighthouse history. PART OF HISTORY: (top) Ray Walter with the lighthouse boat he is restoring in his garage; (bottom) the Helping Hand brings a load of supplies, including a deep freeze, into Mokohinau.Photos/Walter family
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Dawn Chorus 127 November 2021
SoTM Annual General Meeting Monday 15 November 2021 7.30pm by Zoom Webinar
Members will receive an email from our Chairperson, Carl Hayson, to register for this Webinar
Agenda 1. Apologies 2. Minutes of 2020 AGM (posted on the website) 3. Matters arising from the 2020 AGM minutes 4. Chairperson’s annual report (Carl Hayson) 5. Treasurer’s report and financial statements (Peter Lee)
6. Setting of Annual Subscription for 2021/2022 7. Election of officers 8. Election of committee 9. Notices 10. General Business
At General Meetings a Member may exercise a proxy vote through another Member, or through the Chairperson, and, in either case, proxies in writing must be in the hands of the Secretary not less than 24 hours before the time of commencement of the meeting.
SoTM Extraordinary General Meeting 7.30pm, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings
Agenda
1. Apologies 2. Motions for proposed changes to the Society’s Rules: A That the part of Rule 4 from its commencement to the end of sub-paragraph (a) is revoked and replaced by the following provision: Membership shall be open to all persons, families, groups, bodies corporate, and others who wish to support the objects of the Society. There will be two classes of members (‘Members’): (a) Ordinary membership Any person or entity referred to above may apply to the Society for membership and, on such application being approved by the Committee, the applicant will become a Member of the Society, with membership benefits commencing immediately, apart from voting rights at a General Meeting which will not commence until two months after the date on which membership is approved. Membership will extend for 12 months from the date of approval. B That Rule 7(c) is revoked and replaced by the following: (c) Notice of a General Meeting may, if desired, be published in the Member Newsletter and the Member Newsletter must then be posted or emailed to Members at least 21 days prior to the date of such meeting. The notice must specify the date, time and place of the meeting, the type of meeting, and the business to be discussed. Notice of the meeting must also be posted on the Society’s website. C That Rule 7(d) is revoked and replaced by the following: (d) A General Meeting may be held by a quorum of Members; (i) Being assembled together at the time and place appointed for the meeting; or (ii) Participating in the meeting by means of audio, audio and visual, or electronic communication; or (iii) By a combination of both of the methods set out above. 30 Members constitute a quorum at a General Meeting. D That Rule 7(f) is revoked and replaced by the following provision:
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(f) Voting shall be on a show of hands unless a ballot is called for by at least three Members. Where a vote is for the contested election of Officers, this shall be by ballot. On any vote in the case of family membership, where there are two or more adults on the membership, two adults of that family shall be entitled to one vote each. Where a family membership comprises only one adult, the members of that family shall be entitled to one vote only. A Member may exercise a proxy vote through another Member, or through the Chairperson, and in either case the proxy in writing must be received by the Secretary not less than 24 hours before the date of commencement of the meeting. E That Rule 9(a) is revoked and replaced by the following provision: (a) The Rules of the Society may be altered, added to, or rescinded at any General Meeting, provided always that such changes do not affect the exclusively charitable nature of the Society, nor give power to extend its operations beyond New Zealand. Notice setting out such alteration, addition, or rescission shall be given to Members in accordance with the provisions of Rule 9A of these Rules. F That the following new Rule is added: 9A (a) Every Member must inform the Society of the Member’s postal address and also, when a Member has one, of the Member’s email address. The Member must also inform the Society of any change in the Member’s addresses. (b) Any notice required to be given by the Society under these Rules may be given to a Member by post or by email to the postal or email address that the Member has provided to the Society, or, if desired in the case of General Meetings, in the manner set out in Rule 7(c) of these Rules. (c) The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or nonreceipt of notice of a meeting by, any Member shall not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting concerned.
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OFF TO SEE THE WORLD: (at left) Te Marino gets a last look at Tiritiri before ranger Emma Dunning packs her in her travelling container; (at right) Te Marino enjoys a trip down the Wharf Rd with ranger Hedley Timbs; (opposite page) Hedley carries her on board for the sea trip to Auckland, and the exciting journey to Cape Sanctuary. Photos / Emma Dunning
Fauna Notes
Te Marino gets permission to move home Covid-19 restrictions have played havoc with our routine during late winter and early spring. No volunteers have been able to get to the Island since mid-August. This means that all the bird monitoring is having to start late, and for most species we don’t yet know how late. As of mid-October, the kōkako team has not been able to start searching for nests. Nor has the tīeke team been able to check nest boxes, or even do any pre-season maintenance. The pre-season titipounamu/rifleman survey didn’t take place, so we don’t know how many pairs we have or which boxes are occupied. The kākāriki boxes have not been cleaned out in preparation for reuse. John Stewart had started monitoring seabirds before the lockdown (see below) but has been unable to update his information. There is still time to catch up with much of this work if we are able to get out there within the next few weeks, but we’ll have to hit the ground running when we do. Fortunately the rangers, Emma and Hedley, have been on the Island throughout the lockdown, and Deb Smith has been allowed to return to look after the hihi. Takahē Like us, the takahē have had their winter plans disrupted by Covid. Te Marino, Pukunati and Kanorau Tīrama (Anatori and
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Tussie’s three daughters) were all set to be transferred on the 24 August, but Auckland’s level-4 lockdown called an abrupt halt to that plan. Te Marino was the priority, as she is coming up to two years old so would soon be kicked out of the family group to look for a mate of her own. Fortunately, we got permission to move her once Auckland went to level 3. In fact, she had crossed the border and was testing out her new digs less than 24 hours into level 3. She winged her way to Cape Sanctuary, in the Hawke's Bay, where she has joined Isra, a single male. By all accounts she is living up to her name (‘Te Marino’ means ‘peace’), has settled in well and is getting along with her new mate. Fingers crossed they may even attempt nesting this season. Her young sisters Pukunati and Kanorau Tīrama have missed their intake at Burwood, the takahē facility near Te Anau where they carry out tussock survival training. They will now be staying on the Island until autumn and so will be there to help raise any chicks this year and to show off to the visitors. The other takahē are doing well and have again adapted to lockdown life. They are regularly checking up on the rangers to make sure we are looking after their wellbeing, and hoping that we will have forgotten
they have already received their ration of pellets. Edge has continued to heal and put on condition after her visit to Auckland Zoo for the grass seed incident reported in the last issue of Fauna Notes. Her son Moke will remain with his family to help raise any new siblings this season. Finally, we are pleased to report that both pairs have started nesting in early October, Anatori and Tussie on the 1st and Edge and Turutu on the 5th, so with luck we shall have chicks on the Island in early November. Hihi Care of the hihi nest boxes is regarded as a matter of animal welfare, so special permission was granted for Deb Smith to return to Tiritiri in September to carry out the necessary preparations for the season. To mitigate against avian mites, all the 200-plus boxes were cleaned and, where needed, sprayed with an avian-mite spray, in preparation for the hihi to start nestmaking and laying eggs. So far (mid-October) only four lined nests are waiting for eggs. However, laying is late this year, probably due to the gusty, wet weather. The pre-breeding survey couldn’t be carried out in early September so this was Dawn Chorus 127 November 2021
done during the cleaning of the boxes. It is not yet complete but it’s looking pretty good so far with possibly close to two hundred sightings. Lots of juvenile hihi from last season have been spotted flashing their new PIT tags. Sugar-water consumption has been topsy-turvy recently with tūī lording it over three of the feeding stations. This is a pointless exercise for them since they cannot get at the sugar, but it puts pressure on the hihi (and the korimako/bellbird) to visit the other feeders. Fingers crossed the tūī will give up once they realise there is no benefit in this strategy. Deb will be remaining on the Island for her second season of hihi work and we shall welcome a new hihi volunteer, Freya O’Sullivan, who will join us once Alert Levels decrease. Mhairi will continue providing her expert knowledge and advice, mostly from off the Island, but will be back frequently, especially once banding of chicks gets underway. Kōkako In contrast, the kōkako team are anxiously wondering whether we shall be able to band chicks at all this season. It is a serious matter if chicks fledge unbanded, since a much bigger effort is needed to catch and band them once they have left the nest, and some of them prove to be uncatchable. Why is it so important to get the kōkako banded? If we want to maximise the genetic diversity in the population, we need to be able to identify each bird individually, so that if we get the chance to translocate some to a different site, we can decide which should go and which should stay, as well as which would most benefit the site they are
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going to. Having unbanded birds on the Island – birds whose parentage is unknown – would also leave a big hole in our carefullyconstructed database. For the moment, we have to be content to wait and see when we can start work. Fortunately Deb has been able to send us some observations made during her hihi work. From these we are able to confirm what we suspected a few months ago, that Skye and Bátor are together, which almost certainly means their ex-partners, Ocarina and Dawn, are also still together (they were seen together shortly before lockdown). This is not a good scenario since Ocarina and Dawn are brother and sister, so we shall be hoping their union is unproductive. Seabirds For this season we had planned early checks on the 22 kuaka/diving petrel nest boxes in an attempt to record the timing of egglaying. The boxes were checked on the 1 July when there were no signs of activity and again on the 8th when four boxes appeared to have been visited. A final pre- lockdown
visit was made on 1 August when two of the burrows were occupied by adults one of which had been banded in 2016. No eggs had been laid by that date. Monitoring the kororā/little penguin nest boxes also started on 1 July and continued until 14 August. Three of the four display boxes were regularly occupied, while the fourth requires some maintenance before it can be inspected. Ranger Emma reported that in mid-October the three display boxes continued to be used. Two held medium-sized chicks and the third held large chicks whose blue feathers were beginning to show through the down. Last season some of the other 29 kororā boxes suffered repeated interference from curious visitors, so they have now been moved out of sight of the track. Before lockdown, box 4 was regularly occupied. Thanks to Gerhard Wette for his help with the penguin monitoring. Compiled by Kay Milton with contributions from Emma Dunning, Morag Fordham, Deborah Smith and John Stewart.
SPRINGTIME: Adult kororā and two chicks in a nesting box. Photo / Emma Dunning.
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If you want chicks, it’s best to sing like a local It has long been known that many birds sing in regional dialects. But, if you're an outsider, how important is it to sing like a local if you want to attract a mate? Morag Fordham and Kay Milton look at what we know from the behaviour of the kōkako that have been translocated to Tiritiri Matangi since 1997. In March this year the international press showed brief interest in a report that a rare Australian bird, the regent honeyeater, was losing its song. Its population had become so sparse that there weren’t enough adults for young birds to listen to and learn from. There was speculation that this might prevent them from attracting mates. It is widely accepted that young songbirds learn to sing by listening to adults of their species. In birds that are able to produce a wide range of calls, and especially when populations become isolated, this can produce different regional dialects, a phenomenon well-known, for instance, in tūī, korimako/bellbird, tīeke/saddleback and kōkako. Conservationists have long been interested in what happens when birds from different regions, with different song dialects, are brought together through translocations. Do they, for instance, learn each others’ dialects and, if so, how long does this take? And do they have difficulty attracting mates whose dialects are different from their own? In this article we consider these questions in relation to the kōkako population on Tiritiri Matangi. The population was founded by Te Koha Waiata (male) and Cloudsley Shovell (female), who were about nine months old when they were translocated to the Island in August 1997. Te Koha Waiata was bred in captivity at Pukaha National Wildlife Centre, Mount Bruce, and Cloudsley Shovell was raised in the wild at Mapara. We cannot know what early influences helped to shape their song, but we do know that, after moving around the Island, they settled in Wattle Valley and started singing. Over the following 10 years, this original pair, their descendants, and the brothers of Te Koha Waiata (who arrived from Mount Bruce in March 1998) established what we recognise as the Tiritiri dialect. This has changed over the years, but has remained distinctive, at least to human ears. Although the local residents will have heard unfamiliar calls from at least five of the birds who
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FEATHERED DAME MALVINA: A female kōkako, in this case Keisha, singing a magnificent aria. Photo / Simon Fordham arrived later, these do not appear to have entered the local dialect. On 30 June 2007 two females, Pukaha and Te Rae, and one male, Parininihi, all of whom had been bred at Pukaha/Mount Bruce from a wild-caught Taranaki male, were released onto the Island. Waipapa (male) and Māwhero (female), two wildcaught birds from the Waipapa region of Pureora forest, arrived on the same day. The two Taranaki females, Pukaha and Te Rae, quickly paired up with young Tiritiri males (Moby and Chatters respectively) in their already-established territories, and were heard singing the Tiritiri dialect during their first season. Parininihi did not establish a territory and attract a partner until the following year, but when he did, his song was also in the local dialect. Meanwhile, Waipapa and Māwhero
hung around together for a while but didn’t establish a territory and did not sing. By late 2010 Māwhero had joined Kikorangi, a younger male, and was singing the Tiritiri dialect with him. Waipapa was not heard singing until he started holding a territory with Awatea in 2016, when he too sounded like a local. On 30 August 2008 another three birds were released. Crown (male) and Pureora (female) were both wild-caught Pureora Forest birds. They stayed together and, by the winter of 2009, had established a territory. Their song was mostly in the Tiritiri dialect but, for at least two years following their arrival, it included notes from their original dialect. The bird released with Crown and Pureora was Poutama (male), another Taranaki bird who had hatched at Pukaha/ Dawn Chorus 127 November 2021
THIS IS YOUR NEW HOME: Morag Fordham welcomes Te Rae, a Taranaki bird bred at Mt Bruce, to Tiritiri. Photo / Simon Fordham Mount Bruce in 2001 and spent the intervening years in captivity there and at Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. During his first few months on Tiritiri he went around the whole Island singing what, to human ears, sounded like a broad and rich repertoire of kōkako song. After that he gradually reduced his range of calls and started using the local dialect and holding a territory, but he failed to attract any female for more than a few weeks. He was eventually pushed out of his territory, and it was not until 2015 that he settled into a new one with two-year-old Tiara. On 17 October 2010 three more birds from the Waipapa region, Tawa, Slingshot and Rimu (all males), were released on Tiritiri. They remained quiet and fairly elusive for their first three years, but by 2014 Slingshot and Tawa were holding a terri-
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tory and singing together. Like Crown and Pureora they sang mostly in the Tiritiri dialect but retained some calls from their original Waipapa song. By late 2017 Tawa had disappeared, Slingshot had paired up with Melodie, and had lost all trace of his original song. The third male, Rimu, was hardly ever seen or heard during his first six years on the Island. He eventually set up a territory, attracted a mate and was frequently heard singing the Tiritiri dialect. What, if anything, can we learn from all this about whether dialect affects the ability of incoming kōkako to integrate into a resident population? We can certainly draw no general conclusions; our sample is far too small. Only 11 of our kōkako have arrived on Tiritiri to find a local dialect already established. And there are too many variables
within this small sample. The incoming birds have included single males, single females and pairs, captivebred birds and wild-caught birds, young birds, mature birds and birds of unknown age. The circumstances present on the Island at the time of their arrival, such as whether there were desirable territories and potential partners available, also varied. The following comments draw comparisons between some of the behaviours and experiences of the arriving birds, but we are not suggesting that they are more widely applicable. The two single Taranaki females demonstrated that partnerships could be formed between birds who had grown up learning different dialects. They also showed that the local dialect could be adopted within two or three months. We also know of two females translocated from Tiritiri to the Hunua Ranges in May 2007 who quickly adopted the local dialect and bred during the following season. In general (but not exclusively), females tend to join males in established territories, whereas males set up territories first and then attract females. Most of the males who arrived without partners, plus Waipapa who, though he arrived with Māwhero, did not hold a territory with her, were mostly silent for the first four to nine years of their residence. But we have no reason to assume that they wouldn’t have learned the local song as quickly as the single females did. It seems likely that the difficulty of claiming territories in an area with an established population delayed their integration more than dialect differences would have done. It is unsurprising that birds who arrived with the same dialect and who stayed together (as Crown and Pureora did), or formed an association later (as Tawa and Slingshot did), should retain some elements of their original song for longer than those who remained alone or associated only with locals. We can speculate that Waipapa and Māwhero might have done this had they held a territory. Poutama, who had spent seven years in captivity before arriving on the Island, was the only male who started singing shortly after his arrival and who sang his own original repertoire before gradually adopting the local song. We can only guess how a captive bird might have acquired such a repertoire.* One thing we can say for certain. If we are ever fortunate enough to receive more kōkako onto the Island, we shall be watching and listening to them more closely than ever. •A range of kōkako calls can be heard on the NZ Birds Online website.
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CABBAGE TREE BLING: (at left) Two examples of Crocodia aurata, a foliose (leaf-like) lichen, which festoons tī kōuka especially around the top of the Wattle Track. It changes colour according to how much moisture is available; (at right) Leptogium coralloideum, aka jelly lichen, is also common on cabbage trees on Tiritiri and demonstrates a fundamental lichen adaptation to survive desiccation, being very efficient at absorbing water, changing not only its colour, but its entire structure within a matter of seconds. This particular lichen feels like jelly once it gets wet. Photos/John Sibley
An introduction to the fascinating hidden world of lichen Lichens are a commonly overlooked life form, and as a result we know very little about them, writes Michael Watson, but they are ecologically important, diverse, often beautiful and well worth studying. In Aotearoa, lichens are ecologically important, diverse, and among our most overlooked life forms. In their latest conservation assessment, it was found that of the 2,026 species assessed, 1,108 or 54.7% were classified as Data Deficient (DD). This means that we are lacking fundamental information to inform the conservation status for over half of them. In contrast, only two species of bird (the Auckland Island rail and South Island kōkako) are classified as DD, which amounts to 0.4% of our birds. This means we have enough information to know what’s happening to 99.6% of our birds. We know if their populations are growing or declining, we understand the main threats they face, how successful they are at breeding and, for some, like the takahē, almost every individual is accounted for. But what’s happening to most of our lichens? Are they declining? Where are they living? What threats do they face? Are their populations future-proof? So what? What even is a lichen? If Aotearoa is as close as humans have come to studying life on another planet, then lichens are as close as we’ve come to studying ‘fungi that have discovered agri-
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culture’. That’s all a lichen is, a fungus that accommodates algae and sometimes cyanobacteria or yeast. In fact, so overlooked are lichens that their yeast was only first detected in 2016, hiding in plain sight. Alga (singular) is a simple, non-flowering, typically aquatic plant which ranges through single-celled formations to the slightly more complex seaweeds we are all familiar with. Algal cells, like most plants, contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green and becomes more pronounced in lichens when they are exposed to moisture. This is because water activates the cells needed to begin photosynthesizing. So lichen is a fungus that photosynthesizes for its energy. Some lichens may also contain cyanobacteria (dark-blue bacteria); this is a division of bacteria which are also able to photosynthesize. Sometimes the fungus partner can be identified based on what colour a lichen turns once wet. Green means algae and darker colours, usually browns, greys, blues, indicate cyanobacteria. There are plenty of lichens that need
our attention, but often there isn’t enough awareness to begin with. It isn’t that Aotearoa is short on environmental guardians (kaitiaki), but the expertise so often required to undertake rigorous scientific work is increasingly left to passionate and enthusiastic amateurs. Amateur lichenologists are reliant on professional scientists, especially taxonomists. This is because taxonomists work to understand the similarities and differences between species and through their analysis provide a scientific explanation, giving them their unique species status. This is kind of like us receiving our birth certificate (documented evidence that we exist within our own unique identity). Without this documentation it would be challenging for us to engage with society. The same is true for an undocumented species and its conservation. For an undescribed species, its fate is out of our hands. Conservationists can’t protect what is not named or indeed known. Lichens have been called the ‘coral reefs of our forests’. They are ecosystem pioneers, spreading across the globe on the wind with their fungal spores. This ability helps lichen to arrive first in new territory. Maybe an isDawn Chorus 127 November 2021
MANY FACES: (from left) A plethora of foliose and fruticose lichens on a tī kōuka at the top of the Wattle Track after fresh rain; Pseudocyphellaria haywardiorum, aka dice lichen, are Naturally Uncommon but were discovered on Tiritiri growing on the trunks of pōhutukawa and tī kōuka. Photos / Michael Watson, Marley Ford land has erupted from the sea, or a landslip has cleared vegetation from a slope. Lichen can be thought of as a plaster, covering the scars and bringing in nutrients and providing resources for ecosystem processes which allow other lifeforms to return or indeed colonise for the first time. On Tiritiri Matangi, lichens are particularly prominent on tī kōuka and rock faces and provide rich tactile learning for visiting school groups and the lichen-initiated alike. Children are especially observant when it comes to their environment and, with a little knowledge, a kaitiaki is able to open their eyes to an essential, rich and hidden world. There are many examples of how a little knowledge can go a long way when it comes to these abstract organisms. For example, there are three main lichen growth forms: fruticose (branching upwards from a singular point), foliose (leaf-like and attached in more than one place), and crustose (crust-like). Imparting this knowledge allows children to make more careful observations and, instead of seeing just a lichen, they are able to categorise them further, which is the first step to identifying the species and, for some, a memorable introduction to science.
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WORTH A LOOK: (top) Michael Watson checking out a patch of lichen to see what interesting treasures might be found; (bottom) Lichens provide rich learning experiences for children. Photos / Meghan Pierce, Michael Watson
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Signs of Spring on Tiritiri Matangi One of the joys of Tiritiri that lockdown has caused us all to miss is the explosion of flowers.
Ranger Emma Dunning and hihi contractor Deb Smith kindly took photos of a few so we can enjoy the memories: (top) coastal kōwhai; (second row, from left) puawānanga (clematis), toropapa, boobialla (Tasmanian ngaio); (bottom row, from left), kūmarahou, rewarewa, karo.
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Dawn Chorus 127 November 2021
TĪTOKI: (above, left) Fruit forming amid pinnate leaves; (above, right) ripe fruit; (below) female tree with flowers and fruit. Photos / Warren Brewer
Flora Notes
Handsome, practical and sweet: the impressive tītoki Tītoki is not merely a handsome tree, which settlers called the New Zealand oak, with beautiful purple flowers, it also produces sweet fruits and a medicinal oil, writes Warren Brewer. Tītoki forms a handsome tree, smartly dressed with dark green pinnate leaves. It was included in the decade of revegetation on Tiritiri in the 1980s and the Island now has some mature examples. Each tītoki leaf has from 3-7 leaflets with a terminal one often deflected to one side. During spring to early summer panicles of very small dark purple-red flowers appear, often partly hidden in the foliage. The flowers lack petals, with male and female flowers on separate trees. Following pollination, oddly-shaped capsules develop; they are furry and a little flattened. When ripe, each capsule splits, revealing a shiny black seed partly covered by a bright red fleshy aril. Birds eat the aril and seed, assisting in seed dispersal. Māori ate the fleshy aril, described as ‘a sweet fruit but a little sharp’. The black seeds were crushed to release oil which was used to treat wounds, sores and chafed skin. The oil was also used as a lotion for the body and hair. Tītoki was first named scientifically Alectryon excelsus in 1788 by Joseph Gaertner (1731-1791), German botanist and naturalist, in the first part of his massive tome De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum (on the fruits and seeds of plants). A decade earlier in 1778 Gaertner had learned that the botanists Banks, Solander and the Forsters had brought back to England a rich collection of plants and seeds gathered during James Cook’s first two voyages. Gaertner travelled to England in spring of that year, seeking to work on them. Joseph Banks gave him access to
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study all material as well as gifting him duplicates which he added to his vast seeds and plants collection. Tītoki Alectryon excelsus Gaertn. 1788 became the type species of the genus. In 1892 the New Zealand botanist Thomas Cheeseman found a new example of tītoki while visiting the Three Kings Islands. He named it Alectryon excelsus var. grandis, noting its larger leaves, more bushy growth habit and often having more than one trunk. Later, in 1912, he promoted it to a new species, Three Kings tītoki Alectryon grandis. In 1992 taxonomists revised the New Zealand genus, forming two subspecies, tītoki A. excelsus subsp. excelsus and Three Kings tītoki A. excelsus subsp. grandis. The genus Alectryon has about 30 species of trees found in Hawaii, Pacific Islands, Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The global centre of the genus is in Australia with 15 species, many with edible fruit.
The trees belong in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, based on the genus Sapindus which has trees with berries containing saponins used to make soap. The family contains many important timber trees, plus trees which are sources of drugs, nuts and edible fruits. Lychee Litchi chinensis from Southern China has pinnately compound leaves and fruit with a pinkishred skin, which when peeled back reveals a translucent white fleshy aril with a sweet flavour and a dark brown inedible seed. Early European settlers in New Zealand called tītoki New Zealand ash as it reminded them of English ash which has pinnate leaves as well as being a fine timber tree. The settlers used tītoki timber to make yokes and wheels for horse- or bullockdriven wagons, as well as tool handles. Alectryon is Greek for rooster or cock. Research into Gaertner’s original paper shows a drawing of tītoki’s open capsule furnished with a red cockscomb and beak, looking very like a cock’s head. The word Alectryon was used by 19th century poets (for example, ‘And from a neighbouring farmyard Loud the cock Alectryon crowed,’ HW Longfellow, Pegasus in Pound). In Greek mythology, Ares, the War God, commanded a young soldier called Alectryon to guard outside his door while he arranged a lovers’ tryst with Aphrodite. Alectryon fell asleep and the Sun God Helios discovered the lovers in the morning. The furious Ares punished Alectryon by turning him into a rooster which never forgets to announce the arrival of the sun in the morning.
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Kia ora, The Tiritiri Lighthouse has been an important navigation aid in the Hauraki Gulf for over a century. Read the flags and enjoy the quiz. Stacey.
Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still in operation in New Zealand and is listed as a Category 1 historic place. The two main purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigation aid and to warn boats of dangerous areas. The Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse was the third to be built in New Zealand. It was first lit on 1 January 1865 and cost £5,747 (the equivalent of nearly $1.5m in today's money). Building it was very difficult because it took four months to dig down through 3 metres of thick, boggy, clay-like mud to reach ground that was hard enough to build on.
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Separate from the lighthouse, Tiritiri had a signal station. Initially, signalmen communicated with shipping using signal flags, later Morse code and then radio. Flags were flown from a white mast which was taller than the lighthouse and stood just south of it. To get messages to Auckland wicker baskets were put up the mast because it was too far for signal flags to be seen and read from Takarunga/ Mt Victoria in Devonport. The Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi plan to rebuild this mast.
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Photo / 1946 NZ Herald photo from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections
Signal Flag Alphabet
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Using the signal flag alphabet above, read the signal below. What does it spell?
Quiz: 1. How tall is the tower of the lighthouse? 2. What is the power source for the light today? 3. What is the range of the light? 4. What was the population of Auckland in 1865? Answers. 1 21 metres. 2 Batteries are charged by solar panels. 3 18 nautical miles, 33 kilometres. 4 12,500. Photo / Martin Sanders
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Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi
Coming Events
The Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi (SoTM) is a volunteer incorporated society working closely with the Department of Conservation to make the most of the wonderful conservation restoration project that is Tiritiri Matangi. Every year volunteers put thousands of hours into the project and raise funds through donations, guiding and our island-based gift shop. If you'd like to share in this exciting project, membership is just $25 for a single adult, family or corporate; $30 if you are overseas; and $13 for children or students. For further information see www. tiritirimatangi.org.nz or contact P O Box 90-814 Victoria St West, Auckland. Dawn Chorus, our magazine, is sent out to members every quarter.
15 November Annual General Meeting, 7.30pm at the Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Road. 6 December 7.30pm Tiri Talk. Ray Walter on lighthouses and maritime history. At Unitec. (The venue may change, in which case email advice will be sent out nearer the time).
SoTM Committee Chairperson: Carl Hayson chairperson@tiritirimatangi.org.nz, 027 3397105 Secretary: Gloria Nash secretary@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Treasurer: Peter Lee treasurer@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Committee: Stacey Balich, Hester Cooper, Barry Fraser, Dani Hefer, Ian Higgins, Malcolm de Raat, Jane Thompson, Ray Walter and Michael Watson. Acting guiding and shop manager: Annette de Raat guiding@tiritirimatangi.org.nz, 09 476 0010 Membership: Rose Coveny membership@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Educator: Barbara Hughes-Cleland Assistant educator: Liz Maire educator@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Fundraiser: Juliet Hawkeswood fundraiser@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Social Media: Stacey Balich socialmedia@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Dawn Chorus editor: Jim Eagles editor@tiritirimatangi.org.nz Island rangers: Emma Dunning and Talia Hochwimmer tiritirimatangi@doc.govt.nz, 09 476 0920
29-31 January Anniversary Working Weekend 5-6 March Supporters' Weekend 15 March Extraordinary General Meeting of SoTM, 7.30pm at the Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Road. 15-18 April Easter Working Weekend Supporters’ Hosted Weekends are led by guides who show off the Island’s special places. Reduced price on the ferry and half price in the bunkhouse. Children welcome. Working Weekends are a chance for members to give the Island a hand. Travel is free, as is accommodation in the bunkhouse. Book through guiding@tiritirimatangi.org.nz
Visiting Tiritiri Matangi Island for education or recreation Day trips: Covid permitting, Fullers360 runs a return ferry service Wednesday to Sunday from Downtown Auckland and the Gulf Harbour Marina. Bookings essential. Phone 09 367 9111 or visit www.fullers.co.nz/destinations/tiritiri-matangi-island/. Call 09 916 2241 after 6.30am on the day to confirm the vessel is running. School and tertiary institution visits: The Tiritiri education programme covers from level 1 (5-year-olds), to level 13 (17-18-yearolds), to tertiary students. The focus in primary and secondary areas is on delivering the required Nature of Science and Living World objectives from the NZ Science Curriculum. At the senior biology level there are a number of NCEA Achievement Standards where support material and presentations are available. For senior students the Sustainability (EFS) Achievement Standards are available on the NZQA website. There is huge potential in that these standards relate directly to Tiritiri in various subject areas: science, economics, tourism, geography, religious education, marketing, health and physical education. The Island also provides a superb environment for creative writing, photography and art workshops. Tertiary students have the opportunity to learn about the history of Tiritiri
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and tools of conservation as well as to familiarise themselves with population genetics, evolution and speciation. Groups wishing to visit should go to www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/schoolvisits.htm or contact schoolbooking@tiritirimatangi.org.nz. Bookings are essential. Overnight visits: Camping is not permitted but there is limited bunkhouse accommodation at $20 a night for members and $40 for non-members. Bookings are essential. For further information go to www.doc.govt.nz/tiritiribunkhouse or phone the Department of Conservation on 09 379 6476. Supporters’ discount: Volunteers doing official SoTM work get free accommodation but this must be booked through the Guiding and Shop Manager at guiding@tiritirimatangi.org.nz or 09 476 0010. SoTM members visiting privately can get a 50% discount but must first book and pay on line. Then email aucklandvc@ doc.govt.nz giving the booking number and SoTM membership number (which is found on the address label of Dawn Chorus or on the email for your digital copy). DOC will then refund the discount to your credit card.
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The fabulous Tiritiri Calendar for 2022 is now on sale for just $18 Unfortunately, we can’t travel right now, but a gift can. Our calendar would make a fantastic Christmas present or a wonderful souvenir of happy times on beautiful Tiritiri Matangi To place your order right now click on calendar, go to our Online Shop at www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz or email shop@tiritirimatangi.org.nz
Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi wishes to acknowledge the generous support of its sponsors
Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi welcomes all types of donations, including bequests, which are used to further our work on the Island. If you are considering making a bequest and would like to find out more please contact a member of the committee.