Re: Magpie sighted

[Megan Mears <>]

Thanks so much to all who replied. I had no idea about the number of species seeded or self introduced to NZ because of wind patterns and their subsequent survival due to the opening of countryside with European expansion. Especially fascinating about the insects and butterflies. I guess this means other insects and birds are dumped at sea all the time without reaching any land. For me, this raises more questions. For instance whether all NZ Silvereyes could be traced to a single ancestor or might groups have blown over in windy seasons? And could the self introduction of the Swamp Harrier have been intentional? And why no Ravens? Not really questions with easy answers. If people have thoughts or theories I am interested, though I realise the topic is not strictly Canberra birds.

Getting back to Magpies, it's my observation they are well controlled on the South Island. We circled that island by car and saw 7 in total, 5 of them in one day just north of Christhurch, always in agricultural areas. The largest group amongst these was 3, the rest single birds. Much more widespread and pervasive were Sparrows and Blackbirds. 

Megan

On Saturday, January 10, 2015, John Harris <> wrote:

Hi David
I did not mean to start a long theead! I was merely responding to Megan's report of sighting a magpie in NZ. They were as we have noted, previously  introduced but as you say many Aus birds are now established in  NZ. Some were introduced but some obviously not. The arrival of Aus birds in NZ obviously long predates the arrival of humans and vice versa, that is, so called NZ birds in Australia. Without being too cynical I would suggest that the idea of a native species is a useful but not entirely rigorous concept. Birds can be blown long distances and can become established in a new location. Being 'native' if I choose to be cynical means being in residence w hen Europeans turned up. Thus the
Iist of what is native to Australia was fixed in 1788. After that, new arrivals were foreign. In 1787 they were not!!!

Sent using OWA for iPad

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From: David Rees <m("gmail.com","dprbirdlist");');" target="_blank">>
Sent: Saturday, 10 January 2015 5:55:43 PM
To: John Harris; <m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");');" target="_blank">>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Magpie sighted

 

John

Kiwis in general are not keen on Masked Lapwings either, ('another aggressive Australian') but since they got there by themselves they are regarded as native and are protected. 

If you look at the records, apart from introduced magpies, it is interesting to note how many Australian birds have become established themselves naturally in NZ in the last 150 or so years, since the landscape was significantly changed,  i.e. opened out, with European settlement. (e.g. Swamp harrier (?1860ish), Silvereye (1832-56), Welcome Swallow (1958), Coot (1958), White faced heron (1960ish), Australian Shelduck (1972), Grey teal (?1900ish), Australiasian Grebe (1968), Nankeen night heron (introductions tried but appeared to have self introduced itself in 1990's), Royal spoonbill (1940), Black-fronted Dotterel (1950s), Masked Lapwing (1932))  There are a few Sulphur- crested Cockatoos and Galahs and opinions vary as to their origins.  The Eastern Rosella was introduced and is now common from Rotorua northwards, the Crimson Rosella was also introduced but appears to have died out recently - I saw them in Wellington in the late '90s, Kookaburras were introduced and are hanging on.   The latest breeding arrival appears to be the Eastern Barn Owl in the Bay of Islands area! There have been Pelicans over there for the last few years but as yet they have not breed, same goes for Cattle/little egret.   In the other direction we have acquired the Kelp Gull and White-fronted tern.

Go back further and there were extinct relatives in NZ of the Swamp harrier, Pink-eared duck, Wood duck, Musk duck, Cape Barren Goose, and a Raven etc.  The Black swan became extinct with human settlement but was reintroduced in European times and is now common. 

Due to wind patterns, NZ gets seeded with Australian wildlife all the time. This happens big time with insects, e.g. bogongs turn up on a regular basis as do Australian Painted Ladies. Mind you,  southwest WA gets European Painted Ladies - a known migrant, from time to time, nearest established populations of them are in South Africa!!

Interesting subject this.

David

www.newzealandwildlife.tv

 

On Sat, Jan 10, 2015 at 1:59 PM, John Harris <m("biblesociety.org.au","john.harris");');" target="_blank">> wrote:

I have seen considerable numbers of magpies in NZ farm land. NZ Birds Online says they are ‘a common and conspicuous inhabitant of open country’.  In my original post I did say that the belief that they are a threat to native species is ‘possibly incorrect’. But they are widely so regarded. I had friends with a farm near Waikato. The Waikato Council makes landowners responsible for the control of magpies on their property and suggests a combination of trapping, shooting and poisonong to eradicate them.  

From: David Rees <m("gmail.com","dprbirdlist");');" target="_blank">>
Date: Friday, 9 January 2015 11:58 pm
To: John Harris <m("biblesociety.org.au","john.harris");');" target="_blank">>, chatline <m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");');" target="_blank">>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Magpie sighted

John

No serious evidence of that in NZ,  In my experience Magpies in NZ can be found in not great numbers in open agricultural districts in the North island, they are fairly wary and they don't have a great 'press' with the locals. The abundant Swamp Harrier is probably a greater threat to other birds in open country.  You never see magpies in native forests, where most of the native birds survive. You do find Indian mynas, European blackbirds, Chaffinches and Eastern Rosellas in such places though.  Where there is active stoat and possum control, as Nathanaeal below says, there is an amazing rebound in the fortunes of NZ native birds.  I know forests in the Central north Island that are alive with the otherworldly calls of the local birds as a result.

David.

On Fri, Jan 9, 2015 at 9:50 PM, John Harris <m("biblesociety.org.au","john.harris");');" target="_blank">> wrote:

Magpies were introduced into NZ in the 1860s and are now very common and officially listed as a pest species due to the possibly incorrect assumption that they are a threat to NZ native birds.

From: Megan Mears <m("gmail.com","majurabirds");');" target="_blank">>
Date: Friday, 9 January 2015 9:29 pm
To: chatline <m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");');" target="_blank">>
Subject: [canberrabirds] Magpie sighted

Not that unusual but it was in The Catlins region, south in the South Island NZ, a few days ago. 

Megan