Bittern blog

An update from North Island bittern researcher- Emma Williams

2011-12-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Last year we found that our recording devices compared favourably with observers listening for bittern in the field. As a result of this, we are now looking at how they can be used to monitor bittern populations on a national scale.

Our objectives this season are:

At Whangamarino wetland

To repeat the baseline Whangamarino bittern survey with the automatic recorders. This should
• provide a firm baseline for future monitoring
• give us an idea of the feasibility and issues associated with deploying a large number of recorders at one time
• test our revised field protocol for monitoring
A low density wetlands nationally

To sample bittern calls from sites with lower densities of bittern to try and see if the monitoring protocols work in such areas. This work is taking place mainly in the Waikato, Manawatu and the East Coast, at wetlands with <8 bitterns.

If anyone is interested in getting involved or knows of a good spot worth investigating for bitterns, feel free to get in touch with either of us.

In the meantime, we will keep you posted with how it all goes and look forward to hearing about everyone’s bittern sightings and booming reports.

Contact: Emma Williams (bitternwills@gmail.co.nz) or Colin O Donnell (codonnell@doc.govt.nz)

Regards

Injured bittern rescued but can not be returned to wild

2011-06-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Link
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5188268/Vets-take-Boris-under-their-wing

Bitterns in the environs of Brooklands Lagoon-

2011-05-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

The following is a recent report (-120511) from Christchurch City Council ranger/ornithologist- Andrew Crossland-

Bittern set to be the big winners from the CHCH earthquakes

3 bittern sightings in less than a week in the environs of Brooklands
Lagoon have made me take stock of what a major turn of fortune the CHCH
earthqukes have been for the local conservation of this species.

Elevated river levels (considered to be permanent) have flooded riparian
margins all the way along the Styx River and Kaputone Stream in NE
Christchurch, turning many, many hectares of willow/blackberry infested
riverbank and dry ex-river channels into well-watered riparian wetlands.
The 86 ha Styx Rivermouth wetlands which were essentially tidal
saltmarsh and rivermars prior to the quakes has now expanded by 10+ ha
with large springs flooding a large area of rank grass-covered wasteland
which since the Sept quake has rapidly begun to infill with raupo.
Bittterns have already discovered this habitat, which within 2-4 years
will hopefuly be a vast raupo swamp offering plenty of breeding habitat
for swampbirds.

AC

2011-05-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Russia's 'kiwi' came from closer to home
KIRSTY JOHNSTON Last updated 09:50 11/05/2011
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REED ALL ABOUT IT: A Eurasian bittern blends in nicely in its marshy habitat.

BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust A BITTERN DIFFERENT: A kiwi chick. Getty Images MASTER OF DISGUISE: An American bittern mimics a reed by pointing its beak skywards.
The story of a kiwi bird gone rogue in a Russian city has turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

Russian media had reported that the kiwi was found in a garden in the port city of Sochi, where it had been hiding out for at least three days.

Speculation was rife as to how the kiwi arrived in Russia, with some believing it had been smuggled on a cruise ship.

However, after viewing a picture of the bird yesterday, Zoologist Alexander Kornilov instead identified the bird as a common bittern, Russian BBC reported.

Bitterns, which are found throughout Europe, North Africa and central Asia, migrated through the region of Sochi each spring, Kornilov said.

"Probably one of the birds hit the wires, damaged the wing and so she stayed in Sochi. The situation is quite common," he said.

The Department of Conservation, which had been investigating the reports, said it wasn't surprised by the result.

It warned yesterday that similar reports had turned out to be hoaxes.

However, the mistake may have been a genuine one.

Russian news site Pravda said the bittern in the Sochi garden probably would have resembled the Kiwi in appearance, as they typically moved along the ground while in the park.

Like kiwi, Bitterns are shy, secretive and more likely to be heard than seen, according to a BBC description.

The plump heron-like birds are described as having "subtle brown plumage" which blends almost perfectly into its reed-bed habitat.

Even when frightened, the bittern stands perfectly still pointing its neck and bill skywards, to look just like a reed stalk.

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Bitterns – “kings of the wetland’

2011-04-28T21:35:00.001-07:00

Bitterns – “kings of the wetland’
Peter Langlands
29 April 2011

Duck shooters are advised to take care not to accidentally shot a bittern during the upcoming season. These large birds are an endangered species and listed by DOC has “Nationally Threatened” and are fully protected.
Bitterns have evolved a streaked brown and black plumage to camouflage in with reed beds. The birds are about a kilogram in weight, half way in size between a mallard and Canada goose, but have a large pointed bill. Bittern often startle you as these large birds will flush out of the reeds at short range.
Bittern (or as they are known Matuku) have benefited from waterfowl wetland enhancement work done by Fish and Game and private individuals. But with over 90% of our wetlands drained the bittern have over all declined. Bittern are very much a bird of our larger wilderness wetlands, but are often sighted in drains and on farmland from March to June.
Although common at the Whangamarino wetland are bittern are quite scare and spread out though much of the country with a nationwide population of around 750 birds. If any shooters sight bittern or have photographs of bittern I would be keen to hear from you as I am collecting bittern records for a national database to assist with the conservation of the species (email – langlands@xtra.co.nz).

Photograph shows a bittern in flight at Te Waihora (c. Peter Langlands- Bittern researcher).

As another season ‘Bitterning’ at Whangamarino wetland comes to an end- by Emma Williams

2011-04-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

How do you monitor a bird that is adamant it’s a blade of grass?!
Emma Williams
As another season ‘Bitterning’ at Whangamarino wetland comes to an end, it’s time to wash the mud off the waders, empty the water out of the gumboots, and go back to the desk to work out what on earth was going on.
This was our second season of research out in Whangamarino. Our objectives were to develop a monitoring method for bittern and it’s not easy trying to monitor a bird that spends the majority of its time impersonating grass in inaccessible bogs. Yet, as only 10% of their original habitat remains today, it’s never been more important to know what’s happening with the bittern population in New Zealand.
Thankfully, male bittern make a distinct, deep ‘booming’ call during the breeding season, which we are hoping will prove useful as part of a survey method. Unfortunately, the calling-rate of bittern seems to vary greatly over time and between stations. This makes it tricky to detect trends in bittern populations using call counts alone. For example, this season at Whangamarino wetland, 234 ‘booms’ (per 1.5 hours) were recorded at one station in October. Yet, only one month later, no bittern were recorded from that same listening post. Did the bittern move or do they just have fewer reasons to call?
Hopefully we’ve got enough data this season to get some idea. In 2009, Lynette Plenderleith and I went hard out trying to see if bittern really are as crepuscular as everyone suggests. The evenings looked good, with a beautiful peak in calling-rates appearing about half an hour after sunset. Mornings were not so clear cut, with lots of sub-peaks leading up to sunrise. After several mornings of dragging ourselves out of bed at 2am, only to discover that bittern were already up and booming, we concluded that something else was going on. One morning we both came back adamant it was the moon. This has been proposed before by others, such as Philip Teal and Jono More. Teal suggested that the moon was somehow linked to bittern food sources, like the movement of whitebait. Who knows though, may be it is just easier to advertise yourself to the opposite sex when you can see the female, she can see you, and most importantly, you know where her mate is lurking.
So this year (2010) we were back out there again, trying to get more information. Unfortunately, Lynette couldn’t make it - she decided frogs were her passion, and the temptation of a full scholarship and PhD in Australia was just too much...so she passed her waders onto Elise Verschoor, and the swamp fever continued.
The objectives of this season were slightly different. We wanted to know more about the extent and cause of variability in calling-rates. We also needed to get around some of the issues that were limiting our sampling regime. Fundamentally, that we couldn’t sample more than two sites at once, and large sections of the inner wetland remained un-sampled (some places just took us too long to get to without a boat, and others you wouldn’t come back from, especially in the dark!). To solve this, Graeme Elliot and Stuart Cockburn lent us some of their bird recorders and we were able to directly compare MONO and STEREO recordings with results collected from an observer in the field.
The results so far
Its early days and there are still recordings to process, but things look promising. Recorders appear to be as reliable for detecting ‘booming’ bittern as a person physically in the wetland. In fact more reliable - at least with recordings you can ‘pause’ to write when multiple bittern boom at once.
It will take us a little longer to process the data regarding the variability in calling-rates though. What we do know already is that bittern call-rates peaked in October as predicted. Also, contrary to expectations, we detected a second peak in one small area of the wetland (the causeway). Although not common, this second peak has been observed before with the Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and is thought to be associated with males advertising feeding areas to fledglings or females becoming available again after nest failure . So, is it a coincidence that most of the ferrets the Department of Conservation caught during their ‘mark-recapture’ trials were along the causeway this year? Who knows? The research continues, and we still have a long way to go...but we will keep you posted...

Update from Colin O'Donnell- on bittern from DOC's work

2011-04-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Progress with developing monitoring techniques for cryptic swamp birds (bittern, fernbirds and rails)
The Department of Conservation has begun developing monitoring methods for swamp birds over the last year. We require robust methods to map distribution, identify critical habitats and monitor response of swamp birds to wetland management. Methods need to be sensitive enough to detect significant population changes within relatively short timeframes so that management can be adaptive. So far we have developed a national database for Australasian bittern, reviewed impacts of introduced mammalian predators on wetland birds and trialled automatic bird call recorders for recording bittern. Bittern usually call at night, with peaks at dawn and dusk and live in some deep swamps, so they are challenging to monitor using conventional means - so using auto recorders for inventory and/or monitoring is a promising possibility. In field trials at Whangamarino wetland in the Waikato region the recorders were excellent at recording bittern calls (up to 50 boom trains per 15 minutes) , with the recorders generally performing as well as human observers in our initial trials. Work is continuing on identifying the best time of year and night to monitor numbers and designing the sampling methods needed.

Contact: Colin O’Donnell (codonnell@doc.govt.nz)

Cheers
Colin

Dr Colin O'Donnell
Ecosystems and Species Unit
Research and Development Group
Department of Conservation — Te Papa Atawhai
VPN: 254985 | M: +64 276602476

Conservation for prosperity Tiakina te taiao, kia puawai
www.doc.govt.nz

Key bittern locations in the South Island

2011-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all- the map attached some key sites (n=13) where bitterns currently occur within the South Island.
Click on map thumbnail to expand the image

If any one wants any detailed maps within each site then please email me
-Peter Langlands
langlands@xtra.co.nz

Why do bitterns "freeze" on roads ?

2011-04-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

From: Chris Gaskin
To: BIRDING-NZ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, 12 April, 2011 7:33:11 PM
Subject: [BIRDING-NZ] Interesting encounter on the way ...

Hi all,
Heading to Tawharanui this morning for a meeting, came round a corner on the low flats area (just after Sandpiper Lodge and before the windy climb through the woods) and found a bittern standing in the middle of the road, beak skywards. Invisible - yeah right!
The bird rocketed off, flapped to the side of the road to land in the grassy verge. I stopped, great views. When I pointed the bird out to some people in the car behind, all I got was ...... Stunning bird. Check out the drainage ditches leading off from the road next time you're out there.
When I mentioned this at the meeting Maurice (one of the rangers) commented he'd see one the day before in the little tidal inlet beside the road (opposite the Lagoon). Good place for banded rail too.
Happy birding-

My reply to Chris's posting -
Hello Chris- thanks for your posting. Bitterns are vulnerable to being road-killed and suffer form collision events- which I suspect have increased as the bird's habitats have become increasingly fragmented. Also each year several birds are brought into bird rescue centres having been involved with car- over head power line collision events. I am working on analysing data from the National bittern database at the moment about causes of bittern mortality- with Colin O'Donnell. When they freeze on roads it doesn't help their cause- also with such a small population now ( 750 ?) it makes these records of collision events more important for this nationally threatened species. The birds visual fields may also may it vulnerable to collision events. While doing the National bittern database which I worked on for a year for DOC I recognised Northland and the Waikato as being NZ;'s two most important conservancies for bittern. If interested Chris I have a bittern blog -
http://bittern-tracker.blogspot.com/

Bittern engine room for the Golden bay region

2011-02-12T01:01:00.001-08:00

A regional stronghold-

Bittern on Facebook

2011-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Check out the following link-In-depth articles will still be updated on blog site.
Cheers
Peter

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bittern-Conservation-New-Zealand/120586604662542

Bittern -Kaimaumau wetland concerns

2010-11-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

[BIRDING-NZ] Bittern Kaimaumau wetland
From:
Kevin Matthews - November 2010
Hi All,

Bittern seen flying late morning yesterday within the Kaimaumau wetlands,
Far North. This is an unusual time to see one flying and the concern is the
wetland vandal on the digger probably interrupted its breeding season. DOC
and the Northland Regional Council have been involved in bringing works to a
stop but that cannot undo damage done in these fragile environments. If it
weren't for vigilant members of the public the damage could've been far
worse. Northland has less than five percent of its wetlands left and they
can ill afford the unrelenting discretion by ignorant machine operators and
those they work for.

Cheers Kevin

Extract from Birding -NZ-

Bittern on facebook

2010-09-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bittern-Conservation-New-Zealand/120586604662542?v=wall

Conserving New Zealand’s bitterns- an eleventh hour conservation attempt

2010-09-16T21:59:00.001-07:00

Conserving New Zealand’s bitterns- an eleventh hour conservation attempt
Peter Langlands
05 September 2010

Bitterns are an icon of our wetlands. Few birds show such a high level of adaptation to wetlands than bitterns. In fact their plumage has evolved to allow then to merge in with reed beds, a habitat that bitterns are dependent upon for their survival. Sadly it is the bittern’s specialised habitat requirements that are now putting this species at risk in many regions in New Zealand. Only Northland and Waikato have significant bittern populations remaining. Throughout the remainder of New Zealand bitterns occur only in small and fragmented populations. In some regions such as Marlborough the birds are on the edge of regional extinction. In Canterbury, where I live the population is estimated at between 30-50 birds. The NZ population may be as low as 500 birds- perhaps a maximum of 2000. Still making the bittern rarer than the kokako!
With fragmentation many other factors now come into play with bittern conservation. For example with birds living in wetlands with more edge zones the chance of predation increases, sadly there is little data to confirm this, but the increase on the harrier population is likely to impact on bitterns as are mammalian predators such as stoats and Norwegian rats. Also bitterns are highly vulnerable to collision events such as getting hit but cars and flying into power lines. For bittern the bird’s decline may be one of death by a thousand cuts. Bitterns requite large, productive wetlands- a habitat still in decline. Sadly only about 5% of our original wetlands exist, and the few surviving wetlands are under increasing threat.
For me the experience of going to a wetland and knowing that no bitterns are left would make me feel empty. Bitterns really are that one bird that symbolises a sense of wilderness with wetlands. The reality is that bitterns are the test of our commitment to conserve biodiversity. As a species they have been left to the eleventh hour to consider in active conservation plans. Yet there is hope. We have detailed information on the habitat requirements of bitterns and with some financial backing and commitment to create suitable habitat near where the surviving populations remain this species can be saved. Its future truly does rest in our hands!

Please vote for bittern - Forest and Bird - bird of year competition

2010-09-16T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hi all bittern blog followers- If you have a moment and feel inclined please vote for the bittern in Forest and Bird's - bird of the year campaign.

Link attached below.
thanks from me and the bitterns

http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/poll

Suggested booming bittern monitoring site 2010

2010-09-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Brooklands-Styx

Bittern at Wainono Lagoon ?

2010-09-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

Last reported sighting I have was in 1997. Does anyone have any since. Certainly some good habitat at Wainono- see attached map.

Ō Tū Wharekai wetlands – an important high country refuge for the nationally endangered Australasian Bittern.

2010-08-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

Ō Tū Wharekai wetlands – an important high country refuge for the nationally endangered Australasian Bittern.

Peter Langlands

Wilderness

19 July 2010

The Ō Tū Wharekai wetlands, otherwise known as the Ashburton lakes, are one of three large scale wetland restoration projects undertaken by DOC in New Zealand (the other two being Awarua Bay and Whangamarino swamp.) Yet Ō Tū Wharekai is the only high country site. The wetlands in a large basin area between the Rangitata and Rakaia River catchments are one of the best examples of high country wetlands in the South Island, with a good representation of tussock, sedge and rare wetland plant communities. Amongst these diverse wetland communities, adjoining scenic high country lakes, the wetlands form the last stronghold (outside of the Mackenzie basin) for the Australasian bittern or Matuku in the central South Island high country. In the last six months birds have been sighted at Lakes Heron and Emma, in addition to the bird’s distinctive booming call, heard at the Maori Lakes. These lakes form an important network upon which this high country bittern population depends. The most recent sighting in July 2010 confirms that bitterns stay in these high country lakes throughout the year – even when most wetlands are frozen over in the region! Small inflowing creeks are likely to provide a foraging area for the birds.

The bittern is one of our rarer birds and is listed in the second highest threat ranking as being a nationally endangered bird. Bitterns once thrived in New Zealand but their numbers have rapidly declined since the 1950’s as the vast majority of New Zealand’s wetlands were drained. It is estimated that now only 750 birds remain in New Zealand (with most birds in the Northland and Waikato regions- where large wilderness wetlands remain). Now bitterns are scattered in very low numbers throughout the South Island. With only around 50 birds remaining in Canterbury. The Ashburton Lakes form one of three known important populations of bittern within the Canterbury Region, the other two being at Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) and in wetlands scattered throughout the Mackenzie Country. In addition a few birds are also found along smaller wetlands along Canterbury’s coast from Wainono Lagoon in the south to the Amberley wetlands in the North.

The bitterns are very much a bird of our wilderness wetlands preferring undisturbed and remote wetlands. They are large birds with a striking pointed bill, used for feeding on a wide range of prey items from small eels, fish to frogs and small birds. Yet most strikingly bitterns have brown and buff stripes on their breast to camouflage in amongst reed beds, and in particular- raupō (or bullrush) – a much favoured habitat of bitterns in the South Island. Bitterns are in the heron family and are the only group of birds having evolved to merge in with reed beds. From August until March bitterns have a distinctive booming call, similar to that of the endangered kakapo, which resonates eerily across our wilderness wetlands. Like the kakapo the bittern is sadly an endangered species and habitat enhancement and creation combined with predator trapping may be required to save this enigmatic bird.

Photograph caption- Bittern, or Matuku ( as they are known as in Maori culture) photographed at Ō Tū Wharekai wetlands in winter 2010 - in the Ashburton Lakes- one of few high country strongholds left for these birds (and now protected under the Arawai Käkäriki Wetland Restoration Program-DOC).

Key words –

Arawai Käkäriki Wetland Restoration Programme.

Ō Tū Wharekai (Ashburton lakes/Upper Rangitata river, Canterbury).

Australasian bittern - Botaurus poiciloptilus – Matuku

End

Bittern in flight- Lake Ellesmere region

2010-08-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Striking outline. Bitterns are now starting to boom. Any records of booming birds would be appreciated.

Regards

Peter Langlands-

langlands@xtra.co.nz

Bittern foot print

2010-08-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Note- length of hind claw ( voice recorder is 10 cm in lenght)- so an impressive footprint. Found deep insidea raupo bed in the Lake Ellesmere region on 22 august 2010. So next time you are around any wetlands have a look for this type of print. Perhaps a useful way, at times, of monitoring the presence of bittern.

Bittern on utube movie production

2010-08-18T14:28:00.001-07:00

Bittern on utube movie production

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYjrKFcKJKk

produced by Martin Langlands for the 2010 biodiversity utube movie competition.

Enjoy-

Thanks Martin

The Matuku is a native bird living in New Zealand's wetlands, a bird in great danger of extinction indicative of the poor state and destruction of our once pristine wetland ecologies - However there is hope , all people's of Aotearoa need to act. Images are by Peter langlands and original music-video by Martin Langlands www.yysound.com

Talk about conservation of Bittern in Canterbury

2010-08-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bitterners I will be giving a talk on 27 September at 7.30 pm to the Canterbury Branch of the Ornithological Society . The talk will be held at the Department of conservation's Maahanui Office- Sockburn. For more information contact Jan Walker- Regional represenative- Jan Walker

Regards

Peter

Bittern image available- to help fund further bittern work

2010-08-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

A rare image of this nationally endangered bird in flight. taken by Peter Langlands in 2010. Photo available at full file size - suitable to poster size. A striking image of the Australasian bittern or matuku. All funds from sale of image will go into doing further research to assist with the conservation of this species.
Image supplied on disk with a gift card of the image for $10- if interested please contact me- langlands@xtra.co.nz

Lake Ellesmere- a critical regional stronghold for bittern

2010-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Bird photographed flying into a dense raupo bed in late July

Fifth bittern for year sighted today !

2010-07-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

Yeah- getting confident at finding them now- photos being worked on. Lake Ellesmere Region- Canterbury's stronghold !

Bittern flying over a frozen lake

2010-07-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

It is quite remarkable that bittern over winter on the Ashburton Lakes- tough birds

Bittern close to extinction in Tasmania - IUCN

2010-07-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/144719/0

Bittern in Australia- conservation status changes

2010-07-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

1988 – Lower Risk/least concern

2008 - Endangered

In the space of twenty years awareness of the birds conservation status has changed markedly !

Proposal to place bittern one rank up in conservation status in NSW

2010-07-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

2010

Proposal to list bittern as an endangered species - Threatened species Conservation Act- NSW

2010-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bitterners- more information on the state of the bittern in NSW- Australia

NSW Scientific Committee - preliminary determination
The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Preliminary Determination to support a proposal to list the Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus Wagler 1827 as an ENDANGERED SPECIES in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Act, and as a consequence, to omit reference to the Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus Wagler 1827 from Part 1 of Schedule 2 (Vulnerable species) of the Act. Listing of Endangered species is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/austbitternPD.htm

Bittern- Ashburton lakes- O Tu Wharekai - July 2010

2010-07-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

Bittern family

2010-07-13T23:30:00.001-07:00

A cool image - trying to get details about artist. So cute.

Injured bittern recovery

2010-07-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

The (Sweetwater) bird has been treated at the Whangarei Bird Rescue Centre and will hopefully be released back into the wild today.
Thanks Robert.

Bittern's hind claw

2010-07-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

Formidable

Sweetwater bittern found

2010-07-05T00:02:00.001-07:00

On it's way to the Whangarei bird rescue centre. thanks Kevin for finding the bird and to Lester at DOC ( Kaitaia) for helping with rescue co-ordination.
Peter.
Fingers crossed. Keep you all posted.
Peter
A memorable day for this bitterner !!!

one of two bitterns sighted today- Lake Ellesmere

2010-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

First time in over twenty years I have sighted two birds in one day !!! Best pix shown

injured bittern- Sweetwater- Northland

2010-07-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Bird photographed by Kevin - with a broken wing several days ago- possible hit by car. Hopefully DOC staff will be able to find this bird for treatment. It appears quite spritely despite the broken wing- sad image but there is hope. If anyone has any records of injured or killed bitterns please email to me-
langlands@xtra.co.nz
for a paper I am working on at present.

Kind regards fellow bitterners.
Peter

Thank you Kevin for making image available.

Bittern in flight

2010-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all- a new photo taken near Lake Ellesmere.

Bittern recovery stratgies in NSW

2010-06-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all- the following link lists actions to help conserve NSW's remaining bittern populations. Clearly some Trans- Tasman co-operation will be a good approach for the conservation of bitterns

http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_profile.aspx?id=10105ions.

Concern increasing about Bittern population in Australia

2010-06-25T13:09:00.001-07:00

HI all- concern is increasing now about just how small the bittern population is in Australia. recent surveys suggest a minimum of 200 birds and for the areas monitored an upper population estimate of 600 birds. The significance of the NZ population is increasing.
Check out the following link which gives an indication of the recent decline of bittern numbers in Australia

http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/our-projects/bittern-survey.html

Note- data suggest that numbers have declined since this survey was under taken, over the last two years.

Peter

Coromandel wetlands

2010-06-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Coromandel wetlands

2010-06-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Bitterns on the Coromandel

2010-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Recently while up on the Coromandel I was quite impressed by the quality of wetland habitats on the upper reaches on the inlets on the eastern side . Yet it appears that many wetlands areas have been drained in the last five years.

Bittern chicks small and vulnerable

2010-06-15T13:21:00.001-07:00

Clearly a big knowledge gap is on the breeding biology of bitterns in NZ. With bittern chicks being so small and often spread out from the nest basin I wonder just what the predation impact is on bittern chicks from what appears to be an increasing harrier population. Clearly this photograph demonstrates that human predation was also a problem in the past !!! If anyone has any recent reports (last three years )of breeding bittern I am certainly keen to receive them-
langlands@xtra.co.nz

Bittern chicks

2010-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

An historic photo by Buddle.

Auckland bittern summary

2010-05-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all- I will put up a summary of information on the status of bittern in the Auckland region soon.

Always keen on any sightings- hope to keep the national bittern database going.

Bittern are to our wetlands what kakapo are to our forests- Imagine the time when bittern and kakapo boomed side by side- in the not too distant past.

Bittern in flight

2010-05-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Another photo from Te Waihora region. Cool birds. Great weather for a bittern at moment.

Keen for any recent sightings.
Please email to me : langlands@xtra.co.nz

Kind regards
Peter

Bittern still alive and booming in O Tu Wharekai

2010-05-28T22:04:00.001-07:00

"Bittern booming at Maori Lakes in April - on automatic recorder - YeeeHaaa!"
Comment from Colin O'Donnell. Thanks Stuart for putting out the automatic recorders.

Booming bittern finally filmed

2010-05-26T03:21:00.000-07:00

OK- the Eurasian bittern- but still interesting footage. Quite a different booming call from the Australasian bittern-
Thanks George for link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8663000/8663139.stm

Bittern sighted just north of Whangarei

2010-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the photo June. This really shows that bitterns like diverse habitats- eco-tones. They certainly stand out in green "reed beds". Bird sighted a few days ago.

Bittern talks and a few comments

2010-05-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

I will be giving a presentation about bitterns to South Auckland OSNZ on 11 May and at ECan on 21 May- will post details tomorrow.

Hopefully no bitterns got shot during the opening of the duck-shooting season over the weekend.

Sadly I received a report of a bittern shot last year by duck shooters in the Northland Region.

I am keen to spotlight locations of high importance to bittern and to increase awareness of the birds' plight.

The drought in Northland appears to have concentrated bitterns and good numbers of birds have been sighted up there in the last month or so.

Keep an eye out as bitterns can turn up anywhere at this time of year.

Kind regards
Peter

Bittern photo available as postcard

2010-05-02T03:37:00.001-07:00

Bittern postcard available- The image of a bittern in flight is available as a 6x 4 print on a card with envelope- available for $3 each. Minimum order is three. Plus $1.00 postage.If interested please email me your address and I will post out. all funds go towards researching bittern conservation in NZ.Email- langlands@xtra.co.nz

Extinct bittern !!!!

2010-05-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

The NZ little bittern is considered extinct- a reminder of how vulnerable our cryptic wetland birds are to processes that have affected and caused extinction amongst our forest birds.
specimen photographed on display at the Otago Museum.

Bittern talk given in Otago

2010-05-01T23:53:00.001-07:00

Hi fellow bitterners- gave a talk on bittern conservation to 25 members of the Otago OSNZ last Wednesday. It is good to hear that bitterns have been heard booming from the Waihola/Sinclair wetland area over the 2009-2010 breeding season. Thanks for the report Graeme.

Shane McPherson bittern photo

2010-04-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Taken at Lake Humuhumu . Possibly a young bird due to dark , fresh plumage ?
Thanks Shane

Bittern sightings rolling in

2010-04-25T01:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks all for bittern sightings. The latest sighting comes from Ross who sighted a bird at Moana- Lake Brunner.

Not so typical bittern habitat

2010-04-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning Lisa from Rolleston sighted a bittern on this road edge near Lincoln. The bird froze when sighted. The rank broom on the edge of the road perhaps was a substitute for reeds. I went out the following morning but had no luck in finding the bird. Unusual habitat for a bittern , but only 15 kilometres away from the bird's strong hold in Canterbury, on the western side of Lake Ellesmere. So keep an eye out as bitterns turn up in some unusual locations in the Autumn.
Regards
Peter

Typical bittern habitat

2010-04-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Bitterns are a key species marking out wetlands of high bio-diversity- so should be celebrated in 2010 - the international year of bio-diversity. The photo shows typical bittern habitat with a range of wetland vegetation and shallow feeding edges.

Bittern blog- 2010

2010-04-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who submitted bittern records last year. DOC is now working on an analysis of the records gathered- almost 4000 in all.

The blog will now operate as an informal discussion on bitterns in NZ.

Comments can be made on the blog. If anyone has any photos or images they want on the blog please email me - langlands@xtra.co.nz

Happy bitterning

Kind regards
Peter Langlands

Peter Langlands
Outdoor/ environmental writing and photography
B.Sc (Zoology) Diploma of Science (Aquatic Ecology)

H: 64 3 338 5373
M: 0274 501 916
E: langlands@xtra.co.nz

P.O.Box 2819
Christchurch Mail Centre
New Zealand

Bittern blog active

2010-01-25T23:03:00.000-08:00

2009-06-22T17:39:00.001-07:00

Tracking down bitterns in New Zealand
Welcome to the bittern blog.
For any bittern sightings, recent or historical, the basic information I need is
1. Location
2. Date
3. Number of birds seen or heard
4. Any habitat or behavioural observations
5. The observers' name.
Please email this information to me at
langlands@xtra.co.nz

Welcome to the bittern blog

2009-06-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

Tracking bittern in New Zealand