Birdlife of Purewa

Bruce R. Keeley surveyed Purewa’s birdlife over the course of a year.

Here’s what he found

Introduction

I was pleased to be asked to survey the birdlife of the Pūrewa grounds, and agreed to do so at various times of year so that any seasonal changes could be taken into account.

The method of observation was very simple. An early morning walk, taking the same route, more or less around the cemetery’s perimeter. Species seen and heard were recorded, with an estimation of numbers. Any favoured ‘hot spots’ were noted.

The method claims no scientific rigour, and the results are more indicative of relative abundance, rather than accurate numbers. Many factors are at play in any such survey. For example, birds’ behaviour is affected by weather conditions (wind, temperature etc); food supply (flowering, fruiting etc); seasonal patterns of flocking, moult, breeding cycle, song period, migration etc.

Four surveys were made over 22 months, covering the four seasons:  17 June 2022 (winter), 7 October 2022 (spring), 7 February 2024 (summer) and 9 April 2024 (autumn).

Because of the variable factors at play, as indicated above, and the high mobility of the birds themselves, the results below are simply ‘snapshots’ of four morning visits to Pūrewa. Were surveys to be carried out on consecutive days, there might well be significant variations in the species and numbers recorded.

The list of (25) species recorded on the four visits will not be the whole story. For example, the ‘no-show’ for Kererū does not mean they are absent, as I have seen them on other occasions, and staff have mentioned them to me. Likewise, the nocturnal Morepork/Ruru which is generally not seen or heard during daylight hours, would certainly be a Pūrewa resident species.

At first glance, the Blackbird stands out as the most numerous species, which is no surprise. The closely related Song Thrush is likely less common, but also less conspicuous by nature, except in the song season. The nil return for Thrush in the autumn count does not indicate absence, but its habit of staying under the radar when it is moulting.

Winter Hotspot

The high winter score for the three finch species (Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch) indicates their habit of forming flocks in winter, and also the favourable habitat offered them at Pūrewa.  These finches, along with several Eastern Rosellas were feasting on the seeds of several large Liquidamber trees in the M and R areas along the western and northern edges of the cemetery.

Summer Hotspot

This may have been a ‘one-off’ event, but there was a conspicuous concentration of Tūī, Rosella, Greenfinch and Silvereye – all with juveniles from recent successful breeding – in the mature grove of Tōtara and Pōhutukawa in Area A.

Cemeteries often serve as biodiversity reservoirs. Pūrewa is a splendid example, offering an increasingly vital open space for birdlife, as Auckland’s urban development intensifies. The mix of native and exotic trees provides rich habitat for food, shelter and nesting. The proximity of the tidal Pūrewa creek and adjacent native bush remnants offer habitat to a number of other species which can also benefit from Pūrewa’s nearby open space.

I commend the Pūrewa Trust Board’s efforts in raising the profile of this wonderful place, with its rich taonga of both social and natural history, and thank you for the opportunity to look more closely at the birds that find a safe haven here.

Bruce R Keeley

Image Attributions:

Black Bird, Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Common Myna, Richard Taylor from Australia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Song Thrush,Tony Wills, CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tui, Geoff McKay from Palmerston North, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Eastern Rosella, JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Spotted Dove, Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Chaffinch, Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Goldfinch, Francis C. Franklin / CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Greenfinch, Marek Szczepanek, www.naturephotos.com.pl, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

Starling, Deepak Sundar, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

House Sparrow, Jonathan Keelty from Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Slivereye, fir0002  flagstaffotos [at] gmail.com Canon 5D II + Canon 400mm f/5.6 L, GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Grey Warbler, Francesco Veronesi from Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Fantail, Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 

Shining Cuckoo, Francesco Veronesi from Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Welcome Swallow, JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Magpie, JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Kingfisher, Rosa Stewart, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Pūkeko, Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Feral Pigeon, Toby Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Spurwinged Plover, JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Common Pheasant, ChrisO, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Pied Shag, Sid Mosdell from New Zealand, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

White-faced Heron, JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Black-backed Gull, Phillip Capper, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Kereru, JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons