Birdlife of Purewa
Native birdlife is alive and well at Purewa Cemetery, a fact amply shown by a recently completed survey highlighting 25 species commonly found living within its grounds.
The survey was conducted by Bruce Keeley, known to many readers for his 21 years of service as vicar of All Saints Anglican Church in Howick. Less well known is Bruce’s life-long passion for the study of birds. (Bruce holds a degree in zoology, which he earned in anticipation of an ornithology career before being called to the priesthood.)
Twenty-two Months and Four Seasons
Bruce describes his survey method as simple – an early morning walk, taking the same route around the cemetery’s 3km perimeter over a 22-month period, and covering the four seasons.
“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”, Keeley says.
The lack of obvious Thrush in the autumn doesn’t indicate their absence but rather their habit of staying under the radar when moulting.
While he was able to observe 25 species, Bruce points out there are others living among Purewa’s trees which he was not able to personally observe on his four visits – such as the Kereru (wood pigeon) and the nocturnal Morepork (Ruru), which is generally not seen or heard during the day.
He recorded Winter and Summer hotspots where certain species were numerous, such as the high Winter score for the three finch species (Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch) indicating their habit of forming flocks in Winter along with the favourable habitat provided by Purewa.
“These finches along with several Eastern Rosella were feasting on the seeds of several large Liquidamber trees in the M and R blocks along the western and northern edges of the cemetery,” he says.
As for the Summer hotspot, there was a conspicuous concentration of Tui, Rosella, Greenfinch and Silvereye, all with juveniles from recent successful breeding, in the mature grove of Totara and Pohutukawa in A block.
Biodiversity
“Cemeteries often serve as biodiversity reservoirs and Purewa is a splendid example of this offering an increasingly vital open space for birdlife as Auckland’s urban development intensifies”, Bruce says.
To help preserve Purewa’s birdlife, Purewa joined forces with the Eastern Bays Songbird Project four years ago. This successful collaboration serves to prevent possums from destroying baby birds, ensuring the health and future of Purewa’s precious birdlife.
