Birders Are Taking To The Sky To Survey Endangered Natives

Bird experts are taking to the sky to survey endangered natives

This weekend, helicopters will fly citizen scientists to isolated Otago peaks in search of pīwauwau/New Zealand rock wrens and more.

Rock Wren.  Credit: David Hallett

The New Zealand Bird Atlas is underway and aims to gather vital data on bird distribution and abundance across the entire country. This 5-year scheme is Birds New Zealand’s flagship project.

This weekend’s survey is special because it focuses on the Bird of the Year, the pīwauwau/New Zealand rock wren and because sponsorship from Toi Toi Wines is funding the flights to difficult-to-access areas in Southland.

Pete McClelland, a regional representative for Birds New Zealand, says being airlifted is one of the things he's looking forward to most.

"Because of the support for flights, we're able to reach places where birds have never been surveyed before.

"We'll work in two subgroups. Experienced alpine people make up one group that will go into the most rugged areas. Other volunteers will walk through valleys and areas that suit their physical skills."

Kevin Joyce, Founder and owner of Toi Toi Wines, says his family is passionate about both wine and the great New Zealand outdoors.

"Nature inspires us, and we're fortunate that birdsong surrounds us daily. We're proud to have supported many initiatives to help native birdlife thrive across New Zealand.

"Our sponsorship of the Bird Atlas means we can help to survey backcountry parts of New Zealand. It's such a valuable citizen science project.”

As well as sponsorship from Toi Toi Wines, support from the community has meant hopes for the survey are high.

"Local farmers have been fantastic at giving us access. And our volunteers are so dedicated. We can see how much they care about our birdlife; they're looking forward to seeing what we find," says Pete.

Technology means researchers can learn a lot more. In the past, surveys have only checked whether species are present. Now, biologists can extrapolate the findings so they can understand population numbers and movement.

The data will be used by the public sector, such as the Department of Conservation and by advocacy groups, such as Forest and Bird New Zealand. It will support improved bird conservation and research for years to come.

This weekend's survey will be the first snapshot of the status of our bird species for twenty years. It will build on the legacy of two previous Bird Atlas projects run by Birds New Zealand in the 1970s and the turn of the millennium.

This period of data collection runs from 1 June 2019 to 31 May 2024. Citizen scientists are encouraged to enter their bird observations day and night into the New Zealand Bird Atlas eBird portal.

Bruce McKinlay, president of Birds New Zealand, says, "As the NZ Bird Atlas enters its last year, it’s important that we can access remote parts of New Zealand.

“The Eyre Mountains are remote, so the partnership with Toi Toi Wines is crucial in enabling Birds NZ members to access the area. Surveying the Eyre Mountains will provide up-to-date information on the distribution of the Nationally Endangered pīwauwau/New Zealand rock wren and help lift the survey’s coverage overall.”

The survey is timely because New Zealand is in a period of rapid change. Two previous Atlas schemes showed that many of our endemic and native birds have suffered. Birds retrenched into the more remote backcountry areas, often because of predators such as stoats, rats, cats, possums and mustelids and other introduced mammalian species.

Readers can find out more about the project and how to get involved at https://ebird.org/atlasnz/about.

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