By Justin Atkinson, 30 June 2024
Whether you see them out tramping, in the backyard, out the window, or simply hear their heartwarming calls, Aotearoa's birds are a vital part of our national consciousness. Aotearoa has a large number of endemic bird species, increasing the need to protect our country's birdlife.
VUWTC joined Manaaki Whenua's call for New Zealanders to generate insights on the health of our bird populations. We participated in the annual Garden Bird Survey, where we chose a spot and recorded all the birds we saw for an hour. We completed not one but TWO bird surveys: one at Truby King Park on the boundary between Newtown and Kilbirnie, and one near the Soundshell at the Botanical Gardens.
I made some people cross by insisting on being nitpicky and counting the highest number of each bird species seen at one time instead of total birds, but it meant we were scientifically accurate and avoided double counting!
Over 7,900 surveys were submitted in the 2024 event, so it was pretty special for us to be responsible for 2 of those! Of the 300,863 birds and 131 species counted nationally, VUWTC definitely spotted:
- Truby King: 1 Pīwakawaka/fantail, 1 Korimako/bellbird, 1 Blackbird, 1 Tūī, 2 Tiu/house sparrows (6 birds, 5 species)
- Botans: 2 Pīwakawaka/fantail, 1 Tiu/house sparrow, 1 Riroriro/grey warbler, 2 Blackbirds, 1 Tarāpunga /red-billed gull, 2 Kākā, 2 Kererū/NZ wood pigeon, 3 Tūī (14 birds, 8 species)
Shoutout to the VUW Science Collective, the VUW Society for Conservation Biology, and the Botans cat for their support!
NB: VUWTC officially voted for the Tītitipounamu/Rifleman as its official Bird of the Year for 2024!
