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Pukorokoro
Miranda News
Journal of the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust
February 2018 Issue 107
Mysterious gold-spangled visitors
Record numbers of Pacific Golden Plovers are holidaying at
Pukorokoro this summer. But where have they come from?
Storm surge Grey Plover Waders start
surrounds pays a rare adapting
Centre and visit to to climate
hits
Pukorokoro Miranda News reserve
| Issue 107 Pukorokoro change 1
CLOSED: A surge of seawater surrounds the Centre at the height of the storm forcing an early end to business,
wrecking the water pumps and the freezer in the garage. Photo / Chelsea Rails.
The day the Firth came forth
A king tide, a massive low pressure system and ferocious northeasterly winds blowing down the Firth of Thames,
sent a huge storm surge roaring over the coastal plains, flooding the village of Kaiaua, marooning the Shorebird
Centre and deluging the Findlay Reserve. Keith Woodley reports on the perfect storm of Friday 5 January.
There had been predictions the day later half the coastal paddocks were lapping at the bottom of the front steps
before that it would be a nasty spell inundated, and by 08.35 water had became the critical benchmark.
of weather. The worst of the intense reached the road. The wind gusts had There the level appeared to sta-
tropical storm was expected to hit us also become much stronger. With the bilise. Most likely the surrounding
during a period of king tides. It rained predicted peak of the tide still over farmland was now absorbing the flow,
and blew through Thursday night two hours away our prospects were meaning it was no longer rising here -
and the tide peaked unseen at around looking very bad. for the moment at least.
10.30pm, so it was a relief at daybreak We received word that authorities I had called the District Council to
to see little sign of its effects. Maybe were advising us to self-evacuate, but inform them there were eight of us,
it wasn’t going to be as bad as July with water on the road that was no that we were unable to evacuate but
1995, the last time the tide reached longer possible. Through rattling win- were likely to be okay.
the road outside the Centre. But then dows we watched water cascading into Our guests were a mother and
there came the official word: do not be Widgery Lake filling it within minutes. daughter and two grand children. They
complacent - the worst is yet to come. By 9am the centre grounds were un- sat at a table playing games as the
So on Friday morning we gathered in der water: more significantly it flowed water flowed by outside the window.
the Centre and waited. under part of the building and took out This would be rich material for holiday
When it came it came at speed. By our pumps. The garage and storeroom reports back in school.
8.15am we could see waves breaking also had nearly 20 cm of water, enough If it was remarkable how quickly
on top of the beach. Five minutes to ruin the chest freezer. The water the water came, it was no less sur-
Cover: Photo of a Pacific Golden Plover in Alaska in full breeding plumage by Wally Johnson.
2 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107
CUT OFF: (top) The storm swept away the boardwalk to the Godwit Hide. (below) the bridge ended up sitting
firmly on its piles some 70m south. Photos / Chelsea Rails, Jim Eagles
prising how fast it receded from our bow skink sought cover from us. As we perhaps overly hopeful of establishing
grounds. I had feared that once over advanced down the road they turned themselves on the bitumen, or along
the road, with no clear outlet, it would out to be common. There were also the edges of Widgery Lake where they
remain with us. But the porous shell several convolvulus moth caterpillars, also littered the tide wrack.
banks upon which this place is built huge and vivid green against the dark From the road all three hides were
proved to be a blessing. wet debris. Most intriguing of all were visible and seemingly intact – a great
Not so lucky the surrounding farm the legions of mangrove propagules, relief given events several years ago,
paddocks, many of which were still
flooded three days later. Seeing water What’s on at the Shorebird Centre
in these paddocks is not unusual of 4 March, Farewell to the Birds
course, certainly not last year when it 11am University researcherJesse Conklin gives an update of his
happened multiple times. But this time fascinating godwit work. High tide at 9.30am.
it was seawater.
20 May, Annual General Meeting
Nevertheless the centre grounds
11am Guest speaker Bruce McKinlay outlines his work as New Zealand
were not entirely out of danger. The
representative to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership which
water table was now largely salt water
has been of great help to the Trust. High tide at 10.45am.
so any trees and shrubs were likely
to be affected, and over the next few 25-27 May, Drawing Techniques Course with Sandra Morris
weeks more and more brown foliage Details from the Centre.
was to appear. 24 June, Firth of Thames Wader Census
As the tide receded, and the rain High tide 10.16am. Contact Tony Habraken 09 238 5284) for details.
reduced to gusty dripping, we went 18 August, Winter Potluck Dinner and Working bee
out to investigate. Of particular con- 10am Working bee. 12.20pm High tide, 6pm Potluck dinner followed by
cern was to see how our hides had birding trivia quiz.
fared. The road was a mass of tide 4-6 September, NZ Dotterel management course.
wrack and logs, distributed in irregular Details from the Centre.
patches, evidence of wave action and
its caprices. 7-9 September, Photography course with Neil Fitzgerald
Movement caught my eye as a rain- Details from the Centre.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 3
AFTERMATH: (at left) the Wrybill Hide was left full of water but was quickly repaired; (left) debris covers the road
outside the Centre as the flood recedes. Photo / Chelsea Ralls
Close to the not to mention the huge effort that
went into creating the two new ones.
top of the bank was one of our in-
terpretation panels, still in one piece
worst ever We knew, watching the tide ap- and attached to its two supports. The
proach, that the White-fronted Tern northern (uncovered) screen was gone,
How bad was the weather event nests on the shell bank would be gone. the southern one wrapped around
on 5 January? According to Steve The Black-billed Gulls fared better, parallel with the end wall. Inside were
Fabish, Civil Defence Controller having started earlier. The car park piles of shell and upturned benches. On
for Hauraki District Council, it was now a roost of restless adult gulls, the mud in front were wrybill and gulls
was close to the worst on record. accompanied by many well-advanced going about their normal business. Not
Steve said it was due to a juveniles and several younger ones. quite so normal were the five gannets
combination of the highest king To the south of the godwit hide investigating the bay in front of the
tide of the year at 3.6m, an was a large object sitting prominently hides: a highly unusual species to see
extreme low pressure system, on a bank of vegetation. It took a few inside the shell bank.
‘which naturally makes the sea seconds to figure out what it was: the The trail beyond the Wrybill Hide
level even higher’, and galeforce boardwalk, still intact, resting 70 me- was covered in debris and silt. A huge
winds, ‘which push the sea straight tres south of where it was yesterday. hole had been gouged out of the start
into the Kaiaua coastline’. The new trail was largely intact, of the trail to the Stilt Hide, which sat
The worst recorded event of although some of the edges had been in a pool of water. This turned out to
this kind, he said, was in 1938 gouged out, and the surface was pitted be the level of the Stilt Ponds.
when the sea reached an estimated and uneven. It ended abruptly before Much of the trail back to the
3m above mean high water. a deep channel of receding tidewater centre was shin deep in water, with
The worst in recent years was on the other side of which sat the exposed areas a mass of slippery silt.
in 1995, which caused severe Godwit Hide. Another interpretation panel had been
flooding in the Hauraki Plains, We waded along the trail to the uprooted, but this too was still intact.
and that reached 2.4m. Wrybill Hide. It was slightly askew but Fence lines were heavily shrouded with
The 5 January event was apart from piles of shell in and around debris, including here and there enor-
estimated at 2.8m ‘and we think it it, otherwise sound. mous logs. A 30 cm eel swam ahead
might well have got close to 3m by We walked back down the beach- of us up the trail.
the time it hit the Kaiaua Coast’. front to the Godwit Hide. Lying on On Saturday began the recovery
4 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107
ADAPTABLE: (top) Birds take refuge from the storm in the car park; (bottom) Black-billed Gulls, which have seen
this sort of thing before, quickly return to their roost on the shellbank. Photos / Chelsea Ralls, Ray Buckmaster
process. Power had been restored did gain was a spacious garage and by early February. We are grateful to
overnight and, apart from several more de-cluttered storeroom. Living Water for organising this.
brief outages, remained reliable. The trail to the hides, however, This was a very significant weath-
A visit from Ngatea Milking Co. on was a different matter. When we had er and tide event. While the centre
Saturday morning gave us a temporary walked back to the centre on the Friday emerged relatively unscathed, Kaiaua
pump, and by Monday both hot water afternoon we waded most of the way and surrounding farmlands have taken
cylinders under the units were back in in shin deep water, which proved to be a massive hit.
operation. relatively easy going. I must record here how impressed I
By Tuesday we had two permanent A few days later the water had was by the prompt and comprehensive
pumps in place, which left just one gone but a fine silty and very greasy response by Civil Defence and Hauraki
remaining hurdle, albeit a significant residue remained, making walking a District Council – both in the imme-
one - getting the septic system emptied. precarious business. This meant the diate aftermath of the flood, and the
We joined the queue that included trail needed to remain closed. days following.
most permanent residents of Kaiaua Informal conversations with coun- I was also extremely grateful to
and were fortunate to have our tank cil staff, road contractors and DOC have a very good team on hand during
sorted by late Tuesday morning. staff soon resulted in a recovery plan. that eventful Friday and its aftermath.
This meant the centre was back in Several truckloads of shell from re- My thanks go to Chelsea Ralls, Dai
full operation. We were most grati- covery operations up the coast were Stacy and Jo Jo Doyle. Gillian Vaughan
fied at the speed with which this was deposited at the start of the track. and Ian Southey joined us for the
accomplished, especially as there was DOC Thames staff then laid it out over garage cleanup, as did Trust member
a huge deadline looming: the start of the trail, while also repairing the major David Cornick who was staying at
the annual field course. holes in several sections of trail. the time.
Meanwhile the weekend clean up A week after the storm, a technician Meanwhile, Adrian Riegen had
included emptying the garage and from the company that built the new arrived down early on the Saturday to
storeroom and clearing out the film car park trail last year was back on assess damage to the hides. He disap-
of silt coating the floor, lower shelves site to assess the damage. From this peared with a shovel and hours later
and the freezer. We needed to replace came a recovery plan to repair the trail the surrounds of Godwit and Wrybill
the freezer, but apart from that we lost and reinstall the errant boardwalk. All hides had been levelled and both were
nothing of real importance. What we going well it is hoped to have this done ready for use.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 5
STORM-TOSSED: (from left) A Grey Plover and a Fairy Prion. Photos / Gabriel Buissard, Sabine’s Sunbird.
Storm delivers several rarities to Pukorokoro
Major storms may engender mixed ers in a good year. Enigmatic because
Recent sightings feelings. On the one hand is the
potential for disaster, while for the
we know so little about ‘our’ birds or
where they come from.
at Pukorokoro birder there is the prospect of rarities,
or merely regular birds turning up in
In early November Trust member
Peter Fryer came up from Taranaki
irregular locations. to assist with the second stage of hide
Shortly after the January storm a building and to do some birding. He
Arctic Migrants gGannet was brought in to the Centre. counted 93 Golden Plovers, which
Exhausted when found on the Hauraki was an astonishing number. Over the
7100 Bar-tailed Godwit Plains at Mangatarata, the vigorously next few weeks the maximum counts
1870 Red Knot snapping bill now suggested energy increased to a total of 129, many of
129 Pacific Golden Plover had been restored so it was taken which appeared to be juveniles. Down
14 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper up to Taramaire for release off the at the hide or walking along the shore-
13 Ruddy Turnstone beach. The next day a Giant Petrel was line I am used to the common birds
2 Red-necked Stint brought in from Back Miranda Road. being present, the ones that wherever
It too was taken to Taramaire. you look always seem to be in view:
1 Curlew Sandpiper A week before the field course a godwits or stilts, Wrybill or gulls. To
1 Grey Plover birding tour visited the Centre. As we have these replaced by Pacific Golden
1 Little Whimbrel were still closed it was a briefer visit Plovers is just extraordinary.
1 Far Eastern Curlew than usual, but long enough for a client Miranda Field Course activities
Arctic Skua to report seeing a Grey Plover. I said were marginally affected by a second
that would be highly unusual for here, storm centred to the west of the coun-
at which he described the bird flying try. This system brought a return of
New Zealand species overhead displaying its black ‘armpits’. gusty north easterlies down the Firth,
2000 SI Pied Oystercatcher This diagnostic field marking for the which resulted in one of our wader
650 White-fronted Tern species clearly made it a good sighting. watch sessions being side-tracked. A
590 Black-billed Gulls + chicks However, still being in post-flood bluish grey bird with a white belly flap-
recovery mode, I thought no more ping erratically up the channel between
450 Wrybill
about it. So when a report came in two shell bank and hides drew attention
30 Banded Dotterel days later of a Grey Plover outside the away from the massed flock of godwits
3 Gannet hide, the record finally made its way and knots roosting on the mud.
1 Royal Spoonbill to the wider birding world. It was still It was a Fairy Prion that should
1 Glossy Ibis present during the field course when have been, at the very least, flapping
Banded Rail + 3 chicks all participants got to see it. This is the above the white caps outside the shell
first record for Pukorokoro Miranda bank. Which is where other birds
Caspian Tern
since January 1991.Two other rarities were then spotted – several more
Pied Stilt to appear, albeit briefly, during the prions, Cook’s Petrels and a Buller’s
Hybrid Black Stilt course were a Little Whimbrel and a Shearwater. For course participants it
New Zealand Dotterel Black-tailed Godwit. was a break from shorebirds: for the
Variable Oystercatcher But storms and rarities aside, this indifferent sailor, an admirable way to
season will go down as the Year of the watch pelagic birds from a foundation
Golden Plover. Usually we may get up that remained motionless.
to 50 of these enigmatic tundra breed- Keith Woodley
6 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107
Shorebird Snippets
China clamps down on coastal development
China has introduced tough new regu-
lations on land reclamation along the
country’s coastline – and specifically
in the Bohai Bay area so crucial to our
Red Knots - vowing to get rid of illegal
reclamations and stop approving gen-
eral reclamation projects.
In a move which chair Gillian
Vaughan described as ‘a huge posi-
tive’ and manager Keith Woodley as
‘splended news’, the State Oceanic
Administration announced several
moves aimed at improving the marine
environment.
These include:
•Demolishing all illegal reclaimations.
•Shutting down illegal waste discharge
outlets.
•Closely monitoring legal sewage
outlets.
•Axing reclamation projects that have
been approved but have not started
and do not comply with the current
policy.
•No longer giving annual land recla-
mation quota to provinces.
•Prohibiting reclaimed land being used
for commercial real estate deveopment.
•Banning all reclamation activities in
the Bohai Sea area. HELPING HANDS: Rangi Rawiri, from Ngati Paoa, releases a South Island
•Confiscating reclaimed land that has Pied Oystercatcher during last month’s Field Course. PMNT offered a place
remain deserted for a long time. on the course to someone from Ngati Paoa, as part of its desire to build
•Removing the power to approve rec- a strong relationship with our tangata whenua, and was delighted when
lamation projects from lower authori- it was taken up. Rangi said the course was ‘really cool’ and enjoyed the
ties and administrators (many of whom chance to be involved in banding. Unfortunately, due to misfiring cannon,
are said to have behaved improperly). very few oystercatchers were caught but despite that, and the storm, the
•Sending special inspectors to coastal course was another success. Meanwhile Ngati Paoa, in turn, invited the
provinces (the first six to be inspected Trust to take part in the annual Waitangi Day commemorations at the
have already been cautioned over recla- marae and talk about its work on behalf of shorebirds. Photo / Jim Eagles
mation projects and coastal pollution).
The announcement is the latest
in a series of steps taken by China to Manager Keith Woodley said he Development on hold
protect the coastal habitat, including hoped the first planting would still be The proposal , for PMNT to work with
giving greater protection to reserves in able to start this May ‘but we will have Ngati Paoa, Te Whangai Trust and
areas like Yalu Jiang and Bohai Bay, to survey the area again and rethink Gary and Adrienne Dalton, assisted by
and nominating 14 key bird sites for what needs to be done’. funding from Living Water, to restore
World Heritage status. some 50ha of land at Pukorokoro
Two Migratory Bird Days as wetlands and to erect a training/
Coastal restoration World Migratory Bird Day is to be held memorial/information centre, is still
The storm that battered the Shore- this year on 12 May and 13 October. being worked through.
bird Centre and the Findlay Reserve There are two dates because World All the parties, including PMNT,
has also meant a re-think of plans Migratory Bird Day, which started in have recently started meeting with a fa-
to restore the coastal strip from Pu- 2006, and the International Migra- cilitator to discuss the different groups’
korokoro to Taramaire. tory Bird Day, which was initiated in aspirations and reservations and seek
The surge of saltwater which swept 1993, are being combined into a single to resolve any differences.
across the area has killed off quite a campaign. Meanwhile, Living Water is pro-
lot of vegetation, changed the shape You can find out more about it ceeding with the resource consent
of the land and created pools of water at www.eaaflyway.net/a-change-for- process which needs to be in place by
in new places. world-migratory-bird-day/ the October settlement date.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 7
Cycle trail
The Kopu to Pukorokoro leg of the
Hauraki Cycle Trail was officially
opened on 18 November with dawn
ceremonies at each end. About 20 peo-
ple attended the Pukorokoro opening
which was held in the car park at the
Findlay Reserve.
After the storm the section from
the Miranda Hot Springs was closed
by flood damage but should be open
again shortly. Funding for the remain-
ing leg to Kaiaua is not yet available
but the cycle trail people are confident
it is not far off.
Meanwhile, Auckland Council is
developing plans for a Kaiaua-Cleve-
don cycle trail on the largely roads in
the Hunua Ranges Regional Park.
New head for EAAF
Lew Young has been appointed as the
new chief executive effective of the
East Asian-Australasian Flyway Part-
nership. Lew is well known to bird-
ers as WWF manager of the Mai Po
Nature Reserve in Hong Kong from
1991-2008. More recently he has THIEVES BEWARE: A security camera has now been installed above the
been senior regional advisor for Asia carpark at the Findlay Reserve. There have been fewer thefts from cars
and Oceania for the Ramsar Secretar- so far this summer and it is hoped that the camera, along with existing
iat, based in Gland, Switzerland, since steps such as asking visitors to close the gate behind them, will remove
2008. the problem altogether. Photo / Jim Eagles
The new legend of the adventurous Kuaka
Educator Krystal Pennell has enjoyed some inspiring experiences during her time as the Shorebird Centre’s
educator, which finished recently, but she particular enjoyed this myth story written especially for us by a
visiting nine-year-old from Randwick Park School in Manurewa.
When Tane Mahuta was creating the birds of the forest sandspit where kuaka could land and that sandspit is
Kuaka was one of his favourites. But Kuaka loved to actually in Osaka in Japan.
spend most of his time with his Uncle Tangaroa. He When he got there he saw birds that looked just like
was the chief of a whole flock of birds and loved to tell him and met a female kuaka. He fell deeply in love with
stories and go exploring. her and then they became a sweet couple and began to
But then one day Kuaka got really sad because he raise a whanau. When time passed he felt the stone pull-
had no more stories to tell, so Tane told him to close ing in his throat and he knew he had to go home. So he
his eyes and stand still. Tane put a stone in his throat asked his wife to come with him but she said no because
and told him to fly the distance around Hawaiki nui, she wanted to take care of the old kuaka in their village.
Hawakii roa and Hawaikii Pamamao. He told him to So Kuaka said why don’t we all go back to Aotearoa to-
make sure he didn’t accept any kai from strangers and gether and his wife agreed. Before his journey home he
if he got tired to call on his Uncle Tangaroa to support took out the other piece of his heart and buried it in the
him. Tane also said that Kuaka was to return home sands in Osaka because he believed his heart belonged
when the sun was its brightest but the stone would help in two places. After that they flew into the air to test if
him find his way. the winds were strong enough for the flight and when
So Kuaka set off on his journey but before he left he a big gust of wind came the whole flock took flight and
placed half of his heart in the sands of the Parengarenga started the journey home to Aotearoa.
Harbour where the kuaka land each year. When he trav- For Maori people the kuaka represents a change in
elled he saw lots of really amazing things and noticed season, it means it is summer, it represents aroha and
that the people of each place only spoke Maori. Kuaka when they return it’s a time to share stories and be with
flew for days and days but he got tired so he called on your whanau. The kuaka is also an intelligent bird that
Tangaroa to help him. So Tangaroa raised a massive shares matauranga wherever they go.
8 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107
A FLOCK
OF GUIDES;
Enjoying
a laugh
together are
(from left) Jo
Jo Doyle from
the US, Dai
Stacey from
Wales, Trudy
Lane from
Miranda and
Emilia Lai
from Taiwan.
Photos
/ Keith
Woodley and
Chelsea Ralls.
Migratory guides to point out migratory birds
Visitors to the hides this summer have been shown around by a flock of shore guides flown in from nearly as far as
the waders they’ve been pointing out. Chelsea Ralls, the new centre assistant, who has also filled the shoreguide
role and hails from nearby Paeroa, reports on what a great team they’ve been. Photo / Chelsea Rails
It’s been such a fun start to the summer team. The first was about identification times and share these online and with
season and I attribute a lot of that to of cat scat, based on her experience our visitors for the best bird viewing.
the incredible team at the Shorebird of monitoring animal tracks in North It was a busy start to the summer
Centre with us this year. America. season and even at Christmas. Unfor-
Emelia Lai, from Taiwan, fitted in Finally, we welcomed Dai Stacey tunately the storm disrupted business
with the team seamlessly. She was a back from Wales for his third summer for the start of this year but we are now
wealth of knowledge for visitors and volunteering with us, fitting right back starting to see the big visitor numbers
the Centre, having studied waders for in like it’s another home for him. return back as people come to see and
her Masters degree, and arriving at the We’ve all enjoyed the adventures learn about these incredible birds.
Centre after 15 months at the Broome we have together, the on-site and
Bird Observatory. Emilia has moved off-site staff meetings, visits to the
on but still thinks aboiut ‘when all the shellbank to check on the terns and
guests left, tranquility reigned, enticing gulls, and a post-storm walk through
the ducklings to walk onto the lawn, the debris to survey the damage. Re-
and in the complete peacefulness I kept gardless of the circumstances they’re
wondering how this place could extend always filled with stories and laughter.
its influence to China and North Korea Our visitors all seem to love our
in such a knotty world.’ team too. They’re regularly praised for
Trudy Lane, has a lot of history being helpful, knowledgeable and en-
with the Trust, through her family thusiastic, making for great experienc-
connections with the land and time on es out at our hides and in the Centre.
the PMNT Council. As this season’s of- PMNT members can be very proud!
ficial shore guide she was excited by the But it’s not just fun and games,
chance to learn more about the birds we’ve been working hard too. Ann
by spending time at the hides with and Ray Buckmaster and Trudy, with
visitors. Trudy says she ‘is thoroughly help from Jo Jo, Chelsea and lots of
enjoying being part of the team, espe- others, are enjoying ramping up the
cially the United Nations-like array of Facebook presence. Emilia provided
people who come through and visit some excellent GoPro footage of the
our family’s former beach paddock’. godwits escaping from a harrier.
Jo Jo Doyle, who joined us again We have been looking into the two
from Vermont in the USA, has not websites we use for our high tide times,
only done lots of volunteer guiding but and comparing these to the actual
also started what we are hoping will times we are seeing at the hides, which UNUSUAL TIGHTS: Emilia Lai ad-
be a regular series of interesting and vary quite significantly. We are hoping mires her new muddy leggings dur-
educational training sessions with the to more accurately predict the tide ing a shoreguide bonding session.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 9
ON HOLIDAY: Pacific Golden Plover in various stages of moult at Pukorokoro two years ago. Photo / Ray Buckmaster
Record number of golden birds
The number of Pacific Golden Plover seen at Pukorokoro-Miranda this summer may be the most ever recorded
here, a development which will hopefully help inspire more research on where they come from, writes Jim Eagles.
As we wandered from the Findlay board recorded a total of 93. ‘That’s they come from.
Reserve car park to the hides we made the biggest number we’ve had for a few Pacific Golden Plovers breed in a
the usual stop, beside the information years,’ said manager Keith Woodley big chunk of Siberia and Alaska on ei-
panel telling the tragic story of the from his spot behind the counter. ‘It ther side of the Bering Sea. In June they
Pukorokoro village, and glanced across may even be the biggest ever. I’ll have lay four eggs in shallow lichen-lined
the mudflats that sweep south. Often to check.’ nests scraped in the tundra, and when
at this time of year there are a few Pa- Then a few weeks later volunteer the chicks emerge about a month later
cific Golden Plover feeding out there shoreguide Jo Jo Doyle recorded 129 they are generally cared for by both
and sometimes a Whimbrel doing a of them and added, ‘I’m sure there parents. Then around August-Sep-
mysterious dance in the grasses on the are more because I saw a few more tember, and sometimes October in
other side. at the Stilt Hide after counting at the the case of juveniles, they head south
On this occasion the Whimbrel was Godwit Hide.’ to a vast spread of wintering grounds
absent but there were plenty of plovers In an age of declining bird numbers from southern Japan and the Hawaiian
to be seen. These are arguably the that was all encouraging news. And, in Islands in the east, through Australia,
prettiest of the Arctic waders that fly fact, the International Union for the New Zealand and the islands of the
south to enjoy our summer, especially Conservation of Nature does classify South Pacific, to India and northeast
when they are in their black, white and the Pacific Golden Plover as being of Africa in the west. They arrive here
golden breeding plumage. Least Concern, mainly because the September-November and depart
We set up our scopes and started worldwide population is so large: March-early April.
counting. There were 38 of the birds c190,000-250,000. It’s possible the NZ Birds Online calls them ‘this
feeding on the mud, within the range population is declining but the IUCN beautiful gold-spangled plover’ and,
of the numbers usually recorded at says trends are unclear so the overall as you can see from the photos, when
Pukorokoro Miranda in recent years, pattern is unknown. they’re in breeding plumage the crown,
which vary from 20s to 50s. Although it’s the fourth most com- nape, back, upper wings and upper tail
But then my scope drifted across the mon of the Arctic migrants to visit are densely spangled with gold, black
small grassy peninsula sticking out into New Zealand, the number of plovers and white, set off dramatically by a
the mudflats and suddenly there were coming here is pretty small. Since 2005 white stripe from the eyebrow down
a lot more of those elegant, rounded, the national count has ranged from the neck and along the side, a dense
golden heads to be seen, dozens of 64 - 301. a year, with very few over- black front and dark orange legs.
them, popping up above the Sarcor- wintering. They are usually found in Post-breeding the plumage gradually
nia and grass, then dropping down flocks of 10-50 in harbours, estuaries turns to an attractive apricot-buff
again, making it very difficult to count. and the odd lake, so to have 129 at colour but often still with areas of the
Eventually we agreed on 41 making an Pukorokoro is quite something. black and gold speckling present.
overall tally of 79. Very impressive. Not only are they beautiful birds, Even the call is quite beguiling, a
But back at the Shorebird Centre a joy to watch, they possess the added series of slow, slurred whistles, which
it turned out that was only part of the attraction of being surrounded in mys- echo across the mudflats, while the
golden plover story because the black- tery because we still don’t know where flight call is a clear, melodious shu-eeet.
10 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107AT HOME: (at left) A Pacific Golden Plover on the nest near Nome in Alaska;
(at right) a plover chick. Photos / Wally Johnson
These plovers rely on their big eyes As Alaska cooled, the plovers headed
to spot signs of food, moving in short, south via the Mid-Pacific Flyway,
sharp bursts to seize unwary small with the Nome birds going to Christ-
crabs, marine worms, insects, larvae, mas Island, Marshall Islands, Gilbert
spiders, earthworms and molluscs, Islands, Fiji and Fraser Island off the
which they apparently supplement Queensland Coast, while the Samoan
with energy-packed berries during the birds returned to Samoa. In spring
breeding season on the Arctic tundra. they flew northwest from their various
It’s long been known that these islands to Japan (the Fraser Island bird
plovers move between the Arctic and going via Taiwan) where they made
the sun-kissed islands of the Pacific. stopovers averaging three weeks. Then
They are said to have helped early they went northeast to spend the north-
Polynesian navigators to locate Ha- ern summer back in Alaska.
waii and in 1778 Captain James Cook The Saipan birds mostly followed
observed them flying off the coast of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway,
western Alaska in autumn and and with stopovers in Japan and elsewhere
pondered, ‘Does not this indicate that in Asia, before continuing on to nest
there must be land to the north where sites in Chukotka and Kamchatka in
these birds retired in the proper season Siberia. In the northern autumn they
to breed and were now returning to a flew back the same way.
warmer clime.’ Over the next couple of years John-
But the actual routes they followed son’s team, working with our Russian
were largely unknown until quite friend Pavel Tomkovich, put geoloca-
recently when a major research pro- tors on plovers caught in Chukotka
gramme was launched making use of to see where Siberian birds fitted into
modern technology. the mix.
In 2009, a team led by Wally John- When autumn arrived the four
son of Montana University, the leading birds tracked first made short pre-mi-
authority on Pacific Golden Plovers, gratory flights, to places like Kam-
fitted geolocators to birds caught in chatka and Alaska’s Pribilof Islands,
Hawaii, where many thousands win- either side of the Bering Sea. Then they
ter, and recorded them flying fairly headed south, stopping over in Japan,
directly to their breeding grounds in Taiwan and northern China, and
Alaska and back again (see top map spending their northern winters vari-
at right). ously in China, Phillipines and South
The following year Johnson’s team Korea. Come the northern spring they
put geolocators on birds in American flew back to their nesting grounds in
Samoa, Saipan and Nome in western Siberia by roughly the same routes (see
Alaska. They were able to track those bottom map which only shows the FLIGHT MAPS: Migration routes of
from Nome and Samoa making an northward flights). Pacific Golden Plovers from Hawaii
annual, triangular, clockwise journey One significant discovery from the (top); Alaska and Samoa (middle);
around the Pacific (see middle map). geolocator tracking is that, unlike most and Siberia. Maps / Wally Johnson
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 11GOLDEN GIRLS: (from left) Pacific Golden Plover in flight in Hawaii; a beautiful portrait of plovers by Dorothy
Pashniak who grew up on the Hauraki Plains and went to Te Aroha High but now lives in Cooloola Cove, Queensland,
where she takes bird photos from a kayak. Photos / Jim Denny. Dorothy Pashniak.
other Arctic migrants, these plovers all point to Alaska. of individual variation in response to
seem to avoid the fast-developing Yel- In his Shorebirds of New Zealand, suitable habitats. I’ve seen nothing in
low Sea, which is probably a key factor Keith Woodley outlines an intriguing the north that would suggest shy versus
in their fairly healthy population. theory which might confirm that Aus- tolerant populations.’
However, while all this research has tralian and New Zealand birds are part As to where the birds that reach
been very revealing about the amazing of the same population. New Zealand come from, he says: ‘I
long-distance flights of these birds, Keith notes that in the Pacific is- suspect your plovers are of mixed prov-
since none of the plovers tracked came lands golden plovers seem well-adapt- enance . . . given that there’s clearly
to New Zealand, and there aren’t any ed to sharing the landscape with a mix of Siberian and Alaskan birds
records of plovers with bands being humans, having been reported feeding across the Pacific south of Hawaii.’
seen here either, there still isn’t any ev- happily in pastures, tilled land, burned That said, Wally also thinks it’s
idence of where our birds come from. fields, golfcourses, playing fields, ceme- an interesting question. Maybe, he
The best hint we’ve got so far is that teries, residential lawns, roadsides and hopes, this article might prompt New
the available records suggest the plo- airfields, as well as mudflats, estuaries, Zealand birders to look more closely
vers that visit our nearest neighbours, shorelines and beaches. at Pacific Golden Plovers for bands.
including Fji, American Samoa and, By contrast, he adds, ‘in New Zea- ‘Could be one of our birds from Nome
most notably, southeastern Australia, land and eastern Australia . . . far from might show up. Our birds are variously
come from Alaska. being seen on pavements and lawns, color-banded: one or two colors plus a
These include the Alaskan bird with they are among the most shy and wary metal band. Almost any PAGP wear-
a geolocator going to Fraser Island, of the shorebirds found here. They are ing bands will be mine.
a bird tagged in the Pribilof Islands more likely to be seen – and often only ‘Maybe we should think about do-
being recovered in New South Wales, from a distance – foraging on mudflats, ing some tagging there and track your
five birds banded in Nome sighted saltmarsh, amid tidewrack on beaches, birds. The new GPS pinpoints would
in Queensland, plus a morphometric and sometimes in pasture. This strong- be ideal since they don’t need to be
study of Pacific Golden Plover in Vic- ly suggests that Pacific island birds and recovered like geolocators.
toria concluding that the birds there those found in New Zealand are most ‘If there’s interest at Miranda may-
breed in Alaska. Indeed, apart from likely from separate populations.’ be we should get together and plan
a bird banded in Siberia being seen in However, Wally Johnson is scep- something!’
Darwin (more than 5000km from New tical. ‘I don’t know how to account There is, of course, much interest,
Zealand) for two successive seasons, for the difference in behaviour, but I and we’re hoping to see Wally here
the records from across the Tasman, tend to view it as indicating a range next year.
12 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107From the Chair
Taking action does matter
Chair Gillian Vaughan emphasises that actions matter, whether they be big and global
or small and local, and together they can produce big wins for conservation.
Jane Goodall said once, ‘People say
think globally, act locally. Well, if you
think globally, it is overwhelming and
you do not have enough energy left to
act locally. Just act locally and see what
a difference you can make!’
On the second day of the Field
Course this year we were notified that
the Chinese government had issued a
statement stopping commercial recla-
mations in the Yellow Sea, and specifi-
cally halting further reclamations in the
Bohai Bay, the area our Red Knots use.
There are some caveats but it’s a huge
positive announcement for shorebird ACTION NEEDED: Whether its stopping further reclamations at the Bohai
conservation in the Yellow Sea. Sea Wall (above) or cleaning out a flooded garage at the Shorebird Centre
The work of a lot of people, organi- it all helps conservation. Photos / Adrian Boyle, Jo Jo Doyle
sations and governments has gone into
this statement. PMNT members have
been some of those people.
Every year for more than 40 years
members of PMNT have acted. Some-
times those acts have been global,
sometimes those acts have been local,
and sometimes those acts have been
pulling weeds in the garden and clean-
ing the light fittings at the Shorebird
Centre. But people have acted, and
those actions have contributed to this
conservation win. There’s always
lots of work still to do, and there are
always caveats, but stop for a moment
before moving on and enjoy this.
I volunteered to put together the
log book for this year’s Field Course.
In the past one of the participants has projects, who will say, ‘I’m doing this community was amazing, Hauraki Dis-
done the job and every year it has got cool thing, follow me’. But although trict Council was incredibly useful, the
fancier. The people who have done the we celebrate and enjoy those huge resilience was remarkable . . . and we
collating have done such a good job fancy projects, like shorebird surveys were still able to run the Field Course.
that it’s now at the point where the in North Korea, I hope that they aren’t As a result we managed to get infor-
job is so intimidating that last year no intimidating people, stopping them mation out to a new group of people
one took it on. from acting on their own projects on just how complex, connected and
So this year I volunteered but with because they might seem smaller in downright cool our area is. And in
the proviso that I want to take it back comparison. I’d like the Trust to be China we got a conservation win.
to basics. Find a way where it can a place where everyone can be on the Ups and downs, but a clear mes-
become more accessible again. Find a team, we need to be a place where sage: it can be quick or it can take a
way to allow others to act. actions are taken at local as well as while, but taking action does matter,
Finding a way to allow everyone to global levels. whether it’s the big global stuff or the
act has been something on my mind The start of 2018 has been an little local actions.
a lot lately. We have some amazing interesting one for the Trust. Floods Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the
people involved in the Trust, both on have caused damage and we’ve almost passing of Jocelyn Lane. The Lane
and off Council, people who work with certainly lost income from being closed family has been a very important rela-
us formally and informally. at one of our busiest times of year. The tionship for PMNT, and Jocelyn has
One of the strengths of the Trust community within which the Trust sits been a key part of that. Our thoughts
is that we have people who will lead has also been damaged. And yet the are with her family.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 13CAUSE AND EFFECT? Carbon pouring into the atmosphere, in this case (at left) from a flare-off in the Ecuadorean
Amazon, is probably responsible for the extinction of the Bramble Quay Melomys (at right).
Photos / Ray Buckmaster, State of Queensland.
How far can birds adapt to climate change?
Climate change has probably already claimed its first victim but there are signs that migratory birds are already
starting to adapt to meet the challenge. Ray Buckmaster hopes they can evolve fast enough to survive.
Climate change has been described as a by 20% by the year 2100 and cause and withdrawing from the southern
slow-moving train wreck, with earth’s massive re-locations of population, most parts of their range. For those
passengers largely unaware of the particularly in South East Asia. with a more northerly distribution the
catastrophe that lies ahead. It’s an oft But, of course, it’s not only humans Arctic seas put an end to further north-
repeated phrase that first saw the light who will be affected. A decade ago the erly shift and their populations are
of day some 30 years ago consequent World Wide Fund for Nature released static or falling as their ranges shrink.
on the first international conference a report entitled, Bird Species and In Britain, migratory songbirds
on the topic. Climate Change, which thundered in have advanced their egg laying date by
As if to prove the point, 10 years its introductory paragraph, ‘Climate two days for every 1°C of temperature
later the United Nations finally conced- change is emerging as the greatest rise, so they are adjusting. But not quite
ed to ‘a discernible human influence on threat to natural communities in many, enough because the spring invertebrate
global climate’. if not most of the world’s ecosystems population boom these birds depend
Finally, last year, 170 countries, in coming decades with mid-range on to feed their young has advanced
producing 87% of the world’s green- climate change scenarios expected to by six days for every 1°C rise. Some
house gases, agreed to work toward produce greater extinction rates than members of migratory species have
limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C habitat loss . . .’ even given up migrating to become
above pre-industrial levels. A two- As far as we know, climate related permanent residents.
pronged approach of transition and bird extinctions have not yet occurred. A particular problem for migrants
mitigation was adopted. Countries The only recorded extinction to date is that climate change is accentuated
involved are pledged to contribute is of the only mammal to live on the in the Arctic and it has been calculated
$100 billion annually to help develop- Great Barrier Reef, the Bramble Cay that temperature rise there could be
ing countries deal with climate change Melomys, or Mosaic-tailed Rat, has greater by 2.2-2.4 times that of the
while at the same time implementing not been seen since 2007 despite in- temperate regions come the end of this
their own programmes. A global tax- tensive searches. century. This Arctic amplification has
ation system is intended to put some Recent analysis of nearly one already resulted in a significant timing
financial value on the environment, million citizen science observations mismatch for Arctic breeding migrants
rewarding mitigation and penalising of common song birds from Europe like the Red Knot.
CO2 producers. and the USA, gathered over many For these long-distance migrants,
Climate change impacts on the hu- years, has been very revealing. These all the evidence suggests an over-
man environment in many ways. Data long-term data sets show that climate whelming genetic influence on both
from NASA satellites show an average change has advantaged some species time of departure and migratory route,
sea level rise of 3.4 mm a year since whilst others have been losing ground. and day length variation, rather than
1993. It’s estimated that such factors All these northern hemisphere species temperature, is the cue to leave their
have the potential to cut global GDP are extending their range northward overwintering grounds.
14 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107Clearly these birds need to leave generated has to equal the amount celerates CO2 release, which in its turn
earlier in order to arrive on the breed- going into carbon sinks. However, leads to . . . well, Hollywood disaster
ing grounds at the new optimum time. that underlines the need to preserve movies feature exaggerated versions of
Hopefully the process of natural and enhance those carbon sinks, that this scenario.
selection will be able to deliver suf- don’t, unlike atmospheric and oceanic Around the world scientists work-
ficiently on this over time. The chal- sinks, contribute to climate change, ing on coastal mangroves, seagrass
lenge, however, is great. What has been and therein lies another problem. A beds and saltmarsh have drawn at-
noted for two species of phalarope and rough estimate is that industry contrib- tention to the significant amounts of
sandpiper that nest in Alaska is a 4-7 utes 88% of the carbon going into the carbon being stored in these ecosys-
day advancement of egg laying over atmoshere and land use change 12 %. tems. In 2009 they developed The
the nine-year period of study. Around the world carbon is seques- Blue Carbon Initiative to encourage
A further challenge is that oceans tered in mature forests, permafrost management of these systems to miti-
are a sink for both the increased en- regions and wetlands, both coastal gate climate change.
ergy trapped in the atmosphere and and otherwise. Peatlands generally Coastal habitats make up only
its carbon dioxide. Water expands store up to five times the carbon of 2% of the total ocean area but store
as its temperature rises adding to sea a tropical forest and are the cheapest 50% of ocean (or blue) carbon in their
level rise. For shorebirds that feed in way to store carbon by an order of sediments. The rate of loss of these
the inter-tidal zone sea level rise could magnitude. If you drain them for ag- habitats around the globe is occurring
become problematic. ricultural purposes they change from at a greater rate than on land. PMNT,
The impact of ocean acidification a sink to a source. Indonesia has 65% now has its own saltmarsh/wetland
resulting from the absorption of of the earth’s peatlands and the forests and is actively involved in preserving
higher levels of CO2 is less obvious. they support are being replaced by oil and enhancing it whilst engaging in
Work on the food species of the rufa palm plantations at a rapid rate. remediation of the wider coastal strip
sub-species of the Red Knot indicates Sequestered in Arctic permafrost with other stakeholders.
that increased acidification has con- soils is half of the global soil car- So, what does the future hold? The
siderably decreased both the size and bon. It is equivalent to twice the transition to clean energy economies
population density of the varied clam amount found in the atmosphere. A has gathered considerable, maybe
species it feeds on. recent in-situ soil warming experiment un-stoppable, momentum. Mitigation
These results come from both Tier- demonstrated that, although plant measures, such as New Zealand decid-
ra del Fuego and Ontario. Waters in growth increased, soil carbon fell due ing to plant one billion trees over the
both locations have decreased amounts to increased activity of soil microbes. next 10 years will help to remove some
of aragonite which clams need to build Should this experiment reflect future of the atmospheric carbon generated
their shells. While the solubility of ara- reality, runaway climate change is a by the use of fossil fuels during the
gonite decreases with increased acidity, possibility. Increased CO2 levels raise transition to zero carbon.
it is not possible to point the finger global temperature, which in turn ac- Of all the birds, long-distance
directly at climate change. migrants seem to be most
Ocean acidification is also at risk from climate change.
enhanced where rivers dis- But they have already made
charge into the sea and the huge adjustments in a very
Firth of Thames is a prime short time.
example of this. We shouldn’t forget that
Combating this is com- during the period when our
plicated by the fact that bird and mammal species
CO2 molecules remain in the evolved they have survived
atmosphere for hundreds of considerable climatic change.
years during which time heat For instance, during the last
energy will continue to be Ice Age a 3.2-4.8°C fall was
trapped and contribute to experienced. Going back 55
sea-level rise. million years, the earth was
The good news is that totally glacier-free, even at
there are signs we may have the poles, and the world was
reached ‘peak carbon’. Un- 8°C warmer than now, con-
til 2014 increases in the siderably exceeding anything
world’s economy was being being currently predicted.
matched by increases in So there is room for op-
its use of fossil fuels. But timism, despite all the other
since then emissions have pressures birds around the
stabilised while the global world are under. Neverthe-
economy continues to grow. less, the need to be pro-active
That is encouraging be- on climate change remains
cause to achieve the goal an imperative. The train
of zero net emissions by wreck is not inevitable . . .
2050 the amount of carbon Ann Buckmaster but it is looming.
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 15Obituaries
Michael John Taylor: a
Nancy Payne: the
oldest person lifelong ornithologist
to complete the Michael Taylor was born on 18 June
Field Course 1936 and grew up at Tadcaster, North
Yorkshire, where his father was a
chemistry teacher. With woods and
Nancy Payne, farmland close by, Michael early on
who had the developed a love of the outdoors. An
distinction of influential gift for his eighth birthday
being the old- was Bird Book for the Pocket, which
est person to gave him his initial grounding in British
complete the birds. He was a collector of birds’ eggs
Miranda Field who had reservations and took only
Course, aged one egg from each nest.
83, has died in Michael won a scholarship to
New Plymouth enter Jesus College, Oxford, to study
at the ripe old age of 93. chemistry, and later became a National
She was a longstanding member of Research Council Post-doctoral Fellow
the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ in Ottawa, Canada, in 1961-1962.
Trust and until she moved to Tarana- While in Britain, he met Christine
ki, was a regular attendee at open Margaret Baker, a New Zealander with several other nature groups.
days and Annual General Meetings. (and a descendant of the pioneering For Forest & Bird he served on the
Nancy was raised in Clevedon and missionary Rev Charles Baker) and they governing council and was chairman
settled in Papakura where she raised a married in 1964. After moving to New of the Central Auckland Branch. With
large family. In later years she moved Zealand, Michael served from 1966 John Staniland he set up the Waitakere
to Taranaki to be close to one of her until retirement in 1996 as lecturer, Branch in 1977, and in 1979 helped
sons but remained extremely active. senior lecturer and associate professor establish the society’s Matuku Reserve.
While I can remember many dis- in the Department of Chemistry at the He was at various times secretary,
cussions with Nancy over the years, University of Auckland. newsletter editor and trustee for
it was some time before we made the Chemistry was his profession, but the Native Forest Restoration Trust
connection that I went to High School he had other strong interests, most and helped to establish the Marie
with one of her sons. That gave us a notably bird-watching. Michael was a Neverman Reserve at Lake Tupare,
special bond in later years. dedicated member of the OSNZ and a South Kaipara.
Nancy was active in many or- regular presence at Auckland meetings He served on the council of the
ganisations including the Auckland and field trips for 45 years. He served Auckland Institute and Museum from
Entomological Society, Railways En- as the society’s representative on 1978 to 1983 and was a volunteer
thusiasts Trust, Forest & Bird, where the council of the (then) Miranda in the museum’s Land Vertebrates
she gained an old Blue Award, Pukeiti Naturalists’ Trust and was a keen Department 2001-13.
Rhododendron Trust and Ducks Un- member of the Trust throughout its Michael had a busy and active
limited, as well as PMNT. In all of history. retirement. Christine, who had been
these organisations she was no mere Michael and Christine lived in a university administrator, research
participant but actively ran events Orakei with a gorgeous view of Orakei assistant in mental health and social
and activities. Basin. Michael had a special interest in worker, died in 2003, but Michael
Indeed, among those who attend- the shags that nested in trees bordering remained in their home until 2012
ed her funeral was John Cheyne, this estuary, and results of his shag when a tremor in his hands led to him
president of Ducks Unlimited, who obervations frequently appeared in moving to a retirement village.
acknowledged her huge contribu- Notornis. Michael recorded bird calls John Dowding recalls that Michael
tion and left a DU cap on the casket, and built his own parabolic reflector. was constantly fascinated by the
which Nancy was wearing as she was To help promote bird-watching world and how it worked, loved to
laid to rest in Inglewood Cemetery. to the public he led bird walks at share his curiosity, and had a quiet,
Once her children had left home Cornwall Park. For several years slightly impish, sense of humour and
she decided to complete a Bachelor of Michael was the OSNZ’s voluntary a love of puzzles and quizzes. Dr
Arts degree at the age of 63. Twenty archivist. In 2014 he received the Michael Taylor was a leading figure
years later she signed up for the Mi- Society’s Meritorious Service Award for Auckland ornithology for over 40
randa Field Course and fully partici- ‘for his decades of work ... in many years and many will remember him
pated in all of those activities. different roles’ and there is now a for his vast knowledge, careful and
We will miss her ready smile and Michael Taylor Memorial Fund. meticulous observations and records,
her encouraging words. Michael furthered his interest in and friendly manner and generosity.
David Lawrie the natural world through service Brian Gill
16 Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107Jocelyn Lane: adventurous spirit and
lover of the shorebirds and their habitat
Volunteer shore guide Jo Jo Doyle viv-
idly recalls a visit to the hides a couple
of years ago when she noticed an older
woman walking slowly out towards
the sea, looking around, gazing at her
surroundings. ‘Although I sensed she
might want to be by herself something
made me walk over to her and smile
and say something about the beauty
that surrounded us.
‘She agreed, hesitated, and then,
lifting her head and looking about,
said, “This is my land that my fam-
ily has owned for generations. I have
come here today to say goodbye for it
is being sold soon.” I felt honoured,
for I knew who she was, and lucky to
have crossed the path of a legacy that
has done so much for the birds, the
land and the people. I thanked her for
all that she and her family had done.
‘At some point I looked easily into
her eyes and asked, ‘Is it hard to say But life wasn’t always easy. Son on a trip to North America and even
goodbye?’ She looked around at the Steve recalls, ‘Times were really tough managed to put the mastectomy which
sea and land and said, “Yes . . . but I on the farm when we were kids. There resulted from the cancer to good use.
know it will be in good hands.”’ was never enough money, there were A favourite family story is of how she
The woman visiting the family long hours at home on her own with was traveling through Canada and,
land was Jocelyn Lane, who died re- four young kids, which was typical running out of cash at a supermarket
cently aged 82, wife of the late Allan, for many farming families. Looking checkout, had to excuse herself and
and mother of Steve, Kiri and PMNT back, her self-sacrifice and love for run to the toilet to get money out of
stalwarts Wendi and Trudy. And the us was incredible. She didn’t just sit her bra. She had built a secret pocket
reason for her farewell was that the back and let circumstances dictate to in her fake boob to keep her money
Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve was her either. Mum was involved in a lot and passport in.
being sold to PMNT. of the farming policies and enterprises Later Jocelyn moved to Orewa and
Jocelyn was raised in Hawera, in and she was bit of an entrepreneur.’ then to Tauranga but she never lost
South Taranaki, where their father was After Allan died in 1998 and the her love of Miranda. Friends from
the curator of parks. She trained as a children grew up, Jocelyn resumed her Orewa recall her organising a busload
teacher of the deaf, taught in Auckland travelling. Trudy comments proudly, of neighbours to visit the Centre. She
for a couple of years, then went travel- ‘She was so independent and adventur- had a microphone in the bus and en-
ling the world, along the way teaching ous it was hard to get her to raise an joyed herself hugely pointing out all
at deaf schools in Britain and South eyebrow. When you’ve got a Mother the sights along the way, then showed
Africa, and spending two years at a who in her 60s goes off to the moun- everyone around the wildlife area.
bible college in Capetown. tains of Thailand and the war zone Trudy says her Mum was always
When she returned she continued in of Lebanon to do missionary work it a big fan of the Shorebird Centre
deaf education until, as her sister Marg means she was very rarely flustered.’ and its work. ‘She would thoroughly
recalls, she ‘went to a Bible College of She was never one to make a fuss read magazine issues as they arrived
New Zealand weekend summer school either. For instance, Wendi remembers and kept up with the play with what
and met a handsome man from Mi- her Mum ringing her in the UK to say was going on with the Centre and the
randa, Allan Lane. Soon she became she had been diagnosed with breast shorebirds. She was very proud of our
a farmer’s wife and they were later cancer. ‘I was really upset, of course, family connection with the Trust and
blessed with four children.’ especially because there was no way I would take any opportunity to talk
Along with the farm, of course, she had the money to come home to sup- with others about the Centre. She was
inherited the Findlay-Lane family’s port Mum. Mum’s words of comfort particularly pleased when Wendi and
tradition of preserving the coastal part were, “Don’t worry about me dear, I dived in to take on the shoreguide
of their farm as habitat for birds and you can’t kill weeds, I’ll be fine!”’ role and never missed a chance to tell
welcoming the birders who flocked to She certainly never let the cancer people about it.’
see them. slow her down. Indeed, she headed off Jim Eagles
Pukorokoro Miranda News | Issue 107 17You can also read
