The Impact on Ōwairaka’s Bird Life
What will happen to the birds and other life-forms if nearly half of the tree cover is destroyed?
Ōwairaka/Mt Albert is vibrant with birdlife yet ratepayer-funded Tūpuna Maunga Authority plans to destroy nearly half the tree cover - exotic trees that provide valuable food, homes and shelter. This is particularly so during late winter and spring when the maunga’s native trees aren’t flowering. It’s an even gloomier picture on other maunga. For example, Mt Richmond / Ōtāhuhu will lose around 75% of its trees; nearly 70% of Mt Roskill / Puketāpapa’s trees will be destroyed.
The Authority claims it will replace those trees with thousands of natives, but what they don’t tell you is that the majority of those plantings are low-growing species such as grasses, sedges and flaxes. The few tree species to be planted will be saplings that will take decades to reach maturity. That’s no use to a bird needing food or a home right now. Worse still, the Authority had originally planned to fell all of Ōwairaka’s 345 exotic trees during bird nesting season!
The planned removal of hundreds of trees from Ōwairaka/Mt Albert during nesting season is “cruel and ill-informed”, says bird expert Dr Lynn Miller.
Dr Miller is GM at NZ Bird Rescue and says such disturbance will traumatise the birds and drive adults off the mountain.
“You've got nesting going on throughout summer. There are going to be babies all through those trees. If they are disturbed, the parents will abandon the nests and babies and fledglings will die.
“The homeless birds will face huge territorial issues because it's nesting season - they don't know where the safe places are, they don't have time to feed and they don't have time to figure it out while they're being harassed by their own species.”
Department of Conservation Biodiversity officials also expressed concern about the effect of the Authority’s tree-felling plans on birds and other wildlife, stating: ”…oversights have been made with regard to the value of vegetation currently present in terms of its provisioning for native species…ecologists should be encouraged to look at ecosystems and their landscape values particularly in an urban landscape where vegetation is limited, and when mitigating/minimising the effects of vegetation loss [they should] consider the length of time vegetation takes to become mature and …the short term effects of vegetation removal which is our primary concern.”
Meet some of Ōwairaka’s birds
Many different native and introduced birds can be found living happily on Ōwairaka/Mt Albert. Many of them prefer tall, mature trees for roosting and nesting. Concern about these birds’ welfare is one of the many reasons we are fighting so hard to save these trees. Here’s an introduction to a few of them.
The endangered Kākā in a Willow tree, filmed by John Clark and Liz McNair, in late 2019 by the soccer field on Ōwairaka.
Kākā are spotted on the maunga from time to time. There are less than 10,000 of these lovely native parrots left and it’s uncommon to see them on the mainland. They feed on seeds, fruit and tree dwelling invertebrates such as worms or larvae, etc, They are usually spotted on the maunga’s Eucalyptus and Willow trees searching for food under the loose bark, and have been seen feeding on Banksia seeds.
The common Tūī is one of our most beautiful songbirds and is found all over the mountain. They nest high in the canopy or sub canopy trees, so will be enormously affected by the removal of the large exotics on the mountain. Tūī are nectar and fruit eaters and are regularly seen enjoying the flowering cherry and eucalyptus trees on the mountain. These trees provide valuable food during the lean winter / spring months when most native trees aren’t flowering.
Tūī feeding on an exotic Silky Oak at Ōwairaka. Credit to John Clark and Liz McNair.
Giant Macrocarpa on Ōwairaka. Photo taken by Megan Blennerhassett on 4th December 2019
The call of Ruru (morepork) used to be rare on Ōwairaka/Mt Albert but now their calls can be heard there most nights. Ruru are nocturnal and feed on insects, often around streetlights. They are strongly territorial, so disturbing their environment and removing their home leaves them very vulnerable. Like Kākā, Ruru nest in the cavities or forked branches of trees throughout spring and summer. Locating their nests is not easy and there will almost certainly be lost of young with the removal of these trees.
Pictured is an exotic Macrocarpa on Ōwairaka, ear marked to be chain-sawed and airlifted off the maunga. It appears that Ruru nest within its branches so any nests and chicks would be destroyed.
Kerurū in an exotic Macrocarpa. Filmed by John Clark and Liz McNair 12th December 2019 at Ōwairaka.
Kererū (wood pigeon) can be seen around the mountain soaring high on the thermal air currents before plunging down in a wonderful aerobatic display. Kererū feed on a variety of fruit, leaves, twigs, buds, and shoots of native and exotic, shrubs and trees. Occasionally, they gorge so heavily on ripe fruit that they become very full (or “drunk”) and have been known to fall out of trees!
Their favourite maunga trees are the native Pururi, and the exotic flowering cherries.
Photo: Pīwakawaka by John Clark and Liz McNair, taken at Ōwairaka
Pīwakawaka (Fantail) is one of our favourite birds; with its distinctive fanned tail, loud insistent chirping and friendly, confident demeanour. The widespread distribution of the Fantail can be attributed to its utilisation of a wide variety of habitats, including both native and exotic forest. They are often seen within a metre or two of pathways around the maunga, happily following people in the hope of catching a meal of insects disturbed by the walker's feet.
Photo: Kōtare at Ōwairaka, taken by Megan Blennerhassett.
Kōtare (NZ Kingfisher) burrow a spherical chamber to make their nests in both native and exotic trees alike. In terrain like Ōwairaka their diet includes insects such as cicadas, beetles and stick insects along with spiders and small vertebrates. Kōtare often return to a perch with their prey and utilise a wide range of perches, generally more than two metres above the ground. This makes the mature exotic trees on Ōwairaka valuable feeding habitat.
Tūpuna Maunga Authority engaged consultants to undertake a visual search for nests in the weeks before it originally planned to fell Ōwairaka’s trees. There is no way anybody could spot a Kotare or Ruru nesting in a hole high in a tree. Those birds, their eggs and chicks would have stood no chance of survival.
It’s about more than birds. Ōwairaka is home to countless life-forms both seen and unseen
This Kahukowhai / Yellow Admiral butterfly, spotted sunning itself under a Eucalyptus tree, is uncommon in Auckland. It is but one of a myriad of insects, lizards and microbiota that would be harmed if the Authority destroyed so much of the maunga’s tree cover. It will take many decades for wildlife to recover - if indeed it ever does.
“I remember my mother telling me about a whole lot of trees being felled on a large property next to her house. She said all the birds were flying around in great distress , wondering where their homes and nests had gone. That story has always haunted me and is one of the reasons I’m so committed to saving the maunga trees.”
What happens at Ōwairaka will affect the fate of around 2500 trees on Auckland’s maunga. Please help us save these trees!
Your donation will help us to continue saving trees and spreading the word spreading the word.
Any unused proceeds will be donated to an appropriate environmental charity.
You can help by joining our ongoing tree-saving presence at the maunga. All it takes is two hours per week. Please be aware that in volunteering to help, you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.
Subscribe to our newsletter and keep up-to-date with our tree-saving progress.
Signing our tree-saving petition is a quick and easy way to show your support for saving Ōwairaka’s trees. Please do not make donations on the Change petition website because those funds go to Change.org to promote the petition. It is more helpful to donate to us via our Givealittle page.