Loved the final #BirdsNZ2023 day field trip to Lake Rotokare, a predator-free fenced ecosanctuary in Taranaki, filled with tīeke, pōpokatea, toutouwai, mātātā, pāteke, hihi, tītipounamu, and much more.

It’s been a brilliant weekend of #ornithology at #BirdsNZ2023. Thanks to the local organisers and everyone involved! Only downside is that there’s never enough time to chat with everyone, so I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference in Nelson 😅

This was my favourite good news story from #BirdsNZ2023 - it is possible to turn things around! The focal tarapirohe population went from <10% breeding success to >90% - but it was hard and costly, and more work will be needed.

Chris Bycroft reports back on wetland and waterbird surveys around the Waikato. 46 taxa have been recorded across the surveyed locations. #BirdsNZ2023

Matthew McDougall from NZ Fish & Game shares long-term monitoring of kuruwhengi/Australasian shovelers. >200 sites are counted annually in August. #BirdsNZ2023

Keegan Miskimmin from WMIL notes tarapirohe/black-fronted tern numbers are predicted to halve in the coming years, with threats including predation, flooding in braided rivers, and human disturbance. #BirdsNZ2023

Ilse Corkery provides the latest estimate for tara iti/NZ fairy terns: only 31 adults remain. If the management status quo is maintained, there is predicted to only be a probability of 0.6 of species persistence in 50yrs. A captive rearing programme could turn this around - but it’s never been done for any species of terns, anywhere. #BirdsNZ2023

Brendon Dunphy from UoA discusses migratory behaviours of diving petrels. They appear to spend the moult period out on the water! #seabirds #BirdsNZ2023

Gaia Dell’Ariccia from Auckland Regional Council discusses the national environment targeted rate project to increase knowledge of local marine biodiversity, incl #seabirds in the Hauraki Gulf. By assessing data baselines, prioritisation of local restoration & protection projects can be determined. #BirdsNZ2023

Johannes Fischer at DOC is gathering data to assess the offshore distribution and threats to kuaka Whenua Hou/Whenua Hou diving petrels. They are truly pelagic, spending 70% of their lives at sea. #BirdsNZ2023

Imogen Foote @ImogenFoote @WellingtonUni is using #genomic tools to investigate Gibson’s and Antipodes albatrosses taxonomy and population structuring, with implications for monitoring and protection. #BirdsNZ2023

Brendon Dunphy of UoA presents work by Inka Pleiss investigating heavy metal accumulation in ōi/grey-faced petrel. Ōi act as an indicator species of ocean pollution. #BirdsNZ2023

Edin Whitehead at UoA is examining sublethal stress impacts due to changing environmental conditions in #seabirds, focussing on pakahā/fluttering shearwaters. With a marine heatwave in 2021, raising chicks became incredibly costly to adults with foraging trips taking twice as long as usual. #BirdsNZ2023

Michael Fox at UoA is investigating the desirable level of predator control to support recovery of burrowing #seabirds such as ōi/grey-faced petrels. This will inform efforts of community groups on mainland Aotearoa. #BirdsNZ2023

Kamya Patel at UoA is investigating whether plastic is a sensory trap for #seabirds. She describes ‘plasticosis’ - scar tissue arising due to plastic ingestion - as a significant threat to seabirds. #BirdsNZ2023

Ariel Micaiah-Heswall from UoA shares her PhD research on plastic ingestion by #seabirds. Does plastic resemble prey items? #BirdsNZ2023

Welcome back to day 2 of #BirdsNZ2023 ! Colin Miskelly starts by talking about RNZ’s morning report bird call, drawing from https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/ audio resources, which led to the identification of grey-backed storm petrels on Secretary Is in Fiordland.

Daria Erastova wraps up the first #BirdsNZ2023 scientific day by discussing urban restoration, where birds can be key indicator species of successful restoration and habitat recovery.

Hui Zhen Tan from UoA shares work investigating the recombination landscape of hihi - she has brought some amazing analogies from the pantry to help our #ornithology audience get familiar with some key genomic concepts! #BirdsNZ2023

Ana Menzies shares her research on vocal learning and song dialects in miromiro/tomtits, where males are the primary singers. Frequency, duration, & complexity of song were analysed across 6 populations, finding more northern populations were at higher frequencies and more complex. #ecoacoustics #BirdsNZ2023