Every count counts! - Update
Hi everyone,
a quick update on numbers as of 10:20 Saturday morning, 24th September.
2278 observations submitted, for a total of 4249 kereru.
940 observations entered by NatureWatch users and 1338 via the Great Kereru count web page (i.e. anonymous records)
102 of the observations were "timed surveys"
31 "absences" of kereru reported.
Maximum number of kereru in one observation = 121.
Great effort everyone. With only the weekend left to go it would be awesome to collect information from an additional 100 timed surveys from around the country - these provide the best data on relative densities. Remember, a timed survey is pre-meditated (i.e. not done in response to seeing a bird), it can be done in any location ("good" or "bad" kereru habitat) and can be any length between 5 and 30mins, done sitting, standing or walking.
For further information about timed surveys see the FAQs at http://greatkererucount.nz/faqs/
The other good news is that when people gave an opinion on whether kereru seem to be becoming less abundant, more abundant or staying about the same in their area surveyed, the responses so far have been:
129 : Less abundant
736 : About the same
432 : More abundant
To see maps of the 2015 results and the first five days of the 2016 count, visit: http://arcg.is/22PaoZ4
Cheers,
Stephen Hartley, Victoria University
Comments
121 kereru in one observation? I'd better track that down and check it. That's an incredible number.
Ah, it's from @amber_tony https://inaturalist.nz/observations/4171493
121 kereru in 15 minutes is insane. Wellington beats Christchurch hands down in the kereru count competition.
It's been a lot of fun this year. It's made me aware of the three kererū that frequent our property. I'll definitely take more notice of them from now onwards. It would be good to have advice of whether it's useful to take the occasional timed survey at other times of the year. These birds definitely return at specific times, and it's all around the fruits on our trees. And to a lesser degree, the flowers.
Hi Heni, Glad to hear you have enjoyed the Great Kereru Count this year. It's certainly increased my awareness of the comings and goings of this birds. You're right about them following food sources and I'm sure we'd get a different picture if the survey was done at a different time of year. In Upper Hutt and Kaitoke there are large congregations feeding on willow buds in Spring- which is where the record of 121 birds came from.
There is a kereru discovery NatureWatch project for recording kereru year round (see earlier post "Tai ho"), and we could think about adding an option for timed surveys to that project. Up to now, our focus has been on getting the Great Kereru Count established as an annual event with good participation levels - but there are plenty of possibilities to expand.
Hi Stephen. Sounds good. :-) I started keeping a spreadsheet at one point, then let it slide... it was when the kereru were eating our guava, I think. I think I understand more about what is useful as far as studying them is concerned. What I don't understand about our regular three, is why there is a pair and one extra. Is the extra one a grown up chick, or a single adult that's lost its pair, or never had one? Is it male or female? i.e., how could I tell? Do the birds ever make a noise? Sometimes I've thought I've heard a cooing sound, but it's so soft I've never been sure. And surely if there's a pair, it should be nesting about now, or is it the wrong time of year. They certainly seem to only do a lot of eating and perching. :-) I guess I need to read up on them. I'd love to know where they nest, that's if they do nest.
They do make a soft coo call. The male also does a head bobbing display to females while perched next to her. Recently I saw that just before a pair mated.
I'm not sure about what's going on with a group of three birds.
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