Archives For Waipu

Khaki-clad ‘fairy godmothers’ Alice Fairs and Mailee Stanbury have had a very important role this summer – they’re DOC fairy tern wardens.

Continue Reading...

How cute is this Christmas fairy tern. Unfortunately they won’t be as easy to spot this summer, given that there’s only 31 of them.

A fairy tern getting in to the Christmas spirit with coloured wings and Santa hat.

A fairy tern getting in to the Christmas spirit

If you’re around Mangawhai, Waipu and the Pakari River, have a read of these suggestions (they also apply to dotterel breeding areas as well):

  • Leave the dog at home/don’t take it to the beach, or at least have it on a leash.
  • Stay out of taped-off nesting areas, and don’t linger while parent birds are doing distraction displays or appear agitated – while they are preoccupied with you they are not tending to their eggs or chicks.
  • Fishermen should bury their scraps to avoid feeding and attracting black-backed gulls.
  • Walk below the high tide mark, to avoid standing on nests, which are higher up on the beach.
  • Motorbikes and four-wheel drives on beaches are not good for shorebirds, and prohibited in many places anyway.
  • Keep away from birds doing dive-bombs cause that means they’re agitated.
Fairy tern eggs playing hide and seek.

Fairy tern eggs playing hide and seek

Fairy tern is banded and released by DOC staff.

A fairy tern is banded and released by DOC staff