Creating the Flock around Mangawhai

As an acknowledgement of how keen the students at both the Mangawhai Beach School and the Mangawhai Nature School were to trap predators to protect our birds, PBL supplied them with traps to use in their own backyards. This coincided with the return of New Zealand’s long-haul native flock.

As part of their conservation programme the students then learnt about how migratory shorebirds connect inland New Zealand with the coast. Many of our endemic birds migrate from their winter habitat to other places in New Zealand. Examples of this are the tiny Ngutuparore/Wrybill and the much larger Tōrea/South Island Pied Oystercatchers that migrate annually between New Zealand’s main islands, breeding in South Island riverbeds and farmland and wintering on the North Island’s coasts. These are our endemic birds. Tara Iti migrates from coast to coast and is here on our beaches to breed over summer.

Our native long-haul migratory birds connect New Zealand to the rest of the world; they are capable of amazing feats of endurance. An example of this is the Kuaka or Bar-tailed Godwit 4BBRW that created a record by staying in the air for 11 days straight, in its effort to get to its feeding grounds thousands of kilometres from its breeding grounds in Alaska.

Inspired to protect our birds, students at both schools have painted their own ‘Flock'. The 'Flock' is a creative and fun project to spread the word about our amazing migratory shorebirds and what we can to do to ensure their protection. To see the students’ enthusiasm and passion for the natural world is encouraging. This activity has been developed by the Miranda Shorebird Centre.

None of it would have been possible without the amazing volunteer work by Neville from the Waipu Menz Shed who made all the wooden bird cut-outs for the students to paint. What a legend!

Special thanks to Glenys from Mangawhai About Tern. Glenys took on the task of managing the project. She was joined by Jane Vaughan from Mangawhai About Tern at the after-school painting sessions at Mangawhai Beach School. Susan, the PBL educator, did the in-class work to prepare students for the project. It was great to have experienced birders sharing their knowledge and facilitating the activities with teachers Jackie (MBS) and Maree (MNS).
You will see the Mangawhai Nature School’s Flock in the Mangawhai Santa Parade on 11 December 1pm from Alamar Crescent, through Wood Street shops and finishing at MAZ.

Please help these students with their efforts to protect our amazing shorebirds during the holiday period by doing your bit to keep them safe. Remember you are sharing their breeding, feeding and rest-up territory when you go to the beach this summer.