The grey-faced petrel, also known as the Northern muttonbird, is a species of petrel endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is rarely seen in the sheltered waters of the Whangamatā Harbour but is often observed soaring fast and gracefully over the waves in search of their food sources in the deeper seawaters around the Coromandel peninsular. They generally feed alone but sometimes in small flocks, when seeking their favoured food squid. Grey-faced Petrel. Photo credit

The Royal Spoonbill is a naturally occurring self introduced species from Australia. It was first recorded in New Zealand in 1861 at Castlepoint on the Wairarapa coast. Sightings gradually increased in following years with the first breeding record occurring alongside the white heron colony at Okarito Lagoon in South Westland in 1949. Royal Spoonbill. Photo credit Corinne bowie. Since then it has successfully colonised New Zealand with numerous new small breeding colonies no

The banded rail is another of the Whangamatā Harbours' rarely seen secretive species. They spend a large proportion of their days feeding close to and beneath the dense saltmarsh and mangrove vegetation along the harbour fringes. It is a member of the “rail” family which includes the much better known birds such as weka, pukeko and takahe. Banded rail - photo by Corinne Bowie Previously inhabiting a wide variety of habitats throughout New Zealand and outlying islands it is no

Whangamatā Harbour Birds This protected, critically endangered species is present in very small numbers and seen only very occasionally in the freshwater wetlands adjoining the Whangamatā Harbour and the Otahu Estuary. They also occur in small numbers on the nearby Wharekawa Harbour wetlands, to the north of Whangamatā. Because of their cryptic plumage, secretive nature and habitat of feeding mainly at night, their presence often goes undetected. photo © copyright: Imogen War

Northern New Zealand Dotterel at rest in the sand. On Sunday 22 March, a post-breeding season count was carried out in Whangamatā on behalf of Birds New Zealand (South Auckland) . Alongside the dotterel count, a wider shorebird survey was also carried out, giving us a useful snapshot of birdlife around the harbour after the breeding season. Dotterel results This year’s count recorded: 83 Northern New Zealand dotterel 48 Banded dotterel roosting along the Whangamatā shoreline

This has been a year of both consolidation and expansion in various areas of our environmental efforts. Built on the foundation of a cohesive, committed and conscientious voluntary committee who support our fantastic group of wider volunteers, we have seen positive developments in all areas of our mission as you will read below.