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River Nesting Birds
This page lists river nesting birds in the Tasman District. There are four species which are known to nest on braided open shingle river beds:
- Black-fronted terns tarapiroe
- Banded dotterels pohowera
- Black-billed gulls tara puka
- Pied oystercatchers torea
All these birds use rivers for breeding from October-January except for Banded Dotterels which start breeding as early as August. All these birds use stoney/sandy areas amongst sparse vegetation, particularly in the Upper Buller River and Matakitaki River. Islands in rivers are particularly favoured nesting sites.
For these shingle river bed nesting birds the greatest threats are noise and close contact from activities carried out in the beds, including use of the beds by 4WD and motorbikes as well as machinery working in the bed for gravel extraction or river control works.
Black-fronted Terns
Black-fronted Terns which are endemic to the South Island are one of the most threatened bird species and in significant decline in Tasman. These birds are present in small colonies with scattered nests (usually 2 - 30 pairs). These birds are also known to breed in the Motueka River near Tapawera, although disturbance in this area may have led to more infrequent use of this area currently.The birds are more vulnerable as they readily desert their eggs and young if their breeding site is disturbed.
Black-Billed Gull
Black-Billed Gull numbers are declining in South Island. There are large colonies of nests particularly in Upper Buller and Matakitaki. For example, there are about 100 nesting in the Buller River bed upstream of Harley’s Rock.
Banded Dotterels
Banded Dotterels number about 30,000 birds in the South Island. They also breed on the Waimea River & large parts of the Motueka Rivers. These birds usually hold their own against predators.
South Island Pied Oyster Catchers
South Island Pied Oyster Catchers are found only in South Island but numbers appear to be slightly increasing.
Blue Duck
Another river-nesting bird is the Blue Duck which nest near and feed in steep mountain-fed rivers. Blue Duck in Tasman are threatened and in decline. These birds are found year-round in steeper mountain-fed streams, particularly in or near Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes National Parks and the Richmond Ranges. They are threatened particularly by predators but can be disturbed by damming or diverting water.
