Snipeologist, Te Papa ornithologist, founder of bird identification website nzbirdsonline and identifier of Happy Feet Colin Miskelly tells Kathryn Ryan why birds have been taking his fancy for over four decades.
Along with Craig Symes, Miskelly has edited a new collection of science papers Lost Gold - Ornithology of the subantarctic Auckland Islands. 465km south of Bluff, some of this island group is among the least changed places in the world.
They have a very special place in ornithological history, and birds a special place in Miskelly’s heart: he's a self-confessed bird nerd.
Two years ago he, with colleague Alan Tennyson, from Te Papa were able to land on 15 of the islands that make up the group to conduct research.
He told Kathryn Ryan the islands were home to some species of birds familiar to us on the mainland as well as birds more typical of the sub-Antarctic.
“They are 470km south of South Island, so close enough to New Zealand that there are some familiar elements there, on the more sheltered side you’ve got rata forest and bell birds and tuis.
“But far enough south to be in the realm of the albatrosses and penguins particularly on the exposed western and southern coast you’ve got steep tussock slopes above sheer cliffs and you’ve got albatrosses nesting in the tussocks and penguins among the rockfalls at the bottom of the cliffs.”
The research involved taking blood samples on site to look at the genetic diversity of birds on the islands to compare with nearby island groups and to study the impact of introduced mammals.
Miskelly also gathered archival material on the islands dating back to 1807 to give a picture of how the islands have been impacted by human activity.
There are eight species of bird only found on the Auckland islands, including the Auckland island rail whose nearest relative is found in Australia.
It is the “most enigmatic of all the Auckland Island bird species,” says Miskelly.
The bird was re-discovered in 1966 by ornithologists Johnny Kendrick and Brian Bell when they noticed a rail running into their kitchen tent and picking up food scraps.
The main island in the group has been severely affected by introduced pests such as pigs, mice and cats, he says. Records show their presence on the island since 1840.
“Things like the flightless teal, dotterels, snipe, rail are all absent from the main island but can still be found on the smaller islands in the group,” he says.
