Wednesday 28 June 2017
Fairy tern
Once Fairy Tern used to nest all around the north island coast but today they only inhabit four secluded areas and with only 10 breading pairs the birds are on the verge of extinction. The birds nest on the flat of beaches just above the high tide line. The breeding pair create a small shallow scrape amidst shells in the sand where they deposit their eggs and raise their hatchlings. The Fairy Tern build their nest away from vegetation and driftwood. This combined with the colour of the sand and the shells enables the eggs and hatchlings to camouflage. Human recreational activity have greatly disturbed the birds natural systems. Humans pose a large risk to the Fairy Tern. Another major risk lies with predators such as the infamous stoat and its companions the weasel and rat. These pests have a good sense of smell and can track the nests. Rising sea levels pose a threat to nesting birds. The nests, eggs and hatchlings are at risk of being washed away by rogue waves or higher tides. The Fairy Tern (tar ati) is found no where else on earth and its unique appearance and camouflage skills are extremely impressive. They are of emotional and cultural significance and would be a great loss if they were to go extinct.
The Fairy Tern is easily frightened and if scared they may abandon their nest thus, leaving offspring to die from exposure. Human activity on beaches has become a major threat to Fairy Tern population. Beach-goers may disrupt nests causing birds to flee or disobey rules and cross into sand dunes were the Fairy Tern may be protected. Dogs that are brought to the beach with owners may also attack the birds. Human alterations to sand beds, beach dunes and a larger demand for coastal property's also damage the Fairy Terns habitat and their access to food. These combined issues have forced the Fairy Tern to retreat into secluded bays or sand spits. Yet in these areas the birds are still at risk from human pollution. Rubbish washed down from the upper north island often land on beaches or fall into estuaries and water ways.
The stoat is the number one threat for many New Zealand birds including the Fairy Tern. Introduced in the 1880's the stoat was originally used to control rabbit and hare populations. Because of their keen sense of smell they are able to track birds and their nests. The stoat has decimated the Fairy Tern population down to 10 breeding pairs. Due to a low breeding pool some birds are interbreeding and causing some genetic mutations which have also been affecting the Fairy Tern population. Many predators are introduced pests brought to New Zealand by early settlers. The predators have keen eyesight and smell which make tracking defenseless birds back to their nests easy. The stoat is also able to swim approximately 1.1 km enabling them to travel to remote locations. The predators kill the young so that they cannot mature into adult birds and breed thus keeping the population small.
DOC (department of conservation) is the primary factor keeping the birds alive. Doc has created roped off areas that keep people from trampling eggs and hatchlings. They have also created breeding programs where eggs are kept safe and raised in the optimum environment. Doc also helps with natural disasters and has vet programs to care for injured birds. They help control human movement in the Fairy Terns habitat decreasing the number of dead birds and hatchlings. Other sources, for example schools and businesses have raised money for DOC to enable them access to a larger range of resources to save the birds. The roping of nesting sites has allowed the birds to care for young and raise them without humans interfering or disrupting nests. This has raised the number of younger birds. Protection of land has also enabled the birds to slowly increase their numbers. The fundraising has given Doc more opportunity's to help the Fairy Tern and the money has provided breeding programs with better technology to raise the eggs.
In my opinion the Fairy Tern is not a widely known or understood bird. People's knowledge on the species is slim, which causes reckless behavior. The birds are at a greater risk from people who do not understand what to be careful around on beaches. I personally believe more could be done to protect these birds, however, the funding to achieve this is not there. To do more to save the Fairy Tern it would be a possibility to limit usage of beaches were that the Fairy Tern live. Another option is to limit runoff from the agriculture industry which would also limit water pollution. Some people may be apposed to the idea of banning the public from the beaches as some believe they should be able to be shared by all. Another objection to the support of the Fairy Tern is possibly farmers who cannot afford to install proper options of wastage disposal to stop runoff into rivers, streams and oceans. The installation of this technology is very costly; some farmers would struggle to come by the money.
Fairy Terns are a native bird of New Zealand. The are very smart and are fantastic at camouflaging. Due to their very low numbers they are extremely endangered and may disappear off the face of the Earth forever. They are unique to New Zealand and of cultural significance. They deserve to be saved just as much as any other native New Zealand bird. If we continue as we are the Fairy Tern may have its numbers reduced even further to the brink of extinction, however if we allow DOC to make the correct decisions we may have a chance at saving the Fairy Tern.
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