Paradise Sheduck trend counts

Last Friday, Rudi Hoetjes who is Regional Manager for Northland Fish & Game Council undertook the annual "parrie" trend count by flying over nominated sites and counting/estimating the number of birds available.

I've been asking ben Wilson @ AWF&G if we'd get a summer season and the news came through today.

Results:

1. Te Hana Irrigation Lake                          550 Shelduck
2. Wellsford O2 Pond                                  900 Shelduck
3. Tapora Peninsula ponds                          320 Shelduck
4. Tapora Peninsula Wetland                      350 Shelduck 6 Black Swan
5. Kaipara Harbour (Glorit Area)                1,450 Black Swan (The swan were again all concentrated on this area and feeding on eel grass)
6. Kaipara Harbour                                     220 Shelduck
7. South Kaipara Heads Lakes                    260 Shelduck 4 Black swan
8. Helensville O2 Pond                               400 Shelduck
9. Tawharanui Peninsula                             255 Shelduck
10. Omaha Beach O2 Pond                         350 Shelduck
11. Snells Beach Pond                                 400 Shelduck
12. Snells Beach O2 pond                           400 Shelduck
13. Spectacle Lake                                        50 Shelduck

The total time for the flight was 1 hour 45 minutes Weather conditions clear with approximately 25 knots of wind.

This translates to enough birds for a special summer parrie season, to be held over 2 days (22 & 23 Feb) with a 10 bird per person per day limit. I found it to be a real highlight last year, so greet the news with anticipation and a bit of excitement. The shotgun will come out of hiding.