Waihora- an essential habitat for wrybills

Waihora's Greenpark Sands are a critically important feeding area for wrybills at this time of year as the birds pass through the lake from the North Island harbours, on their way to their breeding grounds up our braided rivers. This wrybill, with colour bands, was banded at the Cass River in the MacKenzie Country and was recently sighted at the lake. In recent years up to 1000 wrybills ( a fifth of the world population of this bird) have been recorded at Waihora at one time! -
For more information about wrybills refer to my wrybill blog -

http://wrybill.blogspot.com/

Te Waihora- a virtual wilderness

The lake has almost 80 kilometres of shoreline and covers an area of 21000 hectares.

Te Waihora

New Zealand's fourth ( or fifth) largest lake as viewed from Timberyard Point

Waihora- Greenpark- Nationally important for red-necked stints

The national stronghold for red-necked stints. These tiny birds ( about the size of a starling) fly from Siberia to NZ each year. Most come to the Greenpark sands at Waihora.

Waihora- a haven for the Kotuku

Te Waihora is a nationally significant location for the Kotuku- white heron- supporting up to 10% of the New Zealand population. At this time of year most kotuku depart from the lake to their breeding grounds near Okarito and the South Island's West Coast.

Article in Wilderness about Te waihora

My friend Lorna appeared in August issue of Wilderness in an article about recreational opportunities out at this overlooked wilderness escape on Christchurch's door step.

Te Waihora- Lake Ellesmere-a bio-diveristy hotspot

Ellesmere is the one location in New Zealand with the highest number of bird species recorded at one site- around 180 types. Truely a real hot spot. The lake is essential for the survival of rare birds such as our endemic wrybill and regionally significant for the survival of the bittern. Tens of thousands of birds also use the lake with some of the highest counts of waterfowl species in New Zealand made at the lake.

Welcome to my blog about Lake Ellesmere - Te Waihora