Spoonbill visits man-made wetland
Birds are taking a keen interest in a new man-made wetland beside an under-construction section of the Waikato Expressway.
As part of the Huntly section of the four-lane carriageway between Auckland and Hamilton, the Transport Agency created a four-hectare wetland at the southern end of Lake Kimihia.
The work has revitalised a degraded swap area that had been grazed by stock for a number of years, and it is fast turning into a haven for wildlife and native plants.
Some 30,000cu m were dug out to form the open water area and 50,000 wetland plants were dug in around it.
The wetland is accessed off Evans Rd, 500m from the expressway and adjoins the southern end of Lake Kimihia, north-east of Huntly.
Auckland-Waikato Fish and Game, who have been assisting through the transformation, will be the caretaker of the completed wetland.
It has several zones that can all cope with varying degrees of flooding.
The main body of water is about 3.7ha and the open water is to encourage ducks and other wetland bird species to make it their permanent home. One new face there was a Royal Spoonbill. The bird breeds in coastal colonies around both the North and South islands and the most recent population estimate in 2012 was 2360 birds – back in the 1970s it was 52.
A white heron also popped in during August. There are only about 150-200 in New Zealand, and their sole breeding site is near Okarito Lagoon in Westland.
‘‘It’s great to see native wildlife in the wetland area, we have put a lot of work into the ecological plan for this area, and seeing such beautiful special birds visit the wetland is proof of this hard work,’’ Ross I’Anson, NZTA’s Acting Director of Regional Relationships said.
The remaining 0.3ha consists of differing zones of planting that can be on both dry land during the summer and have wet feet during the winter.
A weir keeps the wetland above the normal level of Lake Kimihia. This is to keep pest fish species out of the wetland and assist water quality.