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Shorebird
Habitat

Nature and culture meet here - but without protection, both could be lost!

Ecology: A Critical Consideration for Development

 

Avondale Racecourse is not just open land - it is a valuable ecological site that plays a role in supporting indigenous and migratory bird life within an urban context.

 

Recent preliminary findings by ecologist and Unitec researcher Trina Smith underscore the avian importance of the site, which lies within a recognised flyway used by commuting shorebirds. Her observations indicate that the site provides critical habitat functions, serving not only as a roosting area but also as a seasonal foraging ground. The open grass areas of the sports fields provide essential, relatively undisturbed space for seabirds and a variety of migrant and resident wading shorebirds to rest, shelter, and sleep, particularly during high tides and adverse weather conditions. 

 

Species observed include:

  • Kuaka (Eastern Bar-tailed Godwit) – a long-distance summer-visiting migrant of cultural significance

  • Huahou (Red Knot) regionally declining

  • Tōrea (New Zealand Pied Oystercatcher) regionally declining

  • Poaka (Pied Stilt)

  • Tūturiwhatu (Northern New Zealand Dotterel)

  • Tarāpunga (Red-billed Gull) regionally vulnerable

  • Taranui (Caspian Tern) regionally critical

 

This roosting site is the only remaining non-shoreline grassland roost used by seasonal flocks of Godwit and Red Knot within the Manukau to Waitematā flyway, making it important in the regional shorebird network.

In addition to resting, birds were observed preening and regrouping socially, suggesting the site also supports essential maintenance and flock cohesion behaviours during transit. 

Notably, domestic migrant species such as the pied oyster-catcher have been observed foraging following post-summer rainfall, when softened ground allows access to invertebrates like worms. This highlights the site's dynamic ecological role and its contribution to supporting avian biodiversity throughout seasonal cycles.

 

While not yet a formally protected ecological site, the Racecourse’s function as a “city roost” (a rare and declining habitat type in Auckland) makes it one of the last urban refuges available to these commuting shorebird species.

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