Waihi North Project: Assessment of Terrestrial Ecological Values & Effects 62138 WNP AEE 24 Figure 9. Threatened Environment Classification for vegetation cover within SNA 166 is within category 6, whereby >30% is left and >20% is protected. Screenshot of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research https://ourenvironment.scinfo.org.nz/app# accessed 8 September 2021. 4.2 OVERVIEW OF BIRDS RECORDED THROUGHOUT WAIHI ECOLOGICAL DISTRICT AND THE WNP AREA A review of various databases (DOC fauna, inaturalist, New Zealand eBird, accessed 7 May 2020) indicates the presence of a suite of common native birds throughout the Waihi ED. Coastal areas to the east support several ‘At-Risk’ coastal bird species which are not expected to use vegetation within SNA 166. However other ‘At-Risk’ bird species recorded within the Waihi ED include New Zealand dotterel (Charadrius obscurus), which has nested successfully on bare ground around the existing two tailings storage facilities with pest control assistance, and New Zealand pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae), which inhabit rough, open habitats, including farmland. North Island kaka (Nestor meridionalis) have been recorded at Orokawa Scenic Reserve (2.5 km east) and this species is also resident within the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges and has been recorded widely in the surrounding area (e.g. Primrose Hill Domain, Paeroa, 2018). The bird species recorded using habitats during field visits throughout the WNP include 9 native (3 endemic) and 16 introduced species (Table 9). No ‘Threatened’ or ‘At-Risk’ species were recorded. The avifauna was dominated (in terms of abundance and frequency of presence) by introduced species. No species of conservation concern were recorded and the only such species that could be anticipated on a regular basis, based on the habitat types present, are New Zealand dotterel (which nest on bare ground at the existing TSF and not in the SNA vegetation) and New Zealand pipit, which have been recorded near the current TSF1A (OGNZL records) in pasture. Common species that were expected to be recorded but were not, from 17 field visits, include kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and bellbird (Anthornis melanura). Both species have been recorded in the surrounding landscape- e.g. bellbird were recorded at Gilmore Reserve in Waihi in March 2019 (New Zealand eBird). Kereru is wide-ranging and occurs throughout the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges, and probably also Orokawa Scenic Reserve (no database records for this species there) but it is suggestive of a lack of suitable resources in SNA 166 that kereru do not regularly visit the vegetation there.
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