Staglands Staglands - zoo visits and news

Today I decided to visit Staglands to survey what animals are currently held there.
Staglands does not hold any "zoo" mammals; they currently hold Goats, Pigs, Horses, Donkeys, Fallow Deer, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs.
In the case of fish, they hold Rainbow and Brown Trout, native Eels (species?) and Goldfish.
In the case of reptiles, they only hold Red-eared Sliders, but I saw no sign of them, so Staglands may no longer hold any reptiles.
I focussed largely on the bird species that are kept there; listed here in no specific order. In the case of the waterfowl, it was difficult to tell whether or not some of the free-ranging species were actually wild birds (namely those which are already present in the wild in New Zealand and have Staglands included in their wild range), but I have chosen to list all of the waterfowl species that I saw as a "precaution".

BIRDS:

-Domestic Fowl: Surprisingly sparse from what I could tell, but probably over fifty present.
-Domestic Turkey: Two in one of the aviaries; another in the deer paddock.
-Ring-necked Pheasant: One free-ranging male; another male in one of the aviaries. A sign said that the species was present in the walk-through aviary as well, but I doubt that this is currently true.
-Silver Pheasant: A male in the walk-through aviary.
-Golden Pheasant/Golden Pheasant hybrid: A male in the walk-through aviary.
-Lady Amherst's Pheasant/Lady Amherst's Pheasant hybrid: A male in the walk-through aviary.
-Indian Peafowl: Many; seemingly mostly males. A leucistic male was in one of the aviaries; a female of a different colour morph was in a different aviary.
-Helmeted Guineafowl: Probably the most common species in the park; seen almost everywhere.
-Red-legged Partridge: One or two in the walk-through aviary.
-Rock Dove: The "Archangel" breed was seemingly the most populous bird in the walk-through aviary; free-ranging white birds were common in the park.
-Barbary Dove: A few in the walk-through aviary; a few free-ranging.
-Spotted Dove: Probably over ten in the walk-through aviary and two free-ranging.
-Mallard/Mallard x Grey Duck hybrid: Some of the hybrids looked like they could have been pure-bred Grey Ducks, but this is obviously highly unlikely. Mallards were common in the park, but surprisingly few of them were actually derived from domestic breeds; those that were, were Pekin ducks.
-New Zealand Shoveler: Two males.
-Grey Teal: One sick-looking bird.
-Brown Teal: Three individuals.
-Mandarin Duck: A male in breeding plumage.
-New Zealand Scaup: A lone male.
-Blue Duck: A pair in their exclusive aviary.
-Muscovy Duck: Two by the river.
-Australian Shelduck: One pair.
-Paradise Shelduck: A few scattered throughout the park.
-Cape Barren Goose: Three near the exit of the walk-through aviary and two in the deer paddock.
-Greylag Goose: A small number; a trio appeared to be of the "Sebastopol" breed.
-Chinese Goose: Less than five, to my recollection.
-Canada Goose: Two in the deer paddock.
-Mute Swan: One on the trout pond.
-Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: One in the walk-through aviary.
-Corella: A pair in one of the aviaries; not sure which species.
-Cockatiel: Some in the walk-through aviary.
-Rainbow Lorikeet: A few in the walk-through aviary.
-King Parrot: One female in the walk-through aviary.
-Budgerigar: Some in the walk-through aviary.
-Indian Ringneck: Some in the walk-through aviary.
-South Island Kaka: One in the Kea & Kaka aviary; a bird hiding in a box that I could not identify could have been another one.
-Kea: Two in the Kea & Kaka aviary.
-New Zealand Falcon: One in the exclusive aviary of the species; the pamphlet says that there is a pair present.
-Zebra Finch: Some in the walk-through aviary.
-Java Sparrow: Saw one adult and what might have been a juvenile in the walk-through aviary, but there were probably more than that.
-White-backed Australian Magpie: One in one of the aviaries; interesting in that it could perfectly mimic the call of Peafowl.
-Rook: One in the deer paddock; highly approachable, so definitely a semi-domestic specimen. I saw it fly during my visit last year, but not this time.

SPECIES NOT SEEN BUT ALLEGEDLY PRESENT:

-Black Swan: I am almost certain that I saw them at Staglands last year, and the pamphlet states that they are present. I may have overlooked them during this visit.
-North Island Weka: The pamphlet states that one is present in one of the aviaries; I could easily have overlooked it.
-Pukeko: The pamphlet states that they are present, but I don't think I have ever seen them there.
-California Quail: A sign in the walk-through aviary stated that they were present there, but I did not see any.
-Bobwhite Quail: I saw a lone male in the walk-through aviary last year, and a sign states that they are present there, but I did not see any this time.
-Bengalese Finch: A sign in the walk-through aviary stated that they were present there, but I did not see any.

 

The enclosure sign said that they were South Island Kaka.

 

I visited again today, and there have been a number of notable changes since my previous visit:

-A 'dent' seems to have been made on the waterfowl collection there. Apart from the Sebastopol geese, which I think were present (I wasn't paying much attention where I expected to see them), there were no greylag geese present, though there were about five Chinese geese that were probably hybrids. Distressingly, the Mandarin duck was not present, and the male chestnut-breasted shelduck was alone (it also appeared to be blind in one eye, which I take to mean that it is an old bird that will soon go the way of its mate). There were also no brown teals or shovelers present, and there were less mallard hybrids with a strong grey duck resemblance. The only positives regarding the waterfowl collection were an increase in the number of scaups and grey teals; with there being at least four of the former and three of the latter. I also saw one or two black swans.

-Red-eared sliders were present; there were at least three in a fairly large, shallow pond adjacent to the deer paddock, which is certainly an improvement over the small, puddle-like pond where they were formerly present (it still exists, and a few silkie chickens were hanging around it).

-The walk-through aviary has new signwork now; rainbow lorikeet, king parrot, and bobwhite quail were not included in it, which probably means that none of those species exist in the aviary any longer. In contrast to me not seeing any on my last visit, Bengalese finches were plentiful in the aviary this time, as were diamond doves, which are a completely new addition to it. The gamebird species listed as being in the aviary were California quail, red-legged partridge, and Reeves's, Swinhoe's, golden (hybrid), Lady Amherst's (hybrid), and silver pheasants; of these, I saw one red-legged partridge, one male and one or two female silver pheasants, and one male Lady Amherst's (hybrid) pheasant. Spotted doves were nowhere to be seen, despite being included in the signwork; a surprise going by how well they seemed to be doing when I last visited.

-In the deer paddock, birds that were not previously present were a pair of emus and a (probably wild) pukeko. The rook was gone; there's a good chance that it was an old specimen.

-The captive magpie was gone, and I saw no ring-necked pheasants during my visit.

-I managed to confirm the presence of North Island wekas there; at least two birds were in one of the aviaries.

-In the kea and NI kaka aviary, I saw two keas and one kaka.

-The blue duck aviary is now very different; it is now a small walk-through aviary, and according to the signwork, currently holds blue ducks as well as kereru and red-crowned parakeets, but the only bird I saw there was a lone kereru.

 

Today, I was able to visit Staglands for the first time in over two years. In a similar manner to what I did the last two times I visited, I only recorded the species of captive birds that are held there. Staglands does not hold any interesting mammal, reptile, or fish species and probably never will. Here I will list the bird species that I saw there today, in no particular order.

-Emu: Two in 'The Croft' (deer paddock)
-Purple Swamphen: Two at the 'Forest Wetlands' (large shallow pond near the entrance), one at 'The Tarn' (another large shallow pond, adjacent to The Croft), and a truly captive one in the Kea & Kaka Aviary (for some reason).
-Domestic Pigeon: White pigeons were free-ranging and ubiquitous. Also free-ranging was a large, brown pigeon that was unaccompanied by others of its breed. The Archangel breed was the most numerous bird in the 'Toe Toe Aviary' (exotics aviary).
-Barbary Dove: In the Toe Toe Aviary, including white morphs.
-Spotted Dove: A few in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Crested Pigeon: Two or three in the Toe Toe Aviary. One of them tried to rape a barbary dove.
-New Zealand Pigeon: Two in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Rook: Two. In a bizarre move for a modern New Zealand zoo, the falcon aviary no longer has falcons, and now instead holds two rooks and some other birds that I will list after this. The falcon aviary has been renamed 'The Rookery' and includes a sign about the damage that rooks do to New Zealand's ecology.
-Java Sparrow: In the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Zebra Finch: In the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Bengalese Finch: In the Toe Toe Aviary.
-European Goldfinch: At least two in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Mallard/Mallard x Grey Duck: Obviously, the only pure mallards were a few Pekins and what might have been a Rouen. Most of the Mallard hybrids were at the Forest Wetlands and The Tarn. Contrary to what a sign at the Forest Wetlands says, there are no pure-looking greys present at Staglands.
-Grey Teal: Two at the Forest Wetlands.
-Brown Teal: Three at the Forest Wetlands.
-New Zealand Scaup: One male at the Forest Wetlands.
-Blue Duck: One in the Toe Toe Aviary. The Toe Toe Aviary has very little water in it, and I have no idea why someone thought that putting a blue duck in it was an acceptable idea.
-Muscovy Duck: A few at the 'Picnic Area' at the end of Toe Toe Aviary (Toe Toe Picnic Area henceforth).
-Paradise Shelduck: A few scattered throughout; all free-ranging.
-Chestnut-breasted Shelduck: One old male at the Forest Wetlands.
-Cape Barren Goose: Two at the Forest Wetlands, and three at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Chinese Goose: Four at the Forest Wetlands.
-Domestic Goose: Three Sebastopol geese at the 'Picnic Area' near the entrance, and two generic domestic geese at the Forest Wetlands.
-Mute Swan: Two at the Forest Wetlands.
-Black Swan: Two at The Tarn.
-Mandarin Duck: One male in the Toe Toe Aviary. This was a pleasant surprise, as I did not see what was probably the same bird during my last visit, he was at the Forest Wetlands before then, and he was not included in the aviary's signage.
-Carolina Wood Duck: Two males and a female at The Tarn, and two males and two females at The Rookery. In The Rookery, I saw a male and female breeding. Staglands is probably the only zoo in New Zealand to have both Aix ducks on display.
-Little Corella: One in the 'Pond Aviary' (aviary adjacent to the Forest Wetlands).
-Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: One in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Cockatiel: At least three in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Rainbow Lorikeet: Two or three in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Budgerigar: In the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Eastern Rosella: One in The Rookery. It was not featured in the signage and may have been an 'intruder'.
-Rose-ringed Parakeet: Two in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Kaka: One in the Kea & Kaka Aviary.
-Kea: One in the Blue Duck Aviary (unsigned), and two in the Kea & Kaka Aviary.
-Red-crowned Parakeet: At least one in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Chicken: Sparsely distributed throughout. Some chicks (mostly Silkies) were in an incubator at 'The Barn'.
-Domestic Turkey: At the Forest Wetlands, a tom was guarding a light-brown hen that hardly moved and was uninterested in food, which was sad to see. At The Croft, there was a piebald tom and another hen.
-Common Pheasant: A hen in the Pond Aviary, a cock and two hens at the 'Secret Garden', and two cocks at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Reeves's Pheasant: Two hens in the Pond Aviary.
-Silver Pheasant: One cock and one hen in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-'Lady Amherst's' Hybrid Pheasant: Two cocks in the Toe Toe Aviary and one cock in The Rookery.
-Indian Peafowl: One white morph in the Pond Aviary; all of the others were wild-types and most or all of them were at the Toe Toe Picnic Area and the Secret Garden.
-Domestic Guineafowl: Most or all of them were at the Toe Toe Picnic Area and The Croft.

SIGNED BUT NOT SIGHTED:
(Reeves's pheasant and blue duck were seen elsewhere at Staglands, but not where signs indicated they would be present.)

Toe Toe Aviary:
-Red-legged Partridge
-California Quail
-Reeves's Pheasant
-Swinhoe's Pheasant
-Golden Pheasant
-Diamond Dove
-Common Redpoll

Blue Duck Aviary:
-Blue Duck

The Rookery:
-Golden Pheasant

Also, the Settlement Aviary has been removed.

 

I simply felt that it was safe to assume, as Mandarin ducks are becoming rare in New Zealand.

I'd be interested in recent examples of this?

 

Are “grey ducks” Anas superciliosa? Also what other species are kept here apart from birds? Sounds like a very interesting place.

 

Yes. We don't often call them Pacific Black Ducks here.
The only animals that they keep apart from birds are horses, donkeys, pigs, cattle, fallow deer, sheep, goats, domestic rabbits, guinea pigs, red-eared sliders, and goldfish.

 

Not on display, at least.

 

This seems to be the most recent news thread for this place. Staglands recently received an Orange-fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis). It is on display in the Toe Toe Aviary: Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

I was able to visit Staglands today. My visit was a bit rushed and haphazard, but hopefully I did not miss anything of huge importance. Before I list what I saw, I will begin with some comments about features that I thought were notable during my visit.

-I did not see the orange-fronted conure, but my visit to the Toe Toe Aviary wasn’t that comprehensive so this parrot could easily have been in hiding somewhere.

-The most surprising bird to see was a strange fowl that I think might be a hybrid between an Indian peafowl and a domestic chicken. Sadly, I did not have time to find a staff member to ask about it.

-The Kea Aviary has undergone a somewhat major renovation at the entrance, and now has a small pond there, possibly to make this aviary more suitable for the Australasian swamphen and paradise shelducks that it now holds. Kaka is no longer signed as being in this aviary, so Staglands probably no longer holds Kaka.

-Staglands probably no longer has Little Corella; the one that was at the Pond Aviary has seemingly been replaced with two more sulphur-crested cockatoos. The map still shows an illustration of a little corella as being at the Pond Aviary, but this must be an oversight.

-Also, the Pond Aviary had a rat infestation.

-This was my first visit to Staglands where I saw two additional pheasant taxa free-ranging. They were a female silver pheasant and a male Lady Amherst’s x golden hybrid pheasant; both in the Toe Toe Picnic Area.

-The red-eared slider population at Staglands always appeared to be small in the past and I’m sure that it was well under ten individuals. When I visited this time, I counted fourteen of them; all at The Tarn.

-The Carolina wood ducks do not appear to be doing well; there weren’t any at The Tarn, and I only saw one female in the whole of Staglands.

-The near-absence of domestic rabbits from the Secret Garden really surprised me; the garden isn’t going to have much appeal to kids without them! There weren’t any Flemish giants; just one grey rabbit of some sort (I would say Enderby Island rabbit but I’m not sure of that).

As usual, I was more focused on counting birds than any other animals.

BIRDS

-Emu: 2 at The Croft.
-Mallard: Most common at the Forest Wetlands and The Tarn. Mostly wild-types, possibly with some Grey (Pacific Black) Duck hybrids included. Domestic types were mostly pekin ducks, but there was also at least one domestic mallard that was mostly black.
-Brown Teal: One at the Forest Wetlands.
-Grey Teal: 3 at the Forest Wetlands.
-New Zealand Scaup: One male at the Forest Wetlands.
-Paradise Shelduck: Fairly populous at the Forest Wetlands; probably between 10 and 20 birds. Also 1.2 captive birds in the Kea Aviary.
-Carolina Wood Duck: 1.1 at the Forest Wetlands, and two more males in The Rookery.
-Mandarin Duck: One male at the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Muscovy Duck: 4 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area, including one female on a nest with eggs.
-Cape Barren Goose: 2 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Chinese Goose: 4 at the Entrance Picnic Area.
-Domestic Greylag Goose: 2 near the Kea Aviary and 3 at the Entrance Picnic Area. I did not see any Sebastopol geese anywhere during this visit.
-Black Swan: One at The Tarn.
-Mute Swan: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Domestic Fowl: Distributed basically everywhere outside of the aviaries. 3 Chinese Silkie in the Secret Garden, and some Barred Rock chicks in the nursery next to the guinea pig enclosure.
-Indian Peafowl: Perhaps between 20 and 30 adult birds in the whole park. Seen at the Forest Wetlands, the Secret Garden, the Toe Toe Picnic Area, The Tarn, The Croft, and the car park. A peahen at The Tarn had two chicks, and a peahen at the Entrance Picnic Area had two very young chicks. I did not see any white morph Indian Peafowl anywhere during this visit.
-Indian Peafowl x Domestic Fowl hybrid (?): One seen at the Forest Wetlands.
-Domestic Turkey: One male at the Entrance Picnic Area and one male at The Croft.
-Ring-necked Pheasant: Either two or three, both/all in the Secret Garden. One was a hen that was clearly unwell; it was missing an entire toe from one of its feet, which was possibly swollen, and this bird was struggling to walk. The other definite Common Pheasant was a healthy hen that was very wary and not approachable. The possible third bird was a black morph hen, but I only got a glance of it from behind as it ran away and I did not see it again. It could also have been a chicken or (unlikely) a Swinhoe's Pheasant hen.
-Lady Amherst's x Golden hybrid pheasant: One male at the Toe Toe Picnic Area (later seen atop the Toe Toe Aviary) and one male in The Rookery.
-Reeves's Pheasant: 1.4 in the Pond Aviary.
-Silver Pheasant: One hen at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Helmeted Guineafowl: Not hugely populous, but were seen at the Entrance Picnic Area, Toe Toe Picnic Area, The Croft (including one that may have been unwell), the Secret Garden, and the car park.
-Australasian Swamphen / Pukeko: Two at the Forest Wetlands, and a captive one in the Kea Aviary.
-Domestic Pigeon: A smallish number of white pigeons were free-ranging and mostly seen near the Kea Aviary and in the Secret Garden. Archangel pigeons were the most numerous bird in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Crested Pigeon: At least one in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Barbary Dove: Probably fewer than 20 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Spotted Dove: Probably fewer than 20 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-New Zealand Pigeon: 2 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Kea: I saw just one in the Kea Aviary, but I was informed that other people saw two.
-Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: 2 in the Pond Aviary and one in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Rose-ringed Parakeet: Probably fewer than 10 in the Toe Toe Aviary; they were of green, yellow, and blue morphs.
-Rainbow Lorikeet: At least 3 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Cockatiel: Probably fewer than 10 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Fischer’s Lovebird: At least one in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Masked Lovebird: At least 2 in the Toe Toe Aviary; both of the blue morph.
-Zebra Finch: Easy to see in the Toe Toe Aviary, but I have no idea of what the population size was.
-Java Sparrow: At least one in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Western Rook: Two in The Rookery.

SIGNED BUT NOT SIGHTED

Forest Wetlands:
-Chestnut-breasted Shelduck (I saw one shelduck that could have been this species but I didn’t get a good enough look to rule out an immature moulting Paradise Shelduck)
-Grey Duck

Blue Duck Aviary:
-Blue Duck
-Red-crowned Kakariki

Toe Toe Aviary:
-Diamond Dove
-Red-legged Partridge
-Budgerigar
-Bengalese Finch
-California Quail
-Golden Pheasant
-Reeves’s Pheasant
-Swinhoe’s Pheasant
-Lady Amherst’s Pheasant
-Silver Pheasant
-Common Redpoll
-European Goldfinch


MAMMALS

-Domestic Pig
-Domestic Sheep (Possibly just one, at The Croft)
-Domestic Goat
-Domestic Cattle
-Fallow Deer
-Domestic Horse
-Donkey
-Domestic Rabbit (Just one in the Secret Garden; Enderby Island breed?)
-Guinea Pig (In their enclosure, which was not open to walking into today)
-Rat (Infestation in Pond Aviary)


REPTILE

-Red-eared Slider: I counted 14 at The Tarn.


FISH

-Goldfish: Possibly just one? In a pond in the Secret Garden.
-Rainbow Trout & Brown Trout: In the Trout Pool, but I didn’t look at them for long. In the Toe Toe Aviary there is a little pond for young trout that presumably holds both of these species.
-(Short-finned?) Eel: Only shown to be present in the Trout Pool on the map, but I was told that other people saw one at The Tarn as well.

 

A pair of Brown Teal have arrived from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. They have been introduced to the kea aviary. Information from their social media page.

 

Today I was able to visit Staglands again. I will present my trip report here similarly to my previous one, starting with the changes that I felt were most notable.

-The Pond Aviary has had a major upgrade; it is approximately twice as large as it was during my previous visit, with much more robust netting, signage, and no rats! This aviary's signage is for five taxa, all of which I saw were within the aviary during my visit (Reeves's Pheasant, Carolina Wood Duck, Eastern Rosella, Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Galah). The downside is that the new mesh is denser compared to the previous kind, and so now there isn't much use in trying to take photos through it.

-As reported earlier in this thread, Brown Teal are now present in the Kea Aviary, and I saw two Brown Teal in this aviary during my visit (as well as a third one elsewhere in the park). I also recall seeing on Facebook that some California Quail were released into the Kea Aviary at some stage after my visit last year; I did not see any California Quail in this aviary during today's visit, but I did see one elsewhere in the park.

-This was my first visit in which I saw all of the signed species at the Blue Duck aviary (Blue Duck, New Zealand Pigeon, and Red-crowned Kakariki), as well as two further unsigned species (Kea and Tui).

-The park now has 2.1 Mandarin Duck! All in the Toe Toe Aviary, which probably isn't much good for breeding in, but the ducks were still interesting to see.

-The Toe Toe Aviary no longer has any species of pheasants signed, and the only remaining member of Galliformes signed there is the Red-legged Partridge (which I did not see in that aviary or elsewhere in the park).

BIRDS

-Emu: 2 at The Croft.
-California Quail: 1.0 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Domestic Chicken: Generally distributed, including some chicks. A few silkie chickens were present in the Secret Garden. The chick nursery next to the Guinea pig enclosure was not occupied today, but was signed with, "Barred Rock Chicks (coming soon...)".
-Domestic Turkey: 2 at The Tarn.
-Indian Peafowl: Sparsely distributed throughout the park (probably between 10 and 20 in total), including a small number of chicks.
-Golden x Lady Amherst's Hybrid Pheasant: 1 in the Rook Aviary.
-Silver Pheasant: 0.1 in the Secret Garden.
-Reeves's Pheasant: 1.1 at the Pond Aviary.
-Common / Ring-necked Pheasant: 1.0 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area and 0.1 in the Secret Garden.
-Domestic Helmeted Guineafowl: Relatively numerous; most were seen at the Secret Garden, The Croft, and the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Mallard: Generally distributed; mostly wild-types. One wild-type individual definitely had only one leg, but was relatively healthy for a bird with this disability. Another wild-type individual had a big shallow wound on the front of its neck but appeared to be fine otherwise.
-Brown Teal: 1 at the Forest Wetlands and 2 in the Kea Aviary.
-Grey Teal: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Blue Duck: 1 in Blue Duck Aviary.
-Carolina Wood Duck: 1.1 at the Pond Aviary, 1.0 at the Forest Wetlands, 1.0 at The Tarn, and 2.0 in the Rook Aviary.
-Mandarin Duck: 2.1 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Muscovy Duck: 1 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Paradise Shelduck: Relatively uncommon but generally distributed; seen at the Secret Garden, The Croft, the Forest Wetlands, and elsewhere.
-Cape Barren Goose: 1 at the Forest Wetlands and 2 more at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Domestic Greylag Goose: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Domestic Chinese Goose: 4 at the car park.
-Canada Goose: 4 at The Tarn.
-Mute Swan: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Black Swan: 1 at The Tarn.
-Australasian Swamphen / Pukeko: 1 at the entrance picnic area, 1 near the Forest Wetlands and the Kea Aviary, and 1 inside the Kea Aviary.
-Domestic Pigeon: A few white pigeons near the Guinea pig enclosure, and many Archangel pigeons in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Barbary Dove: Probably fewer than 10 at the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Spotted Dove: Probably between 10 and 20 at the Toe Toe Aviary.
-New Zealand Pigeon: 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Red-crowned Kakariki: At least 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Eastern Rosella: 2 at the Pond Aviary.
-Alexandrine Parakeet: 2 at the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Rose-ringed Parakeet: Probably between 10 and 20 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Lovebird taxa: A small number in the Toe Toe Aviary. Most of them looked to be hybrids between Masked and Fischer's lovebirds, though there was at least one possibly pure bird of each species present as well (the Masked Lovebird being of the blue morph).
-Cockatiel: At least 4 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Galah: 3 at the Pond Aviary.
-Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: 2 at the Pond Aviary and 1 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Kea: 2 in the Kea Aviary and 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Tui: 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Java Sparrow: Probably between 20 and 30 at the Toe Toe Aviary, including white morphs.
-Zebra Finch: At least a few in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Bengalese Finch: At least a few in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-House Sparrow: A few in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Western Rook: 2 in the Rook Aviary.

SIGNED BUT NOT SIGHTED

Toe Toe Aviary:

-Crested Pigeon
-Red-legged Partridge
-Budgerigar
-European Goldfinch
-Rainbow Lorikeet
-Common Redpoll


MAMMALS

-Fallow Deer: Present at The Croft.
-Domestic Sheep: 5 in an enclosure, some others at The Croft.
-Domestic Goat: Present at The Croft.
-Domestic Cattle: Seen at The Croft and in an enclosure elsewhere.
-Domestic Pig: 3 piglets free-roaming near the Forest Wetlands, and some other pigs in enclosures.
-Domestic Horse: 2 in an enclosure.
-Domestic Donkey: 2 at The Croft.
-Domestic Guinea Pig: At least 7 in their enclosure, which was open for walking into today.
-Domestic Rabbit: 1 in the Secret Garden (a different individual from the one seen during my previous visit).

REPTILE

-Red-eared Slider: At least 12 at The Tarn.

FISH

-Rainbow Trout: Present at the Trout Pond, and young ones were present in a small pond within the Toe Toe Aviary.

 

Today I visited Staglands again. There is not a huge amount of new information to report, but here goes.

-Staglands has Australian King Parrot again. They are housed in the Pond Aviary, where I saw 1.2 today.

-This was my first visit in many years in which I saw Red-legged Partridge at Staglands.

-There is a lot of new signage, most notably for the Kea Aviary (now shows Brown Teal and Pūkeko) and for the Blue Duck Aviary (now shows Tūī).

-Unsurprisingly, Australian (Chestnut-breasted) Shelduck is no longer signed anywhere and I did not see this species at Staglands today.


Animals that are listed in square brackets are wild animals that "trespassed" into enclosures.

BIRDS

-Emu: 2 at The Croft.
-Red-legged Partridge: Probably <10 in the Toe Toe Aviary; the largest number that I saw at one time was 3.
-Domestic Chicken: Sparse free-roamer; most numerous in the vicinity of the Forest Wetlands and the Toe Toe Picnic Area. 4 silkies were in the Secret Garden. Barred Rock and Modern Game chicks were in the nursery that is next to the Guinea Pig enclosure.
-Domestic Turkey: 3 at The Croft.
-Indian Peafowl: Most numerous at the Toe Toe Picnic Area and at The Tarn, but also easily seen elsewhere. Multiple hens with chicks. Quite possibly more numerous than when I visited last year.
-Reeves's Pheasant: 1.2 in the Pond Aviary.
-Common / Ring-necked Pheasant: 1.0 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Domestic Helmeted Guineafowl: Sparse free-roamer, most numerous at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Mallard: Common; mostly wild-types (including hybrids with Pacific Black Duck) with some Pekin ducks. Most numerous at the entrance garden and at the Toe Toe Picnic Area. One of the Pekin ducks had only one leg.
-Brown Teal: 2 in the Kea Aviary.
-Grey Teal: 1 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Carolina Wood Duck: 2.2 in the Pond Aviary, 1.0 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area, and 1.0 in the Rook Aviary.
-Mandarin Duck: 2.1 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Domestic Muscovy Duck: 1 at the Forest Wetlands and 3 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area.
-Paradise Shelduck: Found throughout the park; most numerous at the Forest Wetlands.
-Cape Barren Goose: 1 at the Forest Wetlands, 1 in the Secret Garden, 2 at the Toe Toe Picnic Area, and 1 at The Croft.
-Domestic Greylag Goose: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Domestic Chinese Goose: 3 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Canada Goose: 4 at The Tarn.
-Mute Swan: 2 at the Forest Wetlands.
-Black Swan: 1 at The Tarn.
-Australasian Swamphen / Pūkeko: 1 in the Kea Aviary.
-Domestic Pigeon: Archangel Pigeon was common in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Barbary Dove: Probably <10 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Spotted Dove: Probably 10-20 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Crested Pigeon: 1 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-New Zealand Pigeon: 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Australian King Parrot: 1.2 in the Pond Aviary.
-Eastern Rosella: 4 in the Pond Aviary.
-Rainbow Lorikeet: At least 4 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Rose-ringed Parakeet: Maybe ~10 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Lovebird taxa: Probably 10-20 in the Toe Toe Aviary. Like in my previous visit, I think that these lovebirds were Masked, Fischer's, and hybrids between these two species.
-Galah: 4 in the Pond Aviary.
-Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: 1 in the Pond Aviary and 1 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Kea: 1 in the Kea Aviary and 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-Tūī: 1 in the Blue Duck Aviary.
-[Silvereye: At least 2 in the Pond Aviary.]
-Java Sparrow: Maybe ~10 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-Zebra Finch: At least 2 in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-[House Sparrow: A small number in the Kea Aviary and in the Toe Toe Aviary.]
-Western Rook: 2 in the Rook Aviary.

SIGNED BUT NOT SIGHTED

Forest Wetlands:
-Pacific Black Duck (Grey Duck)
-New Zealand Scaup

Blue Duck Aviary:
-Blue Duck
-Red-crowned Kakariki

Toe Toe Aviary:
-Budgerigar
-Cockatiel
-Bengalese Finch
-European Goldfinch
-Alexandrine Parakeet
-Common Redpoll


MAMMALS

-Domestic Sheep: 4 in a sheep enclosure, a few others at The Croft, and 1 in another enclosure.
-Domestic Goat: A few at The Croft, 1 in another enclosure.
-Domestic Cattle: 1 at The Croft and a calf in an enclosure elsewhere. According to Facebook, a Highland bull at Staglands recently died.
-Domestic Pig: In three enclosures.
-Domestic Horse: 2 in an enclosure.
-Domestic Donkey: 2 at The Croft.
-Domestic Guinea Pig: I am unsure of their numbers because they were all mostly in hiding today; I only got a good view of 1.
*I did not see any Domestic Rabbit, but a paper sign that was about recent news at Staglands indicates that there should be at least 1 rabbit at Staglands currently.
*European Fallow Deer were probably present, but they must all have been quite high up in The Croft, as I did not see any deer today.

REPTILE

-Red-eared Slider: 2 in the Secret Garden and at least 11 at The Tarn.
*A recent Facebook post included a photo that showed a single Eastern Snake-necked Turtle among the red-eared sliders at The Tarn. The photo itself might not have been taken recently; in any case I did not see that turtle during this visit.

FISH

-Rainbow Trout: Adults in the Trout Pool, and young ones in a small pond in the Toe Toe Aviary.
-(Short-finned?) Eel: 2 in the Trout Pool.