Black Swans at Okarito
HE Okarito Lagoon used to be the home of large numbers of black swans, Whether they were originally imported or found their way over from the East I don’t know. But it is interesting to record how the birds changed their habits to suit local conditions. Three or four pairs took
up their residence on the lagoon and unaccustomed to the rapid rise of the level from floods in the spring, they built their nests too close to the water, and for two or three seasons, they were flooded out and lost their eggsafter about three years, they changed their method, and instead of building nests further from the water. thev got over
the difficulty of floods by making huge heaps of rushes and dry sticks, which floated when the floods came, and allowed the birds to remain on the eggs until the nests again settled on dry ground when the fiood water had subsided. This may not be the only case of swans having floating nests, but my old mate, Charlie Douglas, who was a keen naturalist, actually observed the whole proceeding, from the birds’ first appearance until they adopted the new method of overcoming the danger of floods-("Where Time Stood Still: Recollections of Old Westland." A, P,. Harper, 3YA, February 2),
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 139, 20 February 1942, Page 5
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217Black Swans at Okarito New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 139, 20 February 1942, Page 5
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