Saturday 3rd October visited Peel Forest near Geraldine doing the Big Tree Walk and the loop track round Dennistoun Bush, enjoying the large podocarp (dinosaur) trees, some with trunks over three metres wide. Olivia enjoyed touching the trees and the soft moss and lichen growing on them. She also had a personal competition to find the largest stone on the path to carry with her.

Peel Forest was logged many years ago, but small remnants were left standing, with some huge totara, matai and kahikatea trees left standing. Most of the rest of the trees are small, but include some magnificent old tree fuchsias, which were just coming into flower.

Bird song is always a feature of the Peel Forest with Bellbirds and Grey Warblers being the main contributors. Bellbirds have a ringing song, and Grey Warblers a sad ditty that falls down the musical scale like a falling leaf. One Shining Cuckoo was heard singing, unexpected as Peel Forest is quite a distance inland and therefore colder than the coast, and a record this time of the year on the coast would be considered early.

Other birds of note were Rifleman (Tom Thumb birds - NZ's smallest bird species) in good numbers on the Big Tree Walk, nice to see at relatively low altitude and suggesting that some pest control is in place in the area, this being backed up with the large amount of Rata vine and undamaged Five Finger present.




Nick Allen