The
wetland
system
at
Mount
Bruce
is
based
around
two
deep
ponds,
for
New
Zealand’s
only
diving
duck,
the
scaup,
connected
by
shallow
waterways
which
will
be
used
by
the
small
grey
teal
and
other
dabbling
species.
The
swampland
vegetation
is
dominated
by
purei
(Carex
secta),
a
sedge
which
can
grow
up
to
2
metres
tall,
along
with
flax
(Phormium
tenax)
and
rushes
(Juncus
spp.).
The
flax
will
also
provide
a
food
supply
for
nectar
feeding
birds
like
the
tui.
The
margins
and
banks
above
the
wetlands
are
planted
to
give
birds
from
the
forest
another
source
of
food
and
shelter.
The
design
has
allowed
for
the
construction
of
a
wide
range
of
different
micro-habitats,
each
suited
to
a
particular
combination
of
plants
and
animals.
As
this
habitat
is
very
new
it
provides
an
opportunity
to
observe
its
colonisation
and
use
by
both
plants
and
animals,
and
to
analyse
the
particular
sites
within
the
wetland
which
each
species
prefers.
The
wetland
system
at
Mount
Bruce
is
based
around
two
deep
ponds,
for
New
Zealand’s
only
diving
duck,
the
scaup,
connected
by
shallow
waterways
which
will
be
used
by
the
small
grey
teal
and
other
dabbling
species.