Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum – Backyard Kiwi
WHLF project manager report February 2013 (Funded by the NRC).

Kiwi Predator Control Programme:
WHLF run a network of traps from Kauri Mt through to Urquarts Bay to protect kiwi chicks in the area.
After a busy summer the stoat run has started to slow, this year has seen plenty of stoat sightings by locals and we have had a very high catch rate in the predator traps.

Trap catches for February– 4 stoats, 1 weasel, 1 feral cat, 24 rats, 11 possums and 7 hedge hogs.

Tally for the season to date: 24 stoats, 6 weasels, 9 feral cats, 181 rats, 58 possums and 29 hedge hogs.

This compares with 13 stoats at the same time in 2012 and 16 stoats in 2011.

We have hopefully just about made it through the “summer dog visiting season” with no known kiwi kills by visitors’ dogs– long may it last! Thank you to everyone who has helped make visitors aware about the kiwi at the Heads and the need for sensible dog control.

Kiwi monitoring:
As part of our Backyard kiwi programme WHLF have radio transmitters on 11 kiwi spread throughout the Heads area. The transmitters send a data stream showing the kiwi’s activity so that we can tell if they are nesting or not. After a good nesting season the dry weather has certainly put the skids on any more kiwi nesting. Dallas did have a go but his nest failed after 12 days – which could have been a good thing because it was in a sprayed out pampas bush right beside the road in Taurikura – a very vulnerable spot for him to sit for 3 months. Darwin is in the process of finishing his second nest – 1 chick so far.

What some of your kiwi are up to:

Darwin – Nesting in pampas at Lamb Road – 1st chick has hatched – now waiting on his activity to increase before doing transmitter change on Dad.

Whitu– Usual area Reotahi – his activity is high after finishing his nest last month.

Dallas– Had a failed nesting attempt by the road at Taurikura.

Lambert– Usual area Taurikura Ridge – his activity is high.

Waka – Had his transmitter changed because of a suspected intermittent fault in his old transmitter. He was in the pampas by the road at Mckenzie Bay.

Charlotte– She is hiding in the pampas on the point between Taurikura Bay and McKenzie Bay.

JR– Usual area –South Taurikura Ridge above Urquarts Bay – high activity.

Charlie- Still showing high activity at Craig Road – doesn’t look like he will nest this year.

Kiwiana – At the southern end of Mt Manaia. He had his 3 monthly transmitter band check (we check the young birds every 3 months as they are still growing). The landowners were on hand for a quick look at him in their backyard. This the kiwi named by The Whangarei Heads School. Not only are the kids at Whangarei Heads School following Kiwiana’s progress but the Dyke School in Scotland have him on their web page. Pretty cool that kids on the other side of the world are interested in our Backyard kiwi!

Webb – This is the young female we released recently in January – she is now at the Northern end of Mt Manaia and seems to be working her way north.

Clover – This is the young male we recently released – he is now about half way along the eastern side of Mt Manaia and cruising around.