Have you heard a kiwi?

More than 40 adults and children from the Whangarei Heads and surrounding community gathered on a warm Saturday evening recently, and ventured out to listen to the call of their kiwi as the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum celebrated the launch of Backyard Kiwi.

Although the driest conditions ever recorded for the area affected the number of kiwi heard, those who attended the community listening evening are still able to proudly show their bumper sticker declaring “I heard a Kiwi at Whangarei Heads”.

It was a warm and still evening, with no moon in the sky – perfect conditions for hearing kiwi – if we weren’t having a drought!  The kiwi are staying in valleys and close to water, where there is more food available, and as a result, they are not calling much.  However, two groups enjoyed themselves as they sat under the stars and were very quiet (even the children were very intent on listening) and both groups were ultimately able to hear a kiwi – including a male, a female, and particularly pleasing was a juvenile kiwi heard by one group – an encouraging sign that pest control is helping kiwi chicks survive to breeding age.

If you missed our listening night – you can wait until next year! Or, you can contact us if you would like to consider becoming a part of our annual kiwi call count.  Just email us at info@backyardkiwi.org.nz