Sadly Willie Oxborrow passed away this week. Willie was a founding member of Papakarahi Landcare at the Nook and of WHLF.

Over the years Willie has been a huge worker and supporter of the kiwi recovery and other work done at the Whangarei Heads.  At one stage we were going to construct a kiwi crèche on his farm before Limestone Island came on line as crèche. He will be sadly missed. A memorial service is being planned for a few weeks time.

 

Kiwi Release:
It was a  fantastic team effort on Sunday. There has been heaps of very positive feedback.  The engaged people head count was 490 and a majority of those folks identified themselves as locals and reckoned that they got the message about good dog control (see attached pic with hands up!).  We had plenty of folks interested in Weed Action, BHCT and Kiwi Link too -no wonder we are winning. I have been checking the locations of the released kiwi (Awhi, Malaika, Parkiri and Teina) daily and they have held in the release area with local kiwi nearby – being able to understand the calls between the kiwi at this stage would be very interesting.

Backyard Kiwi Predator Control Programme :

Catches in the predator traps for stoats are high again this month – this is still the usual high catch time with juveniles dispersing from inland areasand reinvading. All 6 stoats were at the northern end of the trapped area.

FEB: Stoats 6, Weasels 2, Cats 4, Rats 69, Hedgehogs 20 and 11 possums.  20 hedgehogs is the biggest month for them in a long time, maybe due to the dry. The salted rabbit lure has been lasting well with the dry conditions. I am trying some of the stoat bedding that Ngaire sourced in the damper valleys.

Road kill

Kelly from Weed Action found a still warm road killed kiwi in the hot spot by the BYK kiwi crossing signs back on 8/2/19. He was a wild hatched (no ID chip) young male of 1500g and 96.2mm bill – so had survived to stoat proof age thanks to our trapping and was probably on the move looking for a girlfriend.

What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:

The nesting has finally finished and the kiwi dads and chicks will be very grateful for a bit of rain now.

• Darwin – at Lamb road, hatched two chicks in the pampas at the quarry. There was a big gap between hatches and I had to wait 26 days after the first hatch until Darwin’s activity showed that he had finished nesting. Luckily the old chick was still there. Shaun and family have named them Alison and Connor. Dad  was down to 1950 g in weight and looking hungry.
• Lambert– in the pampas in Geoff’s pines and has 10 hours nightly activity after nesting. Adam gave me a hand to try and catch him but he eluded us in his pampas tunnel system.
• Whitu – at freezing works. 10 hours nightly activity after nesting.
• EB – In the pampas at Kerr Road. 10.5 hours activity.
• Pakipaki – Adam and I caught up with her in the rank kikuyu in the paddock next to the “Horse Paddock” opposite the fire station. She was 2250g and 131.5mm bill length – no sign of a male with her.

• Ross – Inland from Solomon’s point, at the top end of Pepi road. 10 hours nightly activity.
• Harikoa– In Ross’s pines between Lamb road and Taraunui road. Activity 10 hours. She has been the welcoming committee for the released kiwi.
• Mokopuna– The recent mowing of the pampas in her usual territory has scared her off and she is now in the rushes on the southern edge of the Pataua estuary, close to Wally.
• Wally –  on the southern edge of the Pataua Estuary at the end of Campbell road.10 hours activity.

 

ONE program (funded by Kiwis for Kiwi):

Rewarewa  

1 more nest to go in the second round of nesting..

• Waimarie– No signal for 4th month! I had a good search so either it is transmitter failure or he has moved dramatically.
• Ngutu Roa –  not checked this month.
• Sancho – Hatched a single chick after 70 days and when I checked the nest a few days later the chick (LC1817) looked ok but had a badly fly blown belly button. I removed 8-10 large maggots from it and took her to the WNBRC for treatment. She is recovering well apparently.
• CFU – no signal this month – probably deep in a tomo.
• Kimposter– Has re-nested in usual area above quarry. 40 days on 4/2/19 and 3.5 hours activity
• Nick – After successfully hatching his first chick I returned 10 days later to no sign of his 2nd chick. The nest was on a steep bank and the chick may not have been able to get back to the nest after the usual exploring a young chick does. Dad had moved off to a concrete pipe in the paddock and I did his 6 monthly check: 200g, 105.4mm, MP and new tx band.
• Ngaro– not checked this month.

 

Hope that we get some rain, but not too much!

Cheers

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum

M 021 1145 385

E   hamiltont@maxnet.co.nz