Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum AGM on Wednesday May 8 at 7.30pm at the McLeod Bay Hall. All Welcome.

Please make the effort to come if you can. WHLF is a crucial platform for the various Landcare groups and individuals at the Heads and it enables much of the positive work being done to happen. It would be great if a representative of each group could give a brief update of what their groups is up to.

Please put Wednesday May 8 in your diary

Kiwi Call Count starts 22 May

For all those dedicated kiwi call count listeners it is almost time to get organised, sharpen up your hearing and data recording skills, and find some warm gear. First period is 22 May -10 June, backup 20 June-9 July (only if absolutely needed).  This is good and early this year, hopefully we will have had some good rain by then to get the kiwi breeding.  I will send out the usual email with detailed instructions – please let me know if you are unavailable asap so we can find and train up any replacement listeners.

Even if you are not part of the official kiwi count it is still a great time of year to spend some time in the evening on your deck to check out where the kiwi are calling from so that you have an idea of who is in your backyard and where. If in doubt check out click here to hear what kiwi sound like

National Kiwi Hui
The Kiwis for Kiwi national kiwi hui is in Havelock North on June 13 and 14. It is a pain to get there but these hui are always great, if you are keen to go let me know and we will work on transport. The date falls between the kiwi listen periods. More information on the K4K 2019 Kiwi Hui

Tanekaha Kiwi Release:
As part of our combined work with other local kiwi groups we had a kiwi release last Tuesday for the Tanekaha CPCA and the new neighbouring Hukerenui CPCA group. This area has farmers as the main landcare members and with the support of NRC, Kiwi Coast and Kiwis for Kiwi they are doing a fantastic job.

Backyard Kiwi Predator Control Programme :
Stoat catches have dropped off this month – which is usual for this time of year. Rat and hedgehog catches have been extra high probably due to the dry.

MARCH : Stoats 0, Weasels 3, Cats 1, Rats 94, Hedgehogs 28 and 5 possums.   The salted rabbit lure has been lasting well with the dry conditions up until now. The stoat bedding that Ngaire sourced for us hasn’t lured any stoats to date.

What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:
The kiwi will be loving this rain as they feed up for the breeding season in a month or so.

• Darwin – At Lamb road, in bush south of the quarry, feeding up after nesting. 11 hours nightly activity.
• Lambert – Taurikura Ridge in the pampas in Geoff’s pines and 10.5 hours nightly activity.
• Whitu – At freezing works, Reotahi. 11 hours nightly activity.
• Moa – In the bush behind the houses in Taurikura Bay, 11 hours activity.
• EB – In the pampas at Kerr Road. 10 hours activity.
• Pakipaki – In the “Horse Paddock” opposite the fire station. 11 hours activity.
• Ross  – Inland from Solomon’s point, at the top end of Pepi road. 11 hours nightly activity.
• Wally–  On the southern edge of the Pataua Estuary at the end of Campbell road. I did his transmitter band change and he was a fat 2500g with 11 hours activity (see pic).
• Mokopuna – In the rushes on the southern edge of the Pataua estuary- close to Wally.
• Harikoa –In rushes on western edge of Ross’s pines between Lamb road and Taraunui road. I did her transmitter change and she was 2150g and 130.3mm bill length, moderate condition.

Recent Releases at Parua Bay
Apart from Awhi these guys have mainly stayed in the pines and bush at Ross’s place near where they were released.

• Teina – He has mainly been hanging out in the release area at the Ross’s but has wandered a couple of times to  Lamb road. Activity is 11 hours.
• Malaika – 11 hours activity, Ross’s pines Taraunui road
• Pakiri – 10.5 hours activity, Ross’s pines Taraunui road
• Awhi– After a month of hanging close to the release site she has started to wander, over to Lamb road and then to the pampas at the start of Lamb road. She was seen by locals on the road in the village and had a near miss with a car so the next day I relocated her back to the release area. Since then she has headed West and is now in Kohinui valley – being heard by locals there, much to their delight.

ONE program (funded by Kiwis for Kiwi):
Rewarewa 
Last nest from the 2018-19 season finished this month. We had a total of 18 chicks of which 17 were transferred to Limestone, which is a pretty good season.

• Ngutu Roa –  10.5 hours activity, usual area SW reserve.
• Sancho – The single chick that he hatched last month (LC1817) had a fly blown belly button so was taken to WNBRC for treatment by Robert Webb. The maggots had done too much damage and he died.
• CFU – Did his transmitter band change – 2050g and good condition, in rushes in his usual paddock.
• Kimposter –Hatched a single chick from his second nest. The chick (LC1818) was transferred to Limestone, dad was 2150g after his nesting stint

  Kimposter 2019

• Nick – usual area od Lovell’s bush, 10.5 hours activity.
• Ngaro– usual area behind the air strip, 11 hours activity.

Hope to see you at the AGM

Cheers

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum

M 021 1145 385

E   hamiltont@maxnet.co.nz