Upcoming Kiwi Release – Sunday Feb 16 at Parua Bay Community Centre – 5.30pm

A reminder to please let your friends, family and neighbours know that our annual kiwi release is on Sunday 16th Feb. Full details here Kiwi Release .
It is a fantastic chance for folks to see wild kiwi up close and personal, find out about what is happening locally and what they can do to help their kiwi. It is a huge team effort so thanks to all those working hard to make it happen.
Rolf, Darren and I caught and transmittered 3 kiwi on Limestone ready for transfer – see photo of Darren with “Hancock” – named by Hancock Forest Management who do extensive predator trapping in their forestry blocks. I transferred Hancock to Limestone from Purua as a young chick back in 2013 so she has done a good job of avoiding us since then. Bernie was back looking after the island recently and he caught two more kiwi for transfer. Kiwi Release 16th feb

Northland Kiwi Hui 

Kiwis for Kiwi are running a Northland Kiwi Hui on March 20-22 (Friday night to Sunday) at Te Tiriti O Waitangi Marae.  Accommodation and meals provided. Registrations will be open shortly.

northlandkiwicoordinator@gmail.com

Bird First Aid Course 

Doc Vet Kate McInnes ran a fantastic hands on first aid and necropsy course for birds for local field workers. It included how to hydrate birds in emergency situations.

Extremely Dry conditions hard on kiwi chicks  

The extremely dry conditions continue and as outlined last month this means the young chicks are struggling to get a decent feed.  Because the adult kiwi have sensibly put off their usual second round of nesting they are actually in good condition.  The mums aren’t having to feed up to lay two big eggs and the dads have all night to feed instead of only a couple of hours when they are nesting so they are doing ok.  Even so you all need to improve your rain dancing because it isn’t working!
Note: the upcoming kiwi release at Parua Bay will be of birds big enough to deal with the conditions. They are going into an area with plenty of wetlands and with much lower kiwi numbers than the Heads peninsula.

Backyard Kiwi Predator Control Program :

January was a very quiet month with only 1 stoat in the traps but February has started with a bit of a hiss with 4 stoats already.
January predator trap catches:   Stoats 1, Weasels 1, Cats 0, Rats 88, Hedgehogs 12 and 4 possums.

What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:

As mentioned the dry has scuttled the usual second round of nesting with only Wally giving it a go .

• Darwin – No signal this month in his usual territory at the quarry and surrounding area.  He may be tucked up in a wetland area avoiding the dry.
• Whitu – In the damp area behind the freezing works at Reotahi.  Nightly activity of 9 hours.
• Moa – Still no signal, I will keep looking and listening.
• EB – In pampas opposite houses on Kerr Rd. Nightly activity 9 hours.
• Pakipaki – In pampas in the horse paddock at McLeod Bay, 10 hours nightly activity.
• Ross  – Up the deep-sided stream valley at Pepi Rd. Activity 19 hours.
• Harikoa – Still in wetland  NE end of Campbell Rd, 10 hours activity.  Nearby landowners are hearing a male kiwi call
• Wally – He nested on the edge of the pines and the estuary wetland at the end of Campbell Road. His data stream showed a successful hatch of his first egg after 66 days and he held tight for further 10 days but after that his activity rapidly increased and he left the nest. When I checked the nest the first chick had gone (hatch confirmed by egg shell and membrane) and the second egg was dead and rotten.
• Teina –  Down the bottom of the valley with the young pine block east of Owhiwa road, 9 hours activity.
• Malaika –  In a wetland on Steve and Anne Plant’s property on the west side of Taraunui Road.  8 hours nightly activity.
• Awhi – She is still in same wetland  on Campbell as Harikoa. Activity is 9 hours. This is the most settled she has been and it will be intersting to see if she stays when we get decent rain.

Rarewarewa   (ONE dads monitoring funded by Kiwis for Kiwi)

I didn’t monitor these kiwi this month as none had been nesting

Cheers Todd

Please note that my email address has changed to: todd.hamilton64@gmail.com

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum

M 021 1145 385

E  todd.hamilton64@gamil.com