Community Conservation Celebration BBQ

Thanks to WHLF for hosting the combined xmas BBQ at the McLeod Bay Hall last Friday night. Good turnout of the many Whangarei Heads Landcare groups, with folks enjoying themselves and heaps of happy kids .  Sounded like a good brief update from each group of the massive amount of community conservation work going on too – sorry that I missed it (was doing some recreational pest control down the Ruahines).

WHLF is planning a more in depth catch up and update/networking meeting for those that want to next year – April 6 – more details closer to the date.

Whangarei Heads School visit

As always it was a privilege to be invited to visit the Whangarei Heads School recently.  The Teina Team there have been studying “What makes our community thrive?” and had local community helpers visit for talks – including multiple conservation helpers from Bream Head, Weed Action and BYK- pretty cool school topic for a pretty cool School and community!

The thank you cards presented by the students to the community helpers at the recent BBQ were greatly appreciated (see pic). These kids certainly know all about helping their kiwi by controlling their dogs and walking them on a lead – fantastic!!!

Good news/bad news
Bad news was a road killed kiwi – adult male 108mm and approx 1700g (he really got smashed), no ID chip so wild hatched and grown. This happened on Ocean Beach Road and was on a Friday night that there were petrol heads hooning there (no photo – too gruesome).

Good news is a dog on a lead – landowners on their block at the Nook were walking their dog on a lead and managed to stop it when it rushed at a kiwi chick in rank grass beside the track.  They gave me a ring and I checked it out and ID chipped it (55.9mm, 350g and a couple of weeks old) and moved it to a dog free and kiwi saver pulsed block. The chick was named Pepe by the dog owners.

More Kiwi chicks hatching 

It is proving to be a very good first round of nesting with more chicks hatching this month.  Humphries (named by Whangārei Heads School on last year’s release) has successfully hatched a chick which the students are working on a name for.  This is a good first up nesting effort by Humphries, who is only 3 years old – so he is quite young to be breeding successfully. He’s got another 50 years of this ahead of him!

Chookie, Wally and Murdoch have all re-nested after successful first round nests – they will doing it hard as things have dried up heaps – December rain please if you can organize it.

The good coverage with controlled bait staion pulses of kiwi saver/1080 will be ensuring all these hatched chicks stand a good chance of survival with many of the trap-shy stoats cleaned out

The kiwi dads in Purua that we get chicks from to put on FOMLI managed Matakohe/Limestone Island kiwi crèche have been busy hatching chicks too. Once again a big thanks to the generosity of Ngati Hine and Purua farmers with the support of DoC and Kiwi Coast for the gift of these chicks. 7 chicks so far this season.

These chicks will be growing under Bevan and Courtney’s care on Matakohe/Limestone for releases in the future.

We are planning the usual public kiwi releases for next autumn – thanks for all those enquiring about dates – we will confirm them in the New Year.

Backyard Kiwi Proud Supportes

Thanks to the many local business and individuals that provide financial support to BYK. See https://www.backyardkiwi.org.nz/kiwi-and-community/proud-supporters

Recently Proud Supporter Master Boon Yap was present for the handover of a kiwi chick into safe hands of the FOMLI Rangers Boon raises money for BYK through her local Feng Shui workshops

What the monitored kiwi are up to:
Whangarei Heads/Parua Bay  Radio monitored kiwi:- 

• Chookie –  He is well settled on his second nest for the season. 39 days in on 19/11/24 and good low 3 hours nightly activity.
• Teina – In his usual valley of pampas and pines at the north end of Martins’ pine block. 9 hours activity. No sign of nesting.
• Beach Girl – She has spent time on both the Martins’ and Halses’ blocks  between Owhiwa and Ross Roads.  Her nightly activity is 10 hours.
• Murdoch  – Has re-nested – 13 days in on 20/11/24 and 4.5 hours activity. In his usual area between Ross Road and the end of Owwhiwa Road. He was down to 1750g and in poor condition after his first nest so I hope that he has the gas for this one if it doesn’t rain soon.
• Humphries –  After 83 days nesting his activity was steadily rising so we checked his nest – he had successfully hatched a single chick – 45.3mm, 215g and 10 days plus (Whangarei Heads School are naming it). Humphries has now moved down to the wetland in the valley below his nest site.
• Wally – Went straight from one nest to another, but the second nest failed after a week or so- he may have got to the new eggs too late? He is in his usual Pine/Gum block at the end of Campbell Road.  Rolf and I checked him again in early November and it looks like he is having another go at nesting!
• Manaaki –  Still no signal. Last signal 27/6/24 in pines at Martins’ Owhiwa Road block.  Big searches for no signal. I will still keep a listen out but no more dedicated searches.

Kiwi that have walked to the Whareora Landcare area:

• Fetu mama – She has dropped off the radar again – she must have gone deeper down in the valleys as things have dried out.
• Te Motu Manu Hine –  Still in the NRC pine block between Mt Tiger and the Money Factory.  9.5 hours of nightly activity.

Purua ONE dads
7 chicks transferred to Limestone/Matakohe for the season.

• Moondust  – 9.5 hours activity- usual area behind Lovell’s Irvine road woolshed.
• Buddha – Usual area in  the paddock north of McGraths’ quarry.  Nesting 79 days on 25/11/24. hatched first chick LC2407 – transferred to Limestone.
• Sam – SW edge of Purua reserve.  Nesting 88 days on 1/11/24. Hatched second chick LC2405 – transferred to Limestone.  Interesting that there was an adult female in the nest with Sam and his chick – maybe she is keen on more breeding? She was 129.3mm, 2650g and in good condition.  ID chipped
• Macio – No signal – presume that he has headed back into the crater area of Purua reserve.
• Otiria –  South end of the Purua Reserve. Still not nesting.   10.5 hours of nightly activity.
• 64 – SW side of the Purua reserve.  Nesting 90 days on 1/11/24. Hatched 2nd chick LC2406 transferred to Limestone. Dad was 2200g and PM, tx band done
• Tahi – South-eastern Purua reserve behind Alisons’ farm.  Still not nesting. 9.5 hours of activity.
• Derek  – On  the crater side of “Stump” Ridge South-East Purua reserve.  10 hours activity.
• Fletcher – up behind Lovells’ airstrip, still not nesting. 10.5 hours activity.
• Rua – Back of Alisons’ farm – 9 hours activity.

Hope that everyone has a safe and relatively stress free December. Take care.

Cheers Todd

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum

M 021 1145 385

E  todd.hamilton64@gmail.com