Good Rain!

The bursts of rain in late January may have been inconvenient for some but they have certainly made life easier for kiwi with damper conditions and more available food.  The rain came too late for at least one kiwi chick. Walkers on the Manaia track found a distressed chick on the track near the summit on 21/1/25 and brought it down the hill for me to transfer to Robert Webb at the WNBRC.  The chick was only a week or so old, very skinny, dehydrated and had a heavy tick load.  Unfortunately it was too far gone and died.

The older kiwi will be feeding up hard now to regain body condition after the breeding season and the extended dry spell. Despite the tough conditions plenty of dads have been working hard on their second nests for the season and the newly hatched chicks will find their start to life much easier with the recent rain.

Backyard Kiwi radio monitored kiwi update for January 2025   Keen dads still working hard on their second nests

 Whangarei Heads/Parua Bay  Radio monitored kiwi:   

• Chookie– Successfully hatched another 2 chicks. 16/1/25 After 98 days nesting and increased activity his nest was checked- 2 chicks – older one 18 days old by dad’s activity data stream, the younger one 8-10 days old. Both ID chipped and pin feathers taken.  Dad was 1750g and Poor-Moderate body score (which is pretty good for 6 months nesting this season) and had his transmitter changed.
• 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 – Her radio transmitter was failing (giving a ticking signal rather than a clear ping) which meant catching her was very challenging in the dense pampas at Halses’ logged pine block on Ross road. Her nightly activity was 10 hours.     She was down to 2650g and Mod condition. Her new transmitter is pinging away well.
• Murdoch – On his second nest. The nest is very close to his spring nest, under a couple of old man wilding pines in the valley of bush on Halses’ block at Ross Road. As of late last week he was 82 days nesting, first hatch 16 days ago by data stream and  waiting on a possible second hatch.
• Humphries –  NE side of Martins’ block Owhiwa Road. In an old pampas bush.  We did his 6 monthly transmitter band change.  He was 1900g and in Mod condition so is recovering well from his earlier nesting efforts
• Wally – Nesting again after 1 successful and 1 failed nest already this season. As of 29/1/25; he was 34 days nesting and a good low 3 hours nightly activity. Usual area – pine block at end of Campbell Road.
• Manaaki – This is the guy who went missing 6 months ago, not long after he had been released at Parua Bay, now we know where he has ended up. See his history below:
  – 8/2/24 night caught with Rolf and Bevan on Limestone – 1800g and 103.6 mm so could be either mature male or young female.
  – 25/2/24 transferred to Parua Bay.
  –Late Feb through to 27/6/24 Radio tracked by Kerry and Todd. He/she cruised up as far as the Owhiwa rd roadside then back down and around the pine block at Owhiwa Road and seemed reasonably settled there then we lost his/her signa
  –July to Dec 2024- We did plenty of radio searches on the block and then far wider – Onerahi- Pataua North- Heads peninsula and got no signa
  –29/1/25 Carl from Pataua North Landcare was searching for some of their missing transmitted kiwi  using a  ute fitted, large aeril. He not only found those kiwi but also got a signal for Manaaki!!  Carl followed the signal to Owhiwa Road and let Todd know. Thank you Carl!
  Todd tracked the signal (in loud mortality mode – triggered by lack of movement  – so either dead or a dropped transmitter)  and found the dropped tx and worn through attachment band in a stand of native right in the middle of Martins’ place
  
  So where had he been??? –  We have had other transmitted kiwi wander many km from their release area only to circle around and return.  Kiwi have a great natural GPS and are also driven by other kiwi calling. If they go out and can’t hear other kiwi they often work their way back to the release area if they hear kiwi calling from there.
  With the tricky tracking country with lots of deep windy valleys over a big area it is most probable that he went walk about and we just couldn’t get a signal at the time and then missed his return.
  Wherever Manaaki has been the very good news is that we now can confirm that he has successfully settled into a safe area. He has been calling this week from the area where the tx was dropped.  He/she has an ID chip under the skin so if they ever turn up again we will be able to identify who it is.
• Kiwi that have walked to the Whareora Landcare area:
  Fetu mama – 21 days dead in WDC pine block off Mt Tiger Road.  Body found out in the open under mature pine trees, 100m from the track- easy access for an uncontrolled dog (see pic). Broken ribs indicate that it is a probable dog kill. Sad news but it shows the benefit of following these “frontier” kiwi. Fetu Mama had walked to Mt Tiger/Whareora after being released at Parua Bay and was the first kiwi to be radio monitored there. Locals were very excited to have her and now will be even more aware than ever of the risk of dogs to adult kiwi.

  Fetu Mama

  Te Motu Manu Hine with Clay

Te Motu Manu Hine –  After Fetu mama’s death we were pleased to find her alive and well for her band change.  She is still in the NRC pine block off Awaroa River road. She was in pampas only 200m from her May 2024 catch spot so looks well settled. Bill length 138.5mm (so still growing) 2250g and PM condition (see pic with Kiwi Link trapper Clay).
Kotahitangata – this is the adult male kiwi that walked to the Pataua North Landcare area after his Parua Bay release last year. Carl had been monitoring him there and recently found him dead – more details to follow.

Purua ONE dads
8 chicks now transferred to Limestone/Matakohe.
Rua has renested but no others have.

Rarewarewa/Purua ONE dads: 

• Moondust– 10 hours activity, in his usual area behind Lovell’s Irvine road woolshed.  
• Buddha – Usual area in  the paddock north of McGraths’ quarry.  8.5 hours activity.
• Macio– SW Purua reserve on “Kauri tree ridge”. 9.5 hours activity
• Otiria–  In the paddock South of the Purua Reserve. Still not nesting.   8.5 hours of nightly activity.
• 64– In paddock SW side of the Purua reserve.  11 hours activity – he must be feeding up hard on crickets there.
• Tahi– South-eastern Purua reserve behind Alisons’ farm.  Still not nesting. 9 hours of activity.
• Sam – SW of Purua reserve in Hawkins paddock. In rank kikuya 6 monthly check done: 2000g, 104.5mm and Mod. 10.5 hours activity.
• Derek– On  “Stump” Ridge South-East Purua reserve.  In log. 6 monthly check done: 2000g PM, 10 hours activity. No nesting yet this season.
• Fletcher– He took a bit of finding. He is in a deep rocky gut up near the north side of Purua trig. 8.5 hours activity
• Rua – Back of Alisons’ farm – re-nested 38 days in on 13/1/25 and  4 hours nightly activity.

 

Trapping/ toxin pulses.
January catches: Stoats 3 – 2 juveniles (either end of peninsula) and a big old male  Weasels 1, Feral cats 2.   

Upcoming Kiwi Release
Keep an eye out for information about our upcoming autumn kiwi release at Parua Bay – check out our website, website page or our old fashion hand written roadside signs.

Cheers Todd

Todd Hamilton
Backyard Kiwi Project Manager
Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum
M 021 1145 385
E  todd.hamilton64@gmail.com