June 2014
It has been a busy month with plenty of significant happenings:

Manaia Pest Control

After much planning and preparation the combined WHLF, NRC, Doc, Kiwi Coast
pest control project for Mt Manaia has well and truly seen some action on
the ground. Martin did a great job getting all the paperwork and
consultation done. He was also very busy remarking the bait-lines and
lowering the bait stations with help from Grant Stevens, Danny Tuato’o and
me.

Then it was all go on Saturday – 31 people put a huge effort in to put
pre-feed into the bait stations – it was a great team effort – a BIG THANKS
to them all and especially Martin for his organization and leadership.

The pre-feed is to attract the rats and possums to the bait stations and to
get them feeding there. Another round of pre-feed is planned for Saturday
July 19 to really get those pests keyed into the bait stations before a
pulse of toxin is put in them.

Kiwi Call Count:
This has been another big team effort. Thank you to all those folks that
have been sitting out in the cold to listen for and record the number of
kiwi calls. The last of the data from the 22 sites is coming in now. Thanks
everyone and thanks to Fay Clayton for helping out with the data entry. I’m
still collating the results as they come in and will have a summary for you
next month – so far the call count numbers look to be down on last year -
this is far more likely to be due to the poor breeding conditions leading up
to the call count rather than a decrease in kiwi numbers.

Kiwi Predator Control Programme:
As expected the traps are pretty quiet at this time of year.

Trap catches for June: 0 stoats, 2 weasels, 4 cats, 45 rats, 9 Hedge Hogs, 4
possums.

I am still using eggs as the lure as the trap checks are out to 6 weekly for
the winter.

Have a look in the predator trapping section of the website for a copy of
a trapping report it summarizes our trap results from last season and
compares them with the previous 10 years and this season to date.

Trappers’ Day coming up:

This year’s Regional Trapping Workshop has been scheduled for Sunday August 17 at the Waimate North Showgrounds.
This will be brought to you by the NZ Landcare Trust and the Kiwis for Kiwi Trust.

The guest speaker will be James Russell, who is involved in Predator Free
NZ, and is a Senior Lecturer at Auckland University. He is particularly
interested in the ecology and control of small mammals, for which he was
awarded the 2012 Prime Ministers Emerging Scientist Prize. James will talk
about the history of pest control, island eradications in New Zealand, and
how these build towards the concept of a Predator Free New Zealand.

Ngarie Tyson ( Ngaire.tyson@landcare.org.nz ) will send out further details
and ask for RSVPs in the first week of August, but mark the date in your
diaries now if you are interested!

BNZONE program (funded by Kiwis for Kiwi):
We recently got the very good news that Kiwis for Kiwi have approved funding
for the “Whangarei Kiwi Corridor Kiwis for kiwi BNZ ONE Programme”. This is
the work we do that leads to kiwi releases for WHLF, Bream Head conservation
Trust and Tutukaka LC – many thanks to Kiwis for Kiwi for their continued
support. This work is also supported by the Kiwi Coast- many thanks also.

Radio Tracked Kiwi at Whangarei Heads
Nesting has begun! What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:

Darwin – usual area at Lamb Road, high activity.

Whitu – in the pampas at Reotahi. He has an activity of 10 hours per night,

Dallas – nesting near the sewage pumping station by McDonald
Road. 4 days on 18/6/14, 7.5 hrs activity.

Lambert – usual area Taurikura Ridge. Nesting, 8 days on 29/6/14, 6.5 hrs activity.

Waka – high activity of 11 hours a night at McKenzie Bay.

Lucky – McKenzie Bay – His activity has dropped to 6hrs so may be nesting.

JR – on the South Taurikura Ridge above Urquart’s Bay. Nesting – 4days on 24/6/14, 6.5hrs activity.

Charlie – at McNamnara’s at Craig Road – Nesting 11 days on 27/6/14 but activity is still 11 hours!.

Dead Kiwi

Unfortunately two dead kiwi were found by locals this month, both wild birds
without transmitters or ID chips:

One drowned in a pool, it had got through the fence and the
pool had a thin cover on it that he walked on then got trapped under. The
cover has been removed now. – his bill was 101.6mm and he weighed 1900g

On the night of Saturday 28 June there was another road kill
in the same place that there were road kills back on 22/10/13 and 4/5/13.
This is the spot where we have erected “kiwi crossing” signs!!! So please be
careful when driving at night. He was a healthy wild bird of 95.3mm and
2070g.