Malaika
Malaika – young female “Angel”
Malaika hatched in a nest, in a paddock, on Lovell’s farm out at Purua in the spring of 2017. She was 260g in weight at 10 days old when we transferred her to Limestone Island to grow up ready for a public release. Early in 2019 we caught up with her again and she was 1700g and looking like a young female kiwi. Kiwi are the slowest growing bird in the world and take 4-5 years to reach adulthood so she still had plenty of growing to do. Malaika means “Angel” in Swahili and was named by proud BYK supporter Fay Clayton.
This young girl has also made her way to Kerry Martin’s pine block – this place is becoming the place to be for kiwi! She has taken over a year to work her way there and may have headed there because of the other kiwi calling. Her nightly activity is 12.5 hours.
She has moved north one valley and is now at the end of Ross road, Kohi had previously be close to her for a while so some older girl may have moved her on? 11 hours activity.
Still in the wetland on north-west side of Taraunui Road, Recently released Kohi is now nearby and they must be hearing each other, 10.5 hours activity.
In a wetland on Steve and Anne Plant’s property on the west side of Taraunui Road. 8 hours nightly activity.
In a wetland on Steve and Anne Plant’s property on the west side of Taraunui Road. Jack helped me catch her in a patch of pampas by the wetland for her transmitter change – she is over 2 years old and grown to 1850g and bill of 119.1mm so still has some more growing to do before full adulthood (see attached pic of Malaika with Jack and Steve).
Still in the Taraunui Road/Ross Road area, 9 hours activity- located her in a wetland beside a landowners’ shed on a 50 ha dog free property- also a good place to make a kiwi home.
Still in the Taraunui Road/Ross Road area, 11 hours activity – as she moves around I’m meeting new landowners that are excited to have her in their patch.
After being settled in Ross’s pines, Taraunui road for the past 6 months she has been on the move and is now further down Taraunui Road in bush just south of Ross Road.
In wetland in Ross’s pines, Taraunui road. Activity is 11 hours. Did her 3 monthly check with the new Limestone Ranger Darren Gash as part of his kiwi training. Malaika was 1700g and 112.1mm and is still growing.
In wetland in Ross’s pines, Taraunui road. Activity is 11 hours.
In wetland in Ross’s pines, Taraunui road. Activity is 12 hours.
In wetland in Ross’s pines, Taraunui road. Rolf and I did her 3 monthly check – she was 1800g, 107.4mm bill length so has only put on 100g since her release – due to the dry conditions. Activity is 11.5 hours.
12 hours activity, Still in Ross’s pines Taraunui road.
11 hours activity, Ross’s pines Taraunui road.
We transferred her to Parua Bay as part of the highly successful BYK kiwi release in February 2019. She spent the next 6 months getting to know the area between Taraunui Road and Lamb Road before heading North in search of new territory. Because she was a young kiwi we checked and changed her radio transmitter band every 3 months as she grew. She has spent the start of 2020 in the wetlands and and pine blocks east of Tarauni Road and Ross Road.