2025 – August Report « Backyard Kiwi

September 8th, 2025

2025 – August Report

A few events

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum: “Snapshots of Landcare” – Stories from the Heads

Thanks to all those that came along to the recent WHLF event where 7 locals gave talks on local history, particularly focusing on the growth of “Landcare” in the district. 60 people attended. Thank you to the speakers for their very interesting presentations, Whangarei Heads School for hosting and the hard working WHLF committee for their organisation and the feed afterwards.

In preparation for the upcoming Bittern booming season WHLF has another event: “Boom time for Matuku”

Scientist Peter Langlands will be giving a presentation. Wednesday 7pm, September 3, Whangarei Heads School. See attached invite for details.

Northland Kiwi Hui November 1 & 2

Planning for the 2025 Northland Kiwi Hui is underway. Kiwi Coast are working with co-hosts Nga Hapū o te Rawhiti and Massey University to bring you the latest Northland brown kiwi news, research and updates.

See the Kiwi Coast website for more details and online registration:

https://kiwicoast.org.nz/events/

Whangarei Heads School Kiwi

After a recent evening meeting at the Whangarei Heads School an injured kiwi was found in the carpark. She was taken by local James Bellamy and his family to the Robert Webb at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre. She was an adult female and was struggling to walk. After vet checks showed no major injuries she was kept at the WNBRC and was eating well and recovering. Despite Robert’s best efforts this recovery didn’t last and after more consultation with vets and DoC. She was put down and will be autopsied by Massey University. We will let you know the results.

The big upside to this story is that Whangarei Heads School has wild kiwi living on and around their school grounds. This is a real credit to the school community and their dog free policy and the regeneration of bush areas.

Dog walker saves kiwi

A local recently walking her dog in McLeods Bay was pleased that she had it under control on a lead. Her dog winded a kiwi in a dead pampas bush right beside the road and flushed a large female kiwi out of it. The kiwi headed off unharmed thanks to the owner restraining her dog with the lead.

Kiwi Nesting

After a good breeding season the adult kiwi dads are hard out nesting at the moment. The females have done a massive job laying the 1, or more usually 2, large eggs and are having a well earned rest while the males incubate the eggs – a 70-100 day stint with only a few short hours off the nest each night. Pampas bushes are a favorite nesting location and have the massive advantage over ground burrow nests in that the dads and eggs stay warm and dry, particularly with this recent wet weather. Several monitored kiwi have had their eggs die due to them getting wet and infected in ground burrows. The dads often kick the rotten egg out of the burrow and concentrate on incubating the second egg. See attached pics of some nests. First hatches are happening now and it is looking like a good year at this stage.

There were two more roadkills again this month:

19/8/25 Adult male? 112mm bill length and 1800g weight. In the usual area between McLeods and Nook turn off.
27/8/25 Sub-adult, approx. 92mm bill and 1500g in weight, hit on the same stretch of road.

Thanks to the folks who quickly reported these kiwi. As usual neither had an ID chip so were wild hatched and grown kiwi thanks to good local stoat and dog control. The kiwi bodies are now with DoC.

Backyard Kiwi monitored kiwi update for August 2025:

Whangarei Heads/Parua Bay Radio monitored kiwi:–

Chookie– In his usual area below Owhiwa road. Nesting in the base of the same hollow puriri that he did in 2001. 51 days nesting on 19/8/25 and a good low 140 minutes of activity.
Teina– In his usual valley of pampas and pines at the north end of Martins’ pine block. Still a high 11.5 hours activity.
Beach Girl – Back in the pampas and pines on Martin’s Northern boundary. 11.5 hours activity.
Murdoch –In a nest burrow under a big pine tree, in the native on Deb’s block, at the end of Owhiwha Road. Similar area to last year. 51 days nesting on 24/8/25 with some highish nights (up to 7.5 hours). His nest may be getting wet and failing?.
Humphries – Nesting in a pampas bush in pines. N side of Martins’ block Owhiwa Road. 39 days nesting on 29/8/25. Good low 100 mins activity.
Wally –Usual area of gums and pines at end of Campbell road. He is nesting in a pamas bush, 43 days nesting on 6/8/25 with a good low 150 minutes of nightly activity.

Released 23/3/25 at Parua Bay

Myra– 3.5 year old female. Still settled in the middle of the Martins’ block Owhiwa Road. 13 hours of nightly activity.
Ping– Young female. She continues to cruise around and has now headed south to the Parua Bay end of Martins’ pine block. 12 hours of activity.
Kim –2.5 year old female. Still hasn’t moved far from her release spot in the pampas and pines below Owhiwa Road. Her activity is 12 hours.

Kiwi that have walked to the Whareora Landcare area

Te Motu Manu Hine – She is still settled in her usual area of the NRC pines behind the Money Factory. 11 hours activity.

Purua Operation Nest Chick (ONC) dads

Nesting well underway with 9 nesting so far:

Moondust – 11.5 hours activity. Usual area behind Lovell’s Irvine road woolshed. Hidden deep in a taggle of supple jack. 11.5 hours activity.
Buddha – Has started nesting. In a burrow, under a totara tree, in McGraths’ paddock, north of the quarry. 16 days nesting on 28/8/28. 4.5 hours of activity.
Macio – South Purua reserve, in a nest burrow close to the creek above Johnny’s old burrow. 74 days nesting on 28/8/25. 4.5 hours nightly activity. The creek is high with the recent rain and is just above a waterfall so a dodgy place for a chick to emerge. No hatch shown on his radio datastream yet.
64 – Nesting 89 days on 28/8/25. His radio datastream showed a hatch but I could only see a rotten egg pushed to the side. 3 hours activity so still incubating the second egg.
Tahi– South-eastern Purua reserve behind Alisons’ farm. Nest burrow on the steep face near the reserve boundary. Nesting 55 days on 28/8/25. 3.5 hours activity.
Sam – SW Purua reserve. Approximately 50m in from Hawkins’ fenceline. Nesting in a supple jack tangle so can’t locate him accurately without making noise. 54 days nesting on 28/8/25, 4.5 hours activity.
Derek – He has started nesting on “Stump” Ridge, South-East Purua reserve. 18 days as of 28/8/25 and a highish 6 hours activity.
Fletcher – Up behind Lovells’ airstrip. Still no sign of nesting. 11 hours nightly activity.
Rua – At the back of Alisons’ farm. Nest burrow in a small grassy patch in native near the boundary. Nesting 74 days on 28/8/25. 3.5 hours activity. No hatch shown on radio datastream yet.
Erima – Nesting in native on Hawkins’ hill. 19 days 21/8/25, 6 hours of activity.
Prime – Nesting in native on the steep southern face near the top of Hawkins’ hill. Nesting 54 days on 28/8/25. 4.5 hours of activity.
Purua– SW end of Purua reserve, 12 hours activity.