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Thanks to an active intervention program, at Whangarei Heads we really do have kiwi in our backyard.

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October Update of Monitored Kiwi

November 13th, 2012

Not only have our 6 monitored kiwi dads hatched 10 chicks between them already this season 3 of them have started on their second nests!

Darwin's first chick September 2012

· Darwin – At Lamb Road, Dawin has successfully hatched 2 chicks – named “Scarlet” and “Eddie-T” by locals – the second after Edward Thomas Lamb a local who fell in WW I. The second chick was in the nest 51 days after the 1st one hatched which is an unusually long gap.

· Whitu- At Reotahi, is nesting again after his first nest of 2 chicks.

· Dallas- By Whangarei Heads school – having a rest after hatching 2 chicks.

· Lambert- At Taurikura ridge – on his second nest deep in the pampas.

· Waka- This guy is nesting in McKenzie Bay in backyard of a batch there.

· Charlotte- (Waka’s mate) Has been wandering around the Mckenzie Bay area.

· JR- At southern end of Taurikura ridge – has successfully hatched 2 chicks- deep in a hollow Puriri so couldn’t DNA sample them or put in ID chip.

· Charlie- Between Nook and Mcleods – still high activity.

Drummond September 2012

· Drummond – This is the young kiwi we released at Kauri Mt back in July. She is still near the release site.

 

 

September Update

October 12th, 2012

2012 003

September was a very busy month for our 6 nesting dads – they have stuck to their nests well and have hatched 9 chicks between them!

· Darwin – At Lamb Road , had his first chick hatch on 25 August. Unusually the chick was still in his nest 36 days later with Dad still patiently sitting on his second egg – that’s 100 days of incubation so far.

· Whitu- At Reotahi, hatched 2 chicks – 1st hatch 16/8/12, 2nd hatch approx 7/9/12. 2nd chick was named “Jamie” by Kane of the NRC who was helping with nest checks. Whitu was 1940g and in reasonable condition after nesting – he now has a new transmitter. In the photo of him you can see Reotahi carpark in the background.

Dallas chicks Tauri and Kura

· Dallas- Has been nesting by the sewage pumping station below the school- he has hatched 2 chicks (14/9/12 and approx 30/9/12) These chicks have been named by the Hill’s (the landowners) grand kids “Tauri” and “ Kura ” –see photo.

· Lambert- Has also hatched 2 chicks -1st hatch 23/8/12, 2nd hatch approx 3/9/12. The old chick has been named “ Sandy ” by Audrey Rhodes who kindly does our accounts. Lambert has continued to be difficult to catch in pampas- even snuck out the back of his nest. If I catch up with him I will remove transmitter to save hassling him in the pampas.

Lamberts chicks sept 2012 003

· Waka- Unfortunately his nest failed after approximate 45 days for an unknown reason -couldn’t find nest in pampas to investigate eggs. Did however catch up with Waka for his annual transmitter change. He was a very healthy 2420g.

· Charlotte- (Waka’s mate) Has been wandering around the Mckenzie Bay area.

· JR- His transmitter data stream has shown that he has hatched 2 chicks – (1st hatch 16/9/12) – but his nest is deep in a patch of kiekie and can’t check it out without disturbing him so have left it be..

· Charlie- Landowner James McNamnara helped me with Charlie’s transmitter change– he is now 2150g and pretty much fully grown. Photo attached.

· Drummond – This is the young kiwi we released at Zac Smith’s place back in July. I caught up with her near the release site, she was 1300g in weight and looking well settled in to her new home.

3rd November – WHLF is Celebrating 10 Years of Action on the Ground!

September 10th, 2012

If you have been involved in any way with landcare in the Whangarei  Heads area, keep the evening of Saturday 3rd November (7.30pm) free to come along to the McLeod Bay Hall and celebrate 10 years of action on the ground at Whangarei Heads.  You are invited to come along for complimentary canapé, cake and bubbles (BYO if you wish).

It is hard to believe that it’s 10 years since the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum first started to coordinate the landcare action on the ground. We reckon that all the trapping, weeding, planting, native nurseries etc is something to celebrate.

We will also be ‘releasing’ more kiwi prints and a children’s book featuring Backyard Kiwi.

For more information (and to RSVP) call Todd on 021 1145 385 or info@backyardkiwi.org.nz

August 2012

August 18th, 2012

Things are going along nicely for the kiwi at Whangarei Heads this winter – despite all the rain!

Kiwi normally do very well in wet conditions because it is easy for them to probe for food in the soft ground but too much water can be a problem for nesting dads.

It is the adult males that get the 70 day plus job of sitting on the eggs with only a few hours break each night for a quick feed. With the nesting burrows being underground, or more often in pampas bushes for our kiwi, the very wet conditions can make incubation tricky and will probably lead to more eggs than usual getting bacterial infections. On the up side we have never had so many monitored kiwi nesting at the same time at Whangarei Heads – all 6 adult males are nesting!!!

·Darwin – nesting at Lamb road and due to hatch late August.

·JR– nesting southern end of Taurikura Ridge and due to hatch mid September.

·Waka– nesting at Mckenzie Bay and due to hatch mid September.

·Lambert– nesting Taurikura Ridge and due late August.

·Whitu– nesting at Reotahi and due mid-late August

·Dallas– nesting at Hills’ by the School and due mid September

The other monitored kiwi are:

· Charlotte – an adult female at Mckenzie Bay (Waka’s mate). She had her 6 monthly check on 16/8/12 and is a healthy 2450g after laying eggs and is now sporting a new transmitter.

· Charlie – a young male at Craig Road – North of McLeod Bay – is very active at the moment – getting up at 5pm and being active for 12-13 hours a night.

The 100 or so people who were at Kauri Mt a few weeks back for Drummond’s release there will be pleased that this young female (1200g) has settled in well and is hanging around the release area.

New Improved Map Shows Lots of Nesting Going On

July 26th, 2012

Check out our new, improved map page and follow what our transmitted kiwi are up to.

This month you can see that all the adult male kiwi we monitor are already nesting – that’s great news!

Todd will keep this updated each month.

Click here or use the “Kiwi Maps” link (under “Monitored Birds”) in the right hand panel of this page.

And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook.  Click on “Backyard Kiwi!”  and tell us about your kiwi experience!

Come See a Kiwi In Your Back Yard – Saturday July 14th

July 11th, 2012

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum invites you to attend a kiwi release.

4.00pm Saturday 14th July 2012

Kauri Mt Road , Whangarei Heads

Meet at coastal side of the bush on Kauri Mt Road – there will be a sign up.

Wear good footwear for a short walk through bush.

NB: This is weather permitting (cancelled if too wet!)

For more information, contact Todd on 021 1145 385 or info@backyardkiwi.org.nz

I HEARD A KIWI LISTENING NIGHT MAY 12th

May 4th, 2012

COME AND HEAR YOUR BACKYARD KIWI

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum invites you to join them for a kiwi listening evening on Saturday 12th May at 5.30 pm at the Whangarei Heads Primary School.

Come along and hear about  your kiwi, why they call and how to tell the male and female calls. Then listen for some wild backyard kiwi calls.

There will be a sausage sizzle (gold coin donation) and “I Heard a Kiwi” and “I saw a Kiwi” Backyard kiwi bumper stickers available for $5.

We will be listening from the school field – do remember to bring warm clothes.

If the weather is wet or too windy we will postpone until to Saturday May 19th – any postponement will be on our Backyard Kiwi website: www.backyardkiwi.org.nz

Any questions contact Todd Hamilton on 0211145385 orinfo@backyardkiwi.org.nz

Kiwi Population Grows to 400

November 2nd, 2011

We thought it was time for a brief update on the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum kiwi recovery project – “Backyard Kiwi”.

Great start to kiwi breeding season

It has been an excellent breeding season to date, largely due to the good rainfall experienced last autumn. We continue to monitor a sample of 10 kiwi with radio transmitters and 4 of those kiwi males have hatched 6 chicks between them already. There is another monitored kiwi dad still nesting and two others have started nesting on a second round of eggs – this is our most successful start to the breeding season since monitoring started in 2003.

Kiwi population grows to 400

The official kiwi call count carried out at 21 listening sites during the winter months identified 189 individual kiwi and considering that the listen sites cover less than half the area of the Whangarei Heads our estimation of a kiwi population of around 400 through population modeling looks pretty good! The estimated kiwi population of the Whangarei Heads was only 80 adults ten years ago so we can all be proud of the great progress being made.

Predator trapping continues through NRC funding

For the past 10 years we have run a trapping network to reduce kiwi predator numbers at the Heads. Without this predator control over 90% of kiwi chicks would be killed – mainly by stoats. Also any ferrets present can not only kill chicks but also adult kiwi. Every season there is an influx of new predators reinvading the area so it is fantastic that the Northland Regional Council has funded the continuation of the trapping program for the next 5 years through their Community Pest Control Area (CPCA) budget. This NRC funding covers trapping and also importantly a controlled toxin pulse in some areas that may have trap shy animals present. We are very grateful for the NRC support and are determined to show that the Backyard Kiwi work is great value for the rate payers’ money.

BNZSTK Operation Nest Egg

Since 2003 we have been fortunate to be able to supplement the Heads kiwi population with extra young kiwi through a BNZSTK Operation Nest Egg program that involves transferring young kiwi chicks from the Department of Conservation managed areas of Purua, Rarewarewa and Riponui (west of Whangarei). These chicks are transferred to the Limestone/Matakohe Island kiwi crèche to grow to 1200g in weight before being released at the Heads. This year 7 kiwi have been released at the Heads, these releases are our best opportunity for the people of the Whangarei Heads and wider area to see a kiwi up close and personal in their backyard. Over 600 people have had that fantastic experience this season – “seeing is believing” and when linked with the ongoing radio transmitter monitoring of some of the released birds locals really do get to gain an understanding of their kiwi in their backyard. The BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust has once again provided funding to support this program and we have already transferred 10 young kiwi chicks into the safe hands of the Limestone/Matakohe Island Rangers from the new season’s nests at Rarewarewa and Riponui.

Community Engagement with Backyard Kiwi

Without the support of the wider community at the Whangarei Heads it would be impossible to continue the successful kiwi recovery work of the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum. Uncontrolled dogs still remain the biggest threat to the kiwi population and the responsible dog control by the majority of pet owners is heartening to see. Although dog kills have reduced in the past few years 2 adult kiwi were unfortunately recently killed by dogs on the roadside at the Nook. Another adult kiwi was also run over by night time traffic. In a major effort to inform locals and visitors of kiwi at the Heads the “Backyard Kiwi” road and interpretation signs have been erected. Our website www.backyardkiwi.org.nz has updates on the monitored kiwi and other local kiwi news.

Locals Trapping for Success

In conjunction with the NZ Landcare Trust we are running a local trapper’s day on Sunday the 13th of November. This will look at protecting what is in your backyard from possums and mustelids. Both experienced trappers and novices should get something from the event — see details under trapping news.

Trapping For Success – 13th November

November 2nd, 2011

Charlie Finds A Home

August 19th, 2011

Landcare group member Ngaire Tyson sent us this report on our latest kiwi release:

“It was a stunning Sunday afternoon when we piled all the kids into the car and headed down the hill to Whangarei Heads for the kiwi release at McLeod Bay. We were all very excited about getting to see a kiwi live, up close! We were a bit late and as we walked up the farm track, we could see Todd holding Charlie, the kiwi. Hoping we hadn’t missed too much we stood at the back and heard Todd tell us how hard the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum have been working to kill stoats that are such a threat to kiwi. Todd also congratulated all the locals for keeping their dogs under control, making it possible to safely release kiwi in their backyards in McLeod Bay. He urged us to remind visitors to Whangarei Heads to follow the example of locals, and always keep your dogs tied up and under control. He reckoned uncontrolled dogs were now the biggest threat to the survival of kiwi in Northland.

I couldn’t believe it when he then said “Ngaire, can you come and hold Charlie the Kiwi?” Needless to say, he didn’t have to ask me twice, and I quickly left poor hubby Steve to mind our three pre-schoolers! Sitting down on the kiwi transportation box, Todd handed me Charlie. Charlie had been a bit upset, snapping his bill at all these strangers disturbing his day-time sleep and I was worried he would leap away or do some serious damage to me with his tough feet and sharp claws. But as I relaxed, so did he and we settled into a nice cuddle. He was warm and soft and with his head draped over my arm, I could see his eyes blinking as he thought about drifting off for a little snooze… I sat there totally amazed at holding such a rare and precious creature. “Good luck Charlie,” I whispered to him when I saw Todd coming over to take him to his burrow “Watch out for those dogs and stoats, and send your grand-kids our way…!” Later that night, as I tucked three exhausted kids into bed, the last thing 2 year old Fiona said was “Where kiwi gone Mummy?” “Don’t worry” I replied, “Charlie is safe in his burrow – Todd is looking after him….””

Submitted by Ngaire Tyson, NZ Landcare Trust and landcare group member

WHANGAREI HEADS LANDCARE FORUM