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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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December 16th, 2013

November update

What your Backyard Kiwi were up to in November:

Darwin – Has moved back to the Lamb Road quarry in the pampas.

Whitu – Still nesting in his usual area Reotahi, his transmitter signal showed that he hatched his first chick after 70 days on 21 November. I will check his activity regularly and when it rises go in and hopefully DNA and ID any chicks.

Dallas – Has started nesting again – once again close to the road at the intersection of McDonald and Whangarei Heads road at Taurikura.

Lambert – On his second nest at Taurikura ridge (hatch due around xmas day)

Waka – On his second nest at Mckenzie Bay – 10m from the landowner’s washing line!

Charlotte – Usual area of McKenzie Bay.

JR – At the southern end of Taurikura ridge, his activity is dropping so he may be about to re-nest. The excellent footage that Kane got of his activity in his last nest can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VMMwTUG9rc&feature=youtu.be

JR's chick spring 2013


It is interesting to see the chicks’ mum hanging around the nest regularly, but not going inside the burrow, previously we thought that the kiwi mums just had nothing to do with the nest.

Charlie – At McNamnara’s at Craig Road – due to hatch his first ever chick any day now.

Kiwiana – He is still recovering from his broken leg at Massey University, x-rays show that the bone is healing but still a few weeks away from having his pins out.

Webb – This young lady has found herself a mate – We found her in a pampas bush at Fabers’ on the Kauri Mt coast with a large adult kiwi. I checked him and found no ID chip so he has to have been a wild hatched bird that has survived because of our trapping efforts. He was a big 2400g and has been named “Bill” to go with Webb-Ellis (photos attached).

Webb and mate at Kauri Mountain


Clover – Still high up on eastern Manaia

Visitors’ Dogs
Please remind any summer visitors with dogs that they need to keep their dog under control to avoid kiwi deaths. Most of our local dog owners are very good but during summer some visitors don’t know about the risk their pets are to our kiwi.

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