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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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November 2nd, 2013

October update

October was a pretty busy kiwi month with some highs and lows:

If you haven’t seen the story on Backyard kiwi Facebook about the large
female kiwi run over near Craig Road join the other 5,928 people who have!!
This is the third adult kiwi run over there recently so we will put up
another road sign and do a story for the papers about it.

What your monitored kiwi are up to:

Darwin – Was nesting at Lamb road but the nest failed after approximately 60
days. Did his six monthly transmitter band change while there was Bittern
booming away beside him in the wetland at Lamb Road.

Whitu – Usual area Reotahi, he has re-nesting as suspected – nest will be
approx 65 days on December 9.

Dallas – At Hills’ by WH school. His activity has dropped slightly so he may
be re-nesting.

Lambert – Usual area Taurikura Ridge -transmitter data stream showed eggs
hatching but because he was in dense pampas I couldn’t risk getting a look
without disturbing him and his chicks. His nest finished after 90 days and
22 days after the first chick hatched. He is re-nesting already!

Waka – after hatching 2 chicks last month (which we need to name) he fell
for Charlotte again and is re-nesting already too! The nest is in a pampas
bush in a landowners back garden.

Charlotte – Usual area of McKenzie Bay.

JR's 1st Chick this spring

JR's 2nd spring chick "Blondie"


JR – South Taurikura Ridge above Urquarts Bay – He has successfully hatched
two chicks. Unusually for a Heads kiwi his nest was in a burrow (not a
pampas bush) so Kane McElrea set up one of the NRC trial cameras and got
some great footage of JR and the chicks leaving the nest at night – we will
get it up on the website shortly. The Hunts came with me when I DNA sampled
the chicks and inserted their ID chips. One of the chicks had a head of
white feathers so they named it “Blondie”.

Charlie – At McNamnara’s at Craig Road – His first nesting attempt failed
(which often happens with a kiwi’s first nest – remember that this is just
his first breeding season of hopefully 50 or more!). The good news is that
he is back re-nesting already.

Kiwiana – Was at Blicks’ at the southern end of Mt Manaia but he managed to break a leg falling off a rock. So after some fantastic treatment by Sandra at Kamo Vets he was jet setted off to Massey University for surgery and is recovering well with a plate in his leg now.

Webb – This young lady seems to have settled on the Kauri Mt coast at this stage.

Clover – Still high up on eastern Manaia

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