Well settled in pine block at Owhiwa road – She is now fully grown and healthy and in much better condition than the last few times I handled her. Presume she must have been working hard laying eggs back then and has recovered now.  She is not a heavy girl at 2100g but that seems to be her happy weight. She is well settled now after her big walks from Parua Bay and then much further  north and back through Kiwi Link. She is a special kiwi for the many people whose backyards she has passed through and  she has made a very wise decision on where to settle; with Kerry and Carol Martin’s huge effort to keep her and her chicks safe there for the next half a century. Her important work as a transmitted kiwi is done now so I have removed her transmitter

Has remained over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is now good and high at 11 hours nightly. Newly released Feta mama has made his way to her area.

Has remained over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is still a low-ish 8 hours nightly. She has been heard calling north of Martins’ hut.

Has remained over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is still a low-ish 6 hours nightly.

She has remained over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is down to 6.5 hours nightly.

Has remained over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is 8.5 hours nightly.

Has moved to over 500m north of her usual area near Chookie. Her activity is 8 hours nightly.

Still hanging a few 100m to the North of Chookie. Her activity is around 9 hours nightly.

She has moved back a bit closer to Chookie’s nest but is still a few 100m away. I caught up with her in a pampas bush in the young pines for her six monthly transmitter band change. She was a skinny 1750g (she has been trending down in weight from a peak of 2200g in March 2021- We are getting advice from experts on her weight trends and the possible causes). Her activity is around 8 hours nightly.

She is still in the area 500m North from her and Chookie’s normal area on Martins’ block Owhiwa road. 9 hours average activity but quite variable.

Her activity dipped to 6 hours mid-month before going back up to 9 hours. She moved 500m North from her and Chookie’s normal area on Martins’ block Owhiwa rd.

In her now usual area of pampas, in the young pine block, not far from Chookie. 7.5 hours average nightly activity with nights as low as 6.5 hours – she may be gravid (developing eggs for laying).

In pampas, in the young pine block, 200m from Chookie on Martins’ block Owhiwa road and hopefully she gets much closer for breeding. Her activity is averaging 11 hours with the odd lower night.

In pampas, in young pine block, 200m from Chookie on Martins’ block Owhiwa road. Did her 6 monthly band change 134.5mm, 1850g, mod-poor condition – hoping that her lack of condition is due to a busy season egg laying (Chookie had multiple failed attempts before 2 chick success – if he is her mate?). Her claws have always been long but with walking around on soft pine needles they are getting longer all the time – 30mm.

We caught up with this girl recently, she was only 100m from where Chookie was and is potentially his mate. She was looking ok but a bit down on condition at 1800g- possibly because of laying multiple eggs this season. Her claws have always been long but with walking around on soft pine needles they are getting longer all the time

Was 100m from where Chookie nested. Nightly  activity of 8 hours.

She has still stayed reasonably close to Chookie – 250m up the valley from his nest area. Her activity is only 6 hours.

She has still stayed reasonably close to Chookie – 250m up the valley from his nest area. Her activity is up to 7 hours.

She has stayed reasonably close to Chookie so they may be a pair– in pampas 250m up the valley from his nest area. Her activity is back to averaging only 6 hours.

She has moved back towards Chookie – only 100m or so away from him. Her activity dropped to 6 hours mid-month before returning to 10 hours so she may have nested with him?

She has moved up towards Owhiwa Road again – did her 6 montly check; 134.1mm (cf 133mm 16/3/21) 1950g, so may have bred?

Still hanging in the valley of native bush just west of Owhiwa Road on Martins’ block. Her activity is now back up to a steady. 11 hours.  She is still quite close to Chookie so they may have paired up.

Still hanging in the valley of native bush just west of Owhiwa Road on Martins’ block. Her activity has been up and down over the past month or so and is now back up to 11 hours.  She is quite close to Chookie so they may have paired up

Same location as last month – her activity is down to 7 hours. Chookie not far away.

Still hanging in the valley of native bush just west of Owhiwa rd on Martins’ block. 11 hours activity. Chookie not far away.

Kerry and I caught up with her in the pampas at his place for her radio transmitter change. She has grown to 2200g and 133.8mm bill length so is still growing at 3 years old. It will be interesting to see if she stays settled in the area or heads off on another one of her big walks through the Kiwi Link area.

She is happy in the pampas in the Owhiwa Road pine block, 8.5 hours activity.

She has remained in the Owhiwa Road pine block, 9.5 hours activity.

She has remained in the Owhiwa Road pine block, 9 hours activity.

She has remained in the Owhiwa Road pine block after returning there from her major walk last month. 10.5 hours activity.

Has returned to Owhiwa Road after walking across the Kiwi Link and back. 12 hours activity.

Bounced around after the flooding in the Owhiwa road pine block and then disappeared for a few weeks. Finally got a signal for her way North of her usual area. She has walked across the Kiwi Link to the pines at the end of Taraunui rd (as Pakiri and Jemima have done previously).  I have let Cam and PNLC know her details so hopeful they can continue to monitor her over their way.  12 hours activity.

Has been bouncing around since the flooding in Owhiwa road pine block. 11 hours activity. Kerry Martin gave me a hand to do her transmitter band change in the pampas on his pine block – she was in good condition and has grown to 2100g and bill of 125.7mm (cf 1850g and 119mm back in January). She is coming up on 3 years old so has some more growing to do yet.

This young girl has stayed at Kerry Martin’s pine block for the past two months. Her nightly activity is 12 hours.

Malaika has stayed at Kerry Martin’s pine block for the past month. Her nightly activity is 13 hours.

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.