Ross
The Parua Bay Wanderer
Ross hatched in “The Knight’s” nest at Riponui in September 2014 and was 300g in weight when transferred to the Limestone Island kiwi crèche 10 days later. He made himself at home on Limestone until we caught up with him spotlighting one night in February 2018, by then he was 3 and half years old and almost fully grown at 2425g in weight.
Ross starred at our community Backyard Kiwi release at the Parua Bay sports centre March 11 2018. Not only did he win the hearts of the locals he was also filmed as part of a Backyard Kiwi video about the release. He has been named in recognition of the Ross family who gifted the community the use of the land a Parua Bay for our Community and sports centre there.
He has moved away from his buddy Pepi and is now up the top end of Pepi Road. He might find a girl there to breed with.
He is in his usual area west of Pepi Road. 11 hours nightly activity. Pepi has remained in a similar area to Ross but they are not as close together as previously. 10.5 hours nightly activity. Plan to put a kiwi listing device (KLD) in again to check for females in the area – I only heard boys a couple of years back.
Is in his usual area west of Pepi Road. 10 hours nightly activity. Pepi has remained in a similar area to Ross but they are not as close together as previously. Pepi had 10 hours nightly activity too.
Is in his usual area west of Pepi Road. 9.5 hours nightly activity. Pepi has remained in a similar area to Ross and with 9 hours nightly activity.
Has been knocking around his usual area west of Pepi Road. 8 hours nightly activity. The new male Pepi has remained in a similar area to Ross and with the same nightly activity. If I get a chance I will try and catch up with Pepi and see if his/her bill has grown from the 104 mm of 10 weeks ago- this is to confirm his sex as girls’ bills grow to over 120mm.
I caught up with him early in the month in his usual area in pampas up from Pepi road. 10.5 hours nightly activity – no sign of nesting and now we know why; he was cuddled up with another adult male kiwi (it could possibly be a growing female so I will check in a few months if there has been any bill growth but he looks like a boy- see pic). Both kiwi were fat and happy. Ross is 2650g and his bill is 99mm. “Pepi” had no ID chip and is 2300g and 104mm bill length. They have remained close to each other for the rest of the month.
I caught up with him this week in his usual area in pampas up from Pepi road. 10.5 hours nightly activity – no sign of nesting and now we know why; he is cuddled up with another adult male kiwi, which is very unusual in the kiwi world. They were both fat and happy. Ross is 2650g and his bill is 99mm. “Pepi” has no ID chip so is a wild hatched kiwi and is 2300g and 104mm bill length. Adult females have bills over 120mm so he/she could be a growing female but seems too fat for that, I took a feather sample so the DNA from that will help with sexing. He/she now has ID chip and transmitter so we will see if this pair sticks together
Pepi’s nest
Still in the valley at the top end of Pepi road. 10.5 hours nightly activity – no sign of nesting.
Still in the valley at the top end of Pepi road. 11 hours nightly activity – no sign of nesting.
In the valley at the top of Pepi Road. Still not showing any signs of nesting with 12 hours nightly activity.
In the valley at the top of Pepi Road. This guy isn’t showing nesting signs and is still very active at 12 hours nightly activity.
In the valley at the top of Pepi Road. 11.5 hours nightly activity.
In the valley at the top of Pepi Road. This guy is tricky to catch up with plenty of hidey holes and pampas patches to hide in so it took a couple of goes until Jack gave me a hand and we were lucky enough to get him in a shallow burrow. We did his annual transmitter change. He was a fat 2350g and really needs to find a girl. Matarae is now in kohinui valley to his east so they might be close enough to hear each other call.
Still in the valley at the top of Pepi Road. 11 hours nightly activity. Cook must have been in calling distance of him during her recent travels but they didn’t match up.
He has headed back to his old area in the valley west of Pepi Road. Still no sign of nesting with 11 hours nightly activity.
He is still high up in the valley at the end of Pepi road. No sign of nesting with 9 hours nightly activity.
He is still high up in the valley at the end of Pepi road. No sign of nesting with 8.5 hours nightly activity.
He is still high up in the valley at the end of Pepi road. No sign of nesting with 9 hours nightly activity.
No sign of nesting from Ross at end of Pepi road. 10 hours nightly activity.
Since the flooding he has remained up the high end of the valley at Pepi road. 11 hours nightly activity.
After the flooding he has remained up the high end of the valley at Pepi rd. 11.5 hours nightly activity.
His territory at Pepi Road was one of the worst hit areas with slips and flooding and he took a few days to find. He has sensibly moved inland to higher ground, this may be the change he needs to find a girl. 13 hours nightly activity.
At the top end of Pepi road. Activity 12.5 hours. Did his annual transmitter change and he is a fat 2425g (very big for a boy) and hasn’t shown any sign of breeding. So to check if there are any girls nearby I put a Kiwi Listen Device (KLD) out. The data came back from the NRC showing only male calls with at least one other boy nearby. There are plenty of girls two valleys to the east, they must be just out of these boys’ hearing!
At the top end of Pepi road. Activity 12 hours.
At the top end of Pepi road. Activity 11 hours.
Deep in a damp valley at the end of Pepi road. Activity 10 hours.
Up the deep sided stream valley at Pepi Rd. Activity 19 hours.
Up the deep sided stream valley at Pepi Rd. Activity 19 hours.
Still back at the top end of Pepi road. Activity 10 hours.
Still back at the top end of Pepi road. Activity 11 hours.
He has settled in at the top of Pepi Road. Activity steady at 11 hours.
After a short stint down opposite the Parua Bay boat ramp he has headed back up to the top of Pepi Road. Activity steady at 10 hours
After a short stint back down opposite the Parua Bay boat ramp he has headed back up to the top of Pepi Road. Activity steady at 12 hours.
Still at the top end of Pepi road in the pampas. Steady 12 hours activity. Rolf helped me catch this tricky bird for his transmitter change. He was 2250g and in excellent condition – plenty of tucker for this guy in the wet valley, but no sign of a mate yet.
Ross June 2019
Still at the top end of Pepi road. He is deep in the pampas here with 11 hours nightly activity.
Inland from Solomon’s point, at the top end of Pepi road. He is deep in the pampas here with 11.5 hours nightly activity.
Inland from Solomon’s point, at the top end of Pepi road. 11 hours nightly activity.
Inland from Solomon’s point, at the top end of Pepi road. 10 hours nightly activity.
Inland from Solomon’s point, but now at the top end of Pepi road. 10 hours nightly activity.
Inland from Solomon’s point, but now at the top end of Pepi road. Locals at Pepi Road and Te Rongo Road are hearing him or another male kiwi call – still no female yet. A pair of kiwi are regularly heard slightly further north at Franklin Road so all the hard work of the Kiwi Link groups just north of us is paying off.
He has now spent the last 6 months in the area just inland from Solomon’s point, further up Pepi road now. I caught up with him for his 6 monthly band change. He has fattened up to 2450g (he was 2300g on release in March and 2100g at check in May). His bill has stopped growing at 98.7mm so he is now fully grown and in ready to get on with breeding
Monitored kiwi Ross November 2018
He has now spent the last 5 months in the area just inland from Solomon’s point, opposite the boat ramp, his activity is still high – 11 hours per night.
He has spent the last 4 months in the area just inland from Solomon’s point, opposite the boat ramp – activity still high – 13 hours per night.
He has spent the last 3 months in the area just inland from Solomon’s point, opposite the boat ramp- activity still high – 13 hours per night.
He has spent the last 10 weeks in the area just inland from Solomon’s point, opposite the boat ramp – seems pretty settled.
In the dense privet stand inland from Solomon’s point. He has been there for over a month now so hope that he has found some kiwi company.
After going south, then east he has now headed west! He spent a week or so in the Kohinui Valley (exciting for the Kohinui Landcare group!) and is now in the dense privet stand inland from Solomon’s point. Folks have been hearing him call near Pepi road.
West of Owhiwa road in the Kohinui Valley Landcare area – exciting for them! I checked his transmitter band and gave him a quick health check – all good! He is now 2100g after all his walking. His wanderings are proving to lots of locals that there are kiwi here and they are are loving having him in their backyard.
He has turned up at Owhiwa Road – 3 km to the west.
I lost his signal for a few weeks!
8th- He has headed east and is near the bridge on the Pataua south road.
I lost his signal for a few weeks!
4th- Ross has moved back towards the Parua Bay village and has settled opposite Darwin at Lamb Road- possibly for another calling competition!
23rd- Has made his way down Taraunui road towards Ross road. Exciting stuff for the locals here- he is being heard calling in the evenings.
17th-He has crossed back across the creek and moved north to Ross’s bush block- possibly for a calling competition with local kiwi Darwin, who is nearby at the moment.
16th-Ross has crossed the creek at Lamb road and is in the roadside pampas there.
13th-He has safely settled into the bush block at the Ross property behind the rugby field.