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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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July 7th, 2015

2015 June Update

Hi all.

Funding support for Backyard Kiwi
June is the end of the financial year for many of our funders and often the time we hear if our applications for funding for the next year have been successful.  You can see below the good news about funding for the upcoming 12 months to support the work Backyard Kiwi does:

Kiwi Release Funding by Kiwis for Kiwi
Our combined BNZONE programme (with Bream Head Conservation Trust and Tutukaka Landcare Coalition) has received $10,453 of funding from Kiwis for Kiwi for the next 12 months. Thank you Kiwis for Kiwi!  http://www.kiwisforkiwi.org/

This funds the work that we do monitoring ONE dads nesting so that we can transfer chicks to Limestone and then recapture them once they are 1200g or more for kiwi releases. These releases are a fantastic opportunity for locals to see their kiwi up close and personal and continue to be a big part of engaging people to control their dogs and watch out for kiwi on the roads at night.

 Northland Regional Council Targeted rate for pest control
Thanks to the overwhelming community support the targeted rate of $50 per property for pest control in the Parua Bay – Whangarei Heads area has been passed by the NRC.  Some of this funding should replace the NRC funding that we currently get to carry out kiwi predator control on private land in the area. It is fantastic to have  support from our community that secures the continuation of kiwi predator control in the area  –  this is a first for a regional council in NZ. Thanks to the NRC for being prepared to lead the way. Backyard Kiwi and NRC talk more about the Pest Control Rate

Kiwi Coast funding
More good news on funding – the NRC funding for predator control has again been complimented by Kiwi Coast Funding (part of Reconnecting Northland) http://www.kiwicoast.org.nz/kiwi-protection/

This $10,000 of funding allows us to service traps that were not covered by our NRC CPCA funding to give better predator control coverage.  Thank you Kiwi Coast and Reconnecting Northland!

EB Firth Trust
And more good news – the EB Firth Trust have again donate $5,000 to Backyard Kiwi.  Thank you to the EB Firth Trust!  This funding is to support the communication aspect of the Backyard Kiwi work – the website, face book, signage etc.

Massive Local Effort
All this positive news might make it sound like we have plenty of funding but please remember that Backyard Kiwi uses this funding to support the work carried out by the community itself and the funders see their support as great value for money (which it is!!) because of this multiplier effect.

So a BIG THANK TO YOU – all those trappers, weeders, kiwi call counters, track maintenance doers, application fillers, nursery growers, tree planters etc making so much happen on the ground. Also our proud supports who contribute financially to our work http://www.backyardkiwi.org.nz/kiwi-and-community/proud-supporters   without all this local support we could not be as successful as we are as a group.  This all adds up to a massive amount of action on the ground.

 

Manaia Landcare
Martin has been working hard on progressing the paper work for the team effort to improve pest control on the Mt Manaia reserve.  A Management Agreement between Manaia Landcare and the Department of Conservation has been signed along with a trapping permit. The application to use pesticides at Manaia is also progressing.  Yesterday Mike Lee and crew had a successful working bee continuing the track infrastructure upgrade.   All this is working towards a spring start to pest control – keep an eye out for an email from Martin.

 

Kiwi Predator Control Programme (Funded by NRC and Kiwi Coast):
Catches for June:  Stoats 1, Weasels 4, Cats 0, Rats 37, Hedgehogs 6 and 10 possums. It is traditionally a quiet time for stoat catches over winter but any stoats that we do catch tend to be large adults that can do considerable damage.

We have carried out a controlled pulse of Brodaficoum (Pest off) toxin on some of the private land in the Kauri Mt area as part of our secondary poisoning control of any trap or lure shy stoats in the area.

Meetings etc
Rolf from Doc, Adam from BHCT, Kane from NRC and Martin and I had a meeting to co-ordinate the trapping in the area and are planning to fill in a few gaps.

Ngaire Tyson of the NZ Landcare Trust organised the recent Northland Pest Control Workshop, it was very well attend and informative. Dr Helen Blackie of  PAWS automated pest detection was the keynote speaker. Her work on electronic monitoring of pests with foot print detectors looks very promising.  Martin and I gave presentation on Backyard Kiwi and the Manaia LC controlled pulse of 1080 for control of trap/bait shy stoats.

We are having a WHLF Backyard Kiwi sub-committee meeting
Sunday July 26.

Kiwi call Counts
The data from all our hard working listeners is coming in. Thanks to Fay Clayton and Wendy Newbold for their working entering the data into spreadsheets and Kane from the NRC for organising a couple of electronic listening devices for us. I will give a detailed summary of the call data next month.

Radio Tracked Kiwi at Whangarei Heads (Funded by NRC)
Breeding season is getting into full swing with kiwi couples cuddling up, mums laying  1, or usually 2 eggs and the dads feeding up large before starting incubation.

 What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:

Waka – In his usual area at Mckenzie Bay. His nightly activity is averaging 12 hours. He didn’t nest last season after losing his mate – hope he has found a replacement for this season

Darwin – At Lamb Road quarry. 11.5 hours nightly activity.

Lambert – Usual area Taurikura Ridge. He started nesting around 30/5/15 but his activity didn’t drop to the normal low activity of 3-4 hours per night and the nest failed after 19 days. Lambert has traditionally been a great breeder and his now dropping activity indicates that he may have renested already.

Whitu – At Reotahi above the freezing works – 9.5 hours activity per night, which is slightly down so hopefully he is starting to nest.

Charlie – Usual area at Craig Road.  Very active at 13.5 hours per night – he is getting up at 4.30pm!– so he must be feeding up large.

Dallas – Usual area at the Hill’s place south of the Heads School. He has started nesting – 15 days on 30/6/15, with 4 hours activity.  He seems to be back from the road for once.

EB – I caught up with this guy for his transmitter band change. He was in the scrub about halfway down Kerr road. EB is a healthy 1825g in weight and has a bill length of 100.5mm. See attached photos.  He is coming up on three years old so getting close to adulthood. It will be interesting to see if he remains in this area if he finds a mate.

15-June-EB

15-June-EB-bracken

BNZONE program (funded by Kiwis for Kiwi):

The ONE dad’s out at Riponui and Rarewarewa will also being getting nesting underway. I didn’t visit them this month so will update you in my next report. The kiwi Hoihoi I found dead out there last month has been checked out and as suspected he died of natural causes – “grit impaction” which apparently is a problem with too much grit (stones etc) in the birds crop. X-ray attached.

Have a good July.

Cheers
Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager
Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum

M 021 1145 385

 

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