2016 January Update
WHLF Backyard Kiwi report
Hi all.
KIWIBANK NEW ZEALAND LOCAL HERO OF THE YEAR Congratulations Peter Coates for being nominated for The New Zealander of the Year Awards 2016. He is one of ten people from around the country in the KIWIBANK NEW ZEALAND LOCAL HERO OF THE YEAR category – well done Peter on the much deserved nomination and good luck!
See http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11576059
Some upcoming dates:
Kiwi Release –Saturday Feb 13
At McLeod Bay –Please invite anyone that you think might benefit from seeing a kiwi up close in their backyard. The Backyard Kiwi team has been hard at work preparing for the day – details here
Backyard Kiwi Sub-committee meeting –Sunday Feb 28 at 4pm
The plan is to finish the review of the 5 year Strategic Plan that will feed into a Work Plan so we can do some budgeting and seek funding.
WHLF Committee meeting Tuesday March 8 at 7.00pm
Venue to be confirmed. Could each Landcare group give a brief update please.
Kiwi Predator Control Programme (Funded by NRC and Kiwi Coast):
Catches for January: Stoats 3 Weasels 1, Cats 2, Rats 47, Hedgehogs 8 and 13 possums.
The stoats are definitely on the move into our area from inland, with another 2 caught this week, all 5 recent catches have been at the northern end of the trapped area.
Radio Tracked Kiwi at Whangarei Heads
Most of the dads are on their second nests.
What your radio tracked Backyard Kiwi have been up to:
Darwin – In the pampas at Lamb road quarry. He has renested – up to 30 days nesting on 4/2/16 and 110 minutes activity per night – which is good and low for nesting.
Lambert – Usual area at Taurikura Ridge. His data stream shows a hatch from his second nest, will wait for his activity to increase before trying to find him in the pampas..
Charlie – at Craig road, after his successful nest earlier in the season he has had two more nesting attempts that have failed.
Whitu – At Reotahi above the freezing works. He has successfully hatched 2 chicks from his second nest – that’s 4 chicks for him so far this season. The chicks were ID chipped, DNA samples taken and left with dad, who also has a new transmitter. After over 180 days (yes that’s 6 months!!) of nesting he is down to only 1700g in weight. He can now get on with some serious feeding to gain condition.
Whitu’s chicks
Dallas – His data stream showed the hatch of 2 chicks from his second nest. A trail camera set up outside the nest confirmed this and also got some good shots of mum Kahurangi visiting the nest entrance most nights.The nest was in a log near the sewage pumping station by the main road. I couldn’t reach the chicks in the deep nest to ID chip them.
Waka – After finally nesting after a year not breeding the nest failed at about 50 days. Unfortunately Waka had been due a transmitter band change but I was unable to do it while he was nesting and shortly after giving up on his nest the band wore out and he dropped his transmitter in the pampas on the McKenzie Bay corner. So Waka is out there doing his thing but we won’t be monitoring that activity now.
EB -This young fella had started nesting but as mentioned last month young kiwi often need a bit of practice to nest successfully. This proved to be the case as the nest failed. Adam Willets (BHCT Ranger) gave me a hand to catch EB in the scrub at Kerr road so that we could do his transmitter change.
Eb and Adam Willetts
Tindall – He has settled into the north-western part of Manaia above “Our Road”. His activity is a healthy 9.5 hours per night.
BNZONE program (funded by Kiwis for Kiwi):
The ONE dads are working on their second nests too.
Riponui
Rippy – Successfully hatched two chicks from his 2nd nest (LC1509 and LC1510) transferred to Limestone 2/2/16. Did his transmitter change –now CT80.
Rewarewa .
Ray – 2nd nest failed after 60 days.
The Acrobat – usual area, still not nesting.
Waimarie – nesting in paddock near LUFB-will be 65 days 9 March.
Ngutu Roa- nesting usual area- hatch due now.
Sancho – nesting E end of reserve. Hatched 1st chick (LC1511) –transmitted and I will transfer next visit. Dad is on second egg too.
CFU – nesting in same area as last nest –will be 65 days 15 march.
The Boxer – Activity high still.
Cheers
Todd Hamilton
Backyard Kiwi Project Manager
Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum
M 021 1145 385