Kiwi Chicks!

Kiwi Nesting

After a good breeding season the adult kiwi dads are hard out nesting at the moment. The females have done a massive job laying the 1, or more usually 2, large eggs and are having a well earnt rest while the males incubate the eggs – a 70-100 day stint with only a few short hours off the nest each night.  Pampas bushes are a favorite nesting location at the Heads.

First Kiwi chicks hatching- Kiwi Father’s Day

The kiwi dads are being rewarded for all their diligent incubation work with the first kiwi chicks of the season hatching.  “Wally” was the first to hatch a chick at the Heads.

“Prime” has produced the first chick of the season (LC2601) from Purua to be transferred to Matakohe/Limestone Island as part of the wider Kiwi Coast public release community engagement program (see pics).  As always the gift of these kiwi from Ngati Hine and Purua farmers is treasured.

Stoat Control at the Heads and wider

There is little value in a big crop of chicks hatching without good stoat control to protect them. We work hard to maintain an extensive trapping network to control stoats but the fact is trapping effectiveness for stoats lasts 3 years at best before trap shy stoats start to dominate and do massive damage. A controlled ground bait station pulse of kiwi saver/1080 is the way to clean out these trap shy stoats – the rats eat the kiwi saver and are irresistible to the stoats, who are super susceptible to the toxin in the rats and die.

A massive thanks to the Taurikura Ridge Landcare team, led by Jess, Martin, and Shona who have recently completed a controlled pulse there. Likewise the Whangarei DoC team have done a similar pulse in the kiwi study blocks in the Purua area. Kiwi Link, with excellent NRC support, has had 3 areas with controlled pulses. BHCT carried out a pulse earlier in the year. Thank you all on behalf of all the kiwi chicks – and all the other birds and plants too!  These toxin pulses in conjunction with many others on private and public land in the district are making a huge difference to effective stoat control and mean a good breeding season becomes a boomer and the forest continues to recover.

But we did have a kiwi death last month

A kiwi drowned in a lifestyle block stock trough. The trough had been dug into the sloping paddock so the kiwi could get in but was unable to get out (see pic).

He was an adult male kiwi who had an ID chip (tp 786dd78) so we were able to identify him and we know some of his history: He was a chick that was found dehydrated by locals back in 25/1/2017 at McKenzie Bay and taken to WNBRC. After recovering there he was returned on 13/3/17 and named “TJ” by the landowners on his release. He was a healthy 440g chick on release.

He has not been seen since then, so has grown and survived thanks to good local stoat and dog control. He had grown to 2300g, 102.0mm bill and was in good condition (apart from being dead!)

He may have been nesting as it looked like he had a brood patch but there was no obvious nest nearby and any eggs would have died as he had been in the trough for days.

I dug the trough out so that it is proud of the ground and did the same to other troughs on the property. Please, please, check your troughs, pools and ponds and either make sure a kiwi can’t get in (300mm minimum proud of the ground or fence it) and if you can’t do that build an escape staircase for the kiwi with rocks and blocks.  Goldfish and garden ponds with slippery plastic sides are shockers for killing kiwi.

With the predicted dry summer there is even more potential risk than usual.

 Whangarei Heads/Parua Bay  Radio monitored kiwi:

Nesting well underway- Wally is first to hatch a chick.

• Teina– In his usual valley of pampas and pines at the northwestern end of Martins’ pine block. No sign of nesting. 10.5 hours of activity.

• Beach Girl – Still in the pampas on Halses’ cutover pine block at Ross road.  11.5 hours of nightly activity.
• Murdoch  – He was  53 days nesting on 21/8/26. He is in a pile of pine stumps in the logged area of the Halses’ block at Ross Road.  3.5 hours nightly activity.

• Humphries –  North-eastern end of Martins’ pine block.  Nesting in a dead pampas bush beside the creek there. 72 days nesting on 30/8/26. 4 hours of nightly activity. Hatch due soon

• Wally –Nesting 71 days on 31/8/26 in his usual area of pampas/pines/gum trees at Campbell road. 3 hours of nightly activity. His radio data stream shows that he hatched a chick 4 days previously. I will wait until his activity heads up significantly before trying to check the nest.

Kiwi that have walked to other areas:

• Whareora Landcare area/NRC pines:  Te Motu Manu Hine–    She is still in her usual area in the NRC pine block behind the Money factory.  11 hours of nightly activity.
• Tamaterau/Waikaraka: Kim– After her return from her big trip to Waikaraka in May she has remained settled close to her March 2025 release site in the pine block on Owhiwa Road.    12.5 hours nightly activity.
• Whanui Pine Block:Ping –   Carl monitoring – she is still in a similar spot in the Whanui Block.

Purua Operation Nest Chick dads

Nesting is well underway here but with a few hiccups:

• Buddha – Nesting in the  paddock north of McGraths’ quarry, his data stream showed 23 days nesting on 25/8/26 but he has been in the same burrow since 19/6/26 so he may have been nesting longer or had two goes at nesting in quick succession.   5 hours of activity, so a bit high.
• Macio – South Purua reserve. Usual area of Kauri Tree Ridge.  10.5 hours of activity.
• 64 –  In the gut south of Kauri Tree Ridge. His nest failed around 44 days and he is back up to high activity- 12 hours.
• Tahi– Out the back of Alisons’ farm. Nesting 46 days on 25/8/26 and activity of 4.5 hours.
• Sam –   SW area of the Purua reserve. His radio transmitter signal changes from the usual clear peep to a weak tick (like electric fence interference) at times. Daryl from Kiwi Track suggests that the radio crystal may be damaged but the tx should keep going ok so long as I can get reasonably close to him for a signal.  Sam was down to 8 hours of activity and in a tricky tangle of supple jack so I didn’t try to catch him to replace his tx.
• Derek – Nesting in his usual area on the south face of ‘stump ridge’- SE Purua reserve.  55 days in on 25/8/26 but he may have been nesting longer as it is the same burrow that he was in back on 16/6/26.   Activity 4 hours.
• Rua – Back of Alisons’ farm. Nesting 55 days on 23/7/26. Activity of 3 hours so looking good.
• Erima – As reported last month I had lost any signal from him. After another wide sweep with the radio receiver gear this month for no signal again I tried a visual ground search of his territory on Hawkin’s farm.  I got lucky and found him in one of the many old burrows there with a dead transmitter. A careful look showed that he wasn’t nesting so I changed his tx.  2450g and in very good condition (see pics).
• Prime – Near the top of Hawkins’ hill. Nesting in the scrub there. After 78 days nesting his data stream showed a hatch 10 days previously so I had a careful check and managed to get the chick – LC2601- our first to be transferred to Limestone/Matakohe into FOMLI and Ranger Bevan’s safe keeping. 280g and 48.0mm bill, with a dirty bill showing that he had already been leaving the nest to feed by himself (see pics)
• Purua– Like Erima I was unable to get a radio signal for him (last signal 15/7/26). I did a visual search of his area but didn’t have any luck finding him. Will look again next visit.

 

Cheers Todd

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager