There’s nothing quite like a kākāpō to make you smile…
“It seems that not only has the kākāpō forgotten how to fly, but it has forgotten that it has forgotten how to fly. Apparently a seriously worried kākāpō will sometimes run up a tree and jump out of it, whereupon it flies like a brick and lands in a graceless heap on the ground.” ~ Douglas Adams
Have a terrific Thursday!
Image source: thorinflowershield.tumblr.com
Recently we posted about the problem of increased predator numbers this year, due to predicted heavy beech forest seedfall. We also discussed what this could mean for our endangered native wildlife.
Today, we’re going to have a closer look at what we’re going to do about it…
DOC routinely uses traps and other ground based techniques such as bait stations to control rats, stoats and possums. Traps and bait stations will continue to play a significant role in protecting threatened populations such as whio/blue duck in Tongariro, mōhua in the Eglinton valley and kiwi in the West Coast.
Our whio are nationally vulnerable, with less than 3,000 remaining
However research has shown that rapidly rising rat numbers produced by mast conditions can overwhelm trap networks. Ground based control on its own does not protect threatened bird and bat populations from these predator explosions.
The study of pest control techniques during two localised rat plagues in 2006 and 2009 through DOC’s Operation Ark multi-species protection programme showed that aerial 1080 treatment knocked down rat plagues to near zero levels where ground based methods were not effective on their own.
DOC is prepared to significantly expand its aerial 1080 operations in South Island beech forests in 2014/15 to respond to rising predator numbers.
South Island beech forest
Permanently eliminating rats and stoats is not currently feasible but research during past mast events has shown aerial 1080 to be the most cost effective tool for quickly knocking down predators over large areas and in difficult terrain.
Aerial 1080 has been shown to suppress rodent plagues to near zero density levels for up to five months. Tracking results indicated it can also kill more than 95% of stoats through secondary poisoning.
For example, aerial 1080 used in the Dart Valley in Fiordland during the rat plague in 2006 resulted in 80% of mōhua surviving whereas in uncontrolled areas only 10% survived.
At Ōkārito on the West Coast aerial 1080 timed to target rats after a beech mast in 2011 doubled the nesting success of kea. Kea pairs in the treated area produced about four chicks each whereas those in the untreated area produced only one due to stoats and possums preying on nests.
Aerial 1080 timed to target rats after a beech mast in 2011 doubled the nesting success of kea
As well as being fast and effective over wide areas, aerial 1080 operations cost approximately a third the cost of most ground based alternatives.
Get more information about the use of 1080 for pest control.
Pest control cycles vary but over the past five years DOC has treated an average of about 140,000 hectares with aerial 1080 specifically to protect forest ecosystems and native species. This represents about 2% of the 8.7 million hectares of public conservation land which is managed by DOC.
TBfree New Zealand also carries out aerial 1080 operations over an approximate 300,000 additional hectares of public conservation land to protect dairy herds from possums infected with bovine tuberculosis.
Together these combined aerial 1080 programmes cover about 440,000 hectares or approximately about 5% of all public conservation land managed by DOC.
The Battle for our Birds doesn’t stop at protecting our birds, but other species such as our giant snails/Powelliphanta, which are among our most threatened invertebrates
The exact scale of DOC’s aerial 1080 programme in the coming year will depend on whether predator populations reach levels which trigger a response but, if required, DOC is ready to increase its aerial 1080 protection in the South Island by about 500,000 hectares.
This together with TBfree New Zealand’s planned programme would result in a total of about a million hectares of public conservation land being treated with aerial 1080 in 2014/15 – about 12% of the land managed by DOC.
To increase its on-going protection for native species DOC is also committed to increasing its aerial 1080 programme by about 50,000 hectares a year for five years. This means DOC itself will be supporting the 2014 beech mast response by routinely treating about 400,000 hectares of public conservation with 1080 by 2019.
This new Battle for our Birds programme is expected to cost about $21 million over five years. It is a priority project for DOC and will be funded out of the Department’s existing budget using efficiencies gained from improved pest control techniques and co-ordination of operations.
The first kākāpō eggs in three years have been discovered by rangers on Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. The two nests that have been found so far belong to Lisa, an experienced kākāpō mum, and Tumeke who has bred before but had infertile eggs.
Both Tumeke and Lisa have laid two eggs each – but it will be another week before it’s known whether their eggs are fertile.
Today’s photo of the week is of Tumeke being viewed on her nest through a video monitor.
Kākāpō breeding and nesting on Whenua Hou is triggered by the amount of rimu fruit available on the island, as it is the food that the mother kākāpō relies on to feed her chicks. There has been no breeding during the past two summers because of poor rimu crops.
The Kākāpō Recovery team is preparing for the possibility there could be up to 15 kākāpō nests this season.
The heaviest beech forest seedfall in more than a decade is predicted this year. It is expected the increased seedfall will lead to an explosion in the numbers of rats, mice and stoats, who will turn to our native birds for food once the seeds disappear.
Beech trees generally seed every four to five years but weather conditions over the last two summers—a cool summer followed by a warm one—appear to have triggered a bumper seed or “beech mast” event. Intense and widespread flowering was witnessed throughout North and South Island beech forests during spring and early summer, prompting the need for urgent action.
Past experience has shown that when a beech mast occurs, it leads to a dramatic rise in mice and rat populations, who feast on the plentiful seed all winter. To give you an idea of how quickly they can multiply, a single female rat can potentially produce 10 offspring every eight weeks—that’s a lot of rats!
An explosion in rodent numbers leads to a sharp rise in the number of stoats, which also pose a lethal threat to many species.
Rat eating fantail chicks at nest
In spring, when the seed runs out, germinates and rots, these predators will then prey on native birds and their eggs, as well as other critically endangered critters such as native bats and snails.
This will put some of our most threatened species at risk of extinction including:
– mōhua/yellowhead
– kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet
– pekapeka/short-tailed bat
– whio/blue duck
– Powelliphanta snails
Kea and tākahe are also at risk of being preyed on by stoats.
Yellowhead/mōhua
Landcare Research estimates that 25 million native birds die through predation every year in New Zealand and the beech mast is expected to make the situation much worse. For example, there are only 200–400 wild orange-fronted parakeet left and during the beech mast that occurred in 2000, 85% of the southern population was wiped out due to the rat plague.
85% of the southern population of orange-fronted parakeets were wiped out during the beech mast that occurred in 2000
DOC staff will monitor the amount of seed produced this summer and seedfall in the autumn. Rat tracking will also take place in February and May.
DOC scientist Graeme Elliott says, “So far we’ve only been able to get a visual idea of the issue. We’ve seen lots of flowering during the spring, which caused huge clouds of pollen above the forests.
“The seeds are developing at the moment but in February we’ll be able to start counting them to get a better idea of the scale of the mast. We do this by shooting down branches at the top of the tree, where they’re exposed to the sun and produce the most seeds.
“The best indicator will be the rat tracking. If the numbers dramatically increase or are already high in February, we’ll know we’ve got a big problem to deal with.”
Last night the Minster of Conservation, Dr Nick Smith, announced DOC’s plans to respond and launched our largest-ever species protection programme called ‘Battle for our Birds’. We’ll talk about this in more detail over the coming weeks. For now, you can learn more about it on the DOC website: www.doc.govt.nz/battleforourbirds.
By Marysia Mcsperrin, DOC Communications Advisor
Marysia Mcsperrin
Having moved over from London in April last year, the Christmas break featured a lot of firsts for me. It was my first Christmas away from home, friends and family, the first warm(ish) one in the southern hemisphere and the first one where, instead of a roast dinner with all the trimmings for Christmas lunch, we ate sandwiches in the car!
Me and my partner decided to spend the break taking a road trip around the South Island, down the West Coast and back up the east. We didn’t do any real tramping or camping though, just a lot of stop-offs at stunning locations.
Hokitika Gorge
We saw some amazing sights and had a chance to really appreciate the diversity and beauty of New Zealand’s natural landscapes. It was hard to choose my highlights but a few places stuck out for me.
Christmas Day stop-off and people were building stone Christmas trees
Firstly, Hokitika Gorge, which is about 30 km inland from Hokitika. We would’ve missed this if our helpful hostel owner hadn’t insisted we go and I’m so glad we did. It featured the most unreal turquoise-coloured water I’ve ever seen.
Lake Pukaki
Another place that took my breath away was Lake Pukaki, on the drive between Queenstown and Christchurch. Again, we weren’t intending to stop here but the amazing alpine blue water was quite mesmerizing, and we had to take a closer look.
Hector’s dolphins
We finished our trip whale watching in Kaikoura, which was an incredible experience – spotting two sperm whales and pods of hector’s and dusky dolphins. It was an amazing way to spend my first Christmas break in the southern hemisphere.
Sperm whale
