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Archives For 30/11/1999

Captain Whio and Duck Girl’s daring-do

Department of Conservation —  22/07/2013
Captain Whio on the computer.

Finger-clicking good, Captain Whio

Captain Whio (aka Biodiversity Ranger Tim Allerby) and his trusted side-duck, Duck Girl (Community Relations Ranger Moana Smith-Dunlop) have been tracking their arch-nemesis, Sinister Stoat, for some time. Thanks to their super powers, amazing whio tracking devices, and the sophisticated Stoat Proximity Alarm, the whiotastic superheroes have tailed the sneaky mustelid all the way from Fiordland, to Waikaremoana, Ohuka and eventually Ruakituri. They have the map with pins on to prove it!

Children at Waikaremoana, Ohuka and Ruakituri Schools first came to Captain Whio’s attention as passionate whio fans when they stunned the superhero judges with their entries for an art competition run in the Te Urewera Whirinaki Area as part of Whio Awareness Month. The competition, inspired by the Whio Forever project, a whiotastic partnership between DOC and Genesis Energy, showed such awesome awareness and creativity from the children in the three schools that the caped duo were keen to meet the artists themselves.

Captain Whio with Ruakituri students.

Ruakituri superheroes

The urgency of the superheroes’ mission meant there was no time to waste. The children watched shocking footage of Sinister Stoat stealing eggs from whio nests the length of Aotearoa.

Ranger-reporter Jane from DOC seized the moment (and a microphone) and, with the children’s help, interviewed the caped heroes.

Captain Whio and students tracking down the stoat.

How to track whio – at Ohuka School

Captain Whio was describing whio’s webbed umbrella feet, juju lips (beautifully demonstrated by Duck Girl) and prominent yellow eyes, when suddenly the Stoat Proximity Alarm on his Utility Belt went off.

Captain Whio and Duck Girl immediately hot-footed it outside. The fledgling superheroes swiftly followed their mentors to see where Sinister Stoat was lurking.

Captain Whio and students looking for Sinister Stoat.

Hot on Sinister Stoat’s trail at Ohuka School

Earlier, Captain Whio and Duck Girl had planted a couple of stoat traps in cunning places. The first trap was empty, but nearby was a perfectly formed stoat poo. Could it be from Sinister Stoat himself?

The children watched, aghast, as Duck Girl dipped her finger in the poo, sniffed it and stuck it in her mouth. After carefully savouring it, thanks to her specially modified taste-buds she identified the poo, and declared it as originating from…none other than…Sinister Stoat himself. (Gasp!)

Captain Whio and Duck Girl tasting the fake stoat poo.

Duck Girl taste tests

Stealthily, Captain Whio, Duck Girl and their duckling entourage advanced on the next trap.  There was a stoat in it! Yes! Thwack! Could it be Sinister Stoat? Could Captain Whio finally rest from his travails?

Not just yet, Captain Whio.… After close inspection from Duck Girl, it was revealed that the lifeless body in the trap was one of Sinister Stoat’s henchmen and not the slippery egg-stealer himself. Sinister Stoat was still at large….

But, Sinister Stoat, if you are reading this, Captain Whio has a message for you:

“Be afraid, Stoaty, very afraid…. We superwhioheroes are not alone: we have the kids of Waikaremoana, Ohuka and Ruakituri, who are sworn whio fans, educated and dangerous … and they are out to protect whio from you!”

A whio swimming in a fast flowing river.

A whio safe from stoats.

Whio Forever

Check out the Whio Forever website to find out more about whio and the partnership between DOC and Genesis Energy to secure the future of the whio/blue duck, one of our most endangered birds ever

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Breakfast battles: Takahē versus pukeko

Department of Conservation —  16/07/2013

By Caroline Carter, Community Relations Ranger, Te Anau

Mention ‘Te Anau Wildlife Centre‘ around here and you’ll find it means many different things to many different birds!

A pukeko. Photographed by Peter Harrison.

For pukeko the Te Anau Wildlife Centre is the place to be seen

For some birds, such as the Auckland Island teal, the Te Anau Wildlife Centre is their retirement home, providing a safe nurturing place where breakfast, lunch and tea are assured.

For others, such as the kea and kaka, it is a place of refuge following the loss of a parent at a young age or being the victim of a road accident.

For some birds, such as the pukeko and ducks, it is the place to see and be seen. They all have wings and could fly away… and sometimes they do, but they just can’t resist returning for those crunchy breakfast pellets and plenty of visitors to keep them amused!

And then there’s the takahē. These are one of New Zealand’s rarest birds and were once thought to be extinct. The Te Anau Wildlife Centre is home to ‘Hebe’ and ‘Monty’, retirees from the breeding programme, along with two parent takahē ‘Kawa’ and ‘Tumbles’, who each year are given a new chick to foster.

A takahe. Photographed by Br3nda on Flickr.

Ta Anau Wildlife Centre is home to some true takahē charcters

Over the summer visitors had the delight of meeting their chick ‘Tawa’. Her reputation grew for being a bird of distinction, who knew exactly what she wanted in life—and that was corn on the cob for breakfast!

Unfortunately for her, Tawa’s breakfast was not sweetcorn but specially designed pellets rich in all the things a captive takahe needs. The pukeko on the other hand would get a sweetcorn to keep him away from the pellets!

The video that follows is comedy gold as Tawa the takahē battles the pukeko for the corn on the cob breakfast.

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Enhancing the halo in Wellington

Department of Conservation —  11/07/2013

If you love the idea of Wellington becoming the wildlife capital of New Zealand, then you’re going to love Enhancing the Halo – a new conservation initiative backed by the Morgan Foundation. Today, Nick Tansley from the Foundation, tells us what it’s all about.

Enhancing the halo is all about creating a safe haven for all of our native creatures in our backyards in Wellington. We want to make the most of all the work put into the wildlife hotspots around Wellington such as Zealandia, Otari-Wilton’s Bush and Oruaiti Reserve.

Bellbird. Adult male. Dunedin, 2009-7. Image © Craig McKenzie.

Enhancing the halo will help protect bellbirds and other native species

One part of the project is about focussing on how to deal with pests on our sections and I am finding this to be a really exciting area. The specialists working alongside Enhancing the Halo are breaking new ground in urban pest control.

Families that I have talked to are also really keen to get cracking into a project they can do at home and that involves hands on activities.

Recently I visited St Mark’s Church school with Gareth Morgan. The classroom was filled with bright eyed kids who made us both feel welcome and were eager to ask questions. It was great to see that their science teachers were already exploring many environmental issues with their students. These students were well informed and already passionate about conservation.

Gareth talking to seniors at St Mark's Church School. Photo from St Mark's Church School.

Gareth talking to students at St Mark’s Church School.

We asked the Year 7 and 8 students to put up their hands if they wanted to start trapping predators. Every boy’s arm was thrust to the ceiling as if we had asked “who likes free ice-cream?” Girls were a little more conservative, wanting to learn more before committing to killing things.

Capturing the children’s enthusiasm for action, and their parent’s desire for making an ecological difference, gives us hope that Wellington can bring back the dawn chorus.

Watch a video of New Zealand’s dawn chorus:

Live in Wellington? Become a Halo Household

Sign up to be a Halo Household and make your backyard a haven for native wildlife. You’ll also get:

–  a chance to win a $5000 backyard make over
–  your views aired on discussion boards
–  experts addressing your halo issues
–  access to pest trapping equipment
–  a Halo Household welcome pack and a Halo Household sticker

For more information and to sign up go to the Enhancing the Halo website.

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For the love of birds

Department of Conservation —  08/07/2013

Te Papa’s Florence Liger tells us about New Zealand Birds Online—a new website they created in partnership with The Ornithological Society of New Zealand and the Department of Conservation (DOC).

We have recently launched NZ Birds Online, an encyclopaedia of New Zealand birds. I have been involved in this project for 18 months, from the IT side of things, and it’s been an absolute pleasure all along!

I’m an identification geek (among other geekily obsessions). If I have taken a photo of a fern, or a mushroom, or a bird, I will spend hours and hours looking at photos on websites to identify what it is I’ve taken a picture of.

That’s where the NZ Birds Online website comes in! (drumroll)

It’s got lots of things going for it.

1 – You can search for bird species by location

I’ve been to Kapiti Island and took a gazillion pictures of the residents. Well after that, I can actually compare what I have with what’s there!

NZ Birds Online location filter.

Filter birds by location.

2 – You can filter the list of birds by conservation status

I don’t really have illusions about the kind of birds I have pictures of. I usually take pictures while tramping, therefore I only get sociable and easy to spot birds. Removing the ones that are too absent to be in front of my camera is a great help.

NZ Birds Online conservation status filter.

Filter birds by conservation status

3 – I still haven’t found my bird? Well, I’ll use “Identify that bird”

I have geekily browsed through lots and lots of photos (just because I like it), and sometimes, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for (pun intended). That’s when I can use “Identify that bird”, that starts by habitat and then drills down into what birds look like.

NZ Birds Online bird identifier tool.

Still no luck? Use the bird identifier tool

4 – Lots and lots and lots of beautiful gorgeous images!

Did you see that bird on the sea while fishing? Maybe it was scratching its wing on a branch far away… Or you’ve got a blurry shot of a bird in flight. Well, fear not, we have the snap that will make you sure that this IS the bird. There are so many photos for each species of bird that you are sure to find one that’s a match.

And in that process, you have had the chance to look at hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous photos. Some quirky, some cute furballs, some “standard” ones… But what a joy, what a satisfaction to be able to wonder at the beauty of those birds.

I did like birds before, but now I really do love them!

Reproduced with permission. Read more on the Te Papa blog: http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz

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Seals the new normal for Bay of Plenty

Pete Huggins —  04/07/2013

Fancy enjoying a wilderness wildlife experience 500 metres from your 5-star accommodation? Want to see marine mammals up close whilst standing on dry land sipping a coffee? Then Mount Maunganui is the winter destination for you!

Okay, maybe not quite wilderness, but the Bay of Plenty’s renowned summer party town is fast becoming a winter wildlife hotspot due to the recovery of fur seal populations in the area.

A fur seal pup relaxing at Mount Maunganui. Credit: Joel Ford, Bay of Plenty Times.

A fur seal pup relaxing at Mount Maunganui
Credit: Joel Ford, Bay of Plenty Times.

Visiting fur seals are expected to make a major ‘splash’ in coastal communities along the Bay of Plenty this winter, including in New Zealand’s fifth largest city, Tauranga, and further up the coast in Whakatane. Together with resident little blue penguins, New Zealand fur seals should be coming ashore to rest, having travelled from as far south as Dunedin.

Last year we witnessed spectacular shenanigans like this seal caught climbing onto paddle boats; an early morning visit to the Tauranga waterfront; neighbourly seals tapping on suburban patio windows; and of course the seal that went global after curling up on someone’s couch for the night.

Seals don’t always get good press; and it’s true that they smell, bite and carry diseases—so it’s important to keep your distance.

Some communities are also worried that seals will compete with us for seafood, although evidence suggests they feed mainly on anchovy and lantern fish, which aren’t so popular with humans.

Close up photo of a NZ fur seal face.

New Zealand fur seal up close and personal

On the plus side, seals are a sign of a healthy environment. Historically, they lived all around New Zealand, so it stands to reason that if we continue to look after our place they will return to more of our holiday spots in the future. Next stop, Takapuna Beach?

Visit the DOC website find out more about fur seals and conservation.

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