Native animals |

Dog’s breakfast a win for the birds

Department of Conservation — 22/04/2014

By Kath Inwood, Partnerships Ranger, Nelson

The Motueka sandspit is an internationally significant site for shorebirds, providing roosting and nesting space for variable oystercatchers and banded dotterel, and temporary lodgings for the bar-tailed godwit. Being so close to town, however, it is a popular spot for Motueka dog owners to walk their dogs.

A variable oystercatcher

Ranger Ross and some of the dogs

To improve awareness of the birds in the area, we got together with Tasman District Council and Birds New Zealand to try out an Australian idea – the Dog’s Breakfast. This event provides dog owners an opportunity to learn about the birds of the foreshore and sandspit over a bacon and egg butty (sandwich).

Around 50 dog walkers turned out to breakfast with their dogs over a two and a half hour period on Saturday 8 March.

With the smell of sizzling bacon in the background, David Melville from Birds New Zealand explained that variable oystercatchers and banded dotterel are key inhabitants of the sandspit area, along with the better-known bar-tailed godwits, who make the 11,000km flight between New Zealand and Alaska.

The crowd gathers for the dog’s breakfast

The purpose of the breakfast was to raise awareness of dog owners about the significance of this area for shorebirds, and to enable them to be more informed about how they can minimise the disturbance to wildlife, while enjoying the benefits of an area such as this to walk their dogs.

In Native animals, Nelson/Marlborough Birds, Canines, Dogowners, dogs, Dotterel, Godwits, motueka, Nelson, oystercatcher

Takahē mission in the Murchison Mountains

Department of Conservation — 17/04/2014

By Helen Dodson, Takahē Engagement Ranger

What do an All Black and a DOC takahē ranger have in common? Tricky footwork and some good catching skills!

Nifty cornering and tackling are a pre-requisite for catching a takahē in a small pen, but substitute that pen with a 50,000 hectare mountain range and you really have your work cut out for you!

DOC rangers banding a takahē in the Murchison Mountains.

Banding takahē in the Murchison Mountains

In early autumn the ‘Tark Team’ (DOC takahē programme rangers based in Fiordland) headed off into the Murchison Mountains to catch takahē. We wanted to get an idea of how many chicks had successfully hatched over the summer, fit them with identifying leg bands and transmitters and change some transmitters on adult birds. It was also a good chance to get a rough census of the wild takahē population too.

A fine day in the Murchison Mountains

Luckily for us, about half the birds in the Murchison Mountains are fitted with transmitters which helps narrow the search considerably. We also had our team supplemented with some specially trained DOC species dogs, including takahē tracker extraordinaire “Yuki”. But it still didn’t all go our way.

Looking for takahē

We used the radio signals emitted by the transmitters to locate the takahē in the large alpine basins. Alternatively the dogs would signal the presence of birds without transmitters.

Then, hunkered down behind tussocks, we played recordings of takahē calling to coax birds toward us, or at least get them to call back and reveal their exact location.

Takahē are territorial and will often reply to the call and even move to intercept an interloper. Our strategy seemed sound, and it worked… mostly…sort of.. except for those birds in Takahē Valley who consistently evaded us.

If you’ve ever seen a takahē, they look large and slow and act quite casual and relaxed. But be aware that it’s all a front. They are fast on their feet and amazingly skilled at ducking and dodging. Our best hope of catching them was when they froze under a tussock thinking we couldn’t see them. The trouble is quite often we couldn’t… and once we could they were gone!

Here’s where I admit I’m not an experienced takahē catcher. Scrambling through and over thick scrub is not a problem and launching into a dive tackle is okay, but the speed that the birds can change directions and appear somewhere completely different to where they were the moment before, is mind boggling.

Thankfully we do have some experienced folk so, if the All Blacks coach is looking for a new wing, I can recommend ranger Glen. Second five eight call ranger Martin and for an open-side flanker you just couldn’t bypass ranger Phil!

Caught! A young takahē

The good news is we’re fairly confident that this season we’ve got 8-10 new takahē chicks in our wild population in the Murchison Mountains. The other news is sometime soon we’ll be spending a few more days trying to catch those birds that outsmarted and evaded us in Takahē Valley.

In Fiordland, Native animals Banding, Murchison Mountains, species dog, takahe, transmitters

I’d like some kiwi in my backyard too….

Department of Conservation — 10/04/2014

Kiwi releases attract plenty of media attention, often triggering individuals and groups to consider establishing kiwi in their patch.

Now, new guidelines have been created to help people understand the process and requirements.

DOC Ranger, Liz Maire, explains…

Up close—the public get their first experience of kiwi

Kiwi releases are good news stories and generate positive and widespread coverage. This media attention often results in a flurry of public enquiries about how individuals or groups can establish kiwi in their local reserve or the bush block at the back of the farm.

Kiwi releases generate positive and widespread coverage

DOC Biodiversity Services Ranger, Pete Graham showing some of the children the kiwi pre release into a burrow.

The Northland Kiwi Forum Working Group and Kiwis for kiwi identified that, although there are many groups and individuals that aspire to have kiwi in their patch, there was no single resource that outlined the process and considerations for them.

Many individuals described obtaining this information as daunting and confusing.

A guide to establishing new kiwi populations (PDF, 2091K) was developed to fill this gap and provide a first check of the journey they might be embarking upon.

The guide addresses the key considerations of communication, planning and commitment. These are then expanded upon to address:

– Habitat and threat management requirements;

– Identifying kiwi that might be used to establish a new population;

– Key relationships, support and approvals required; and

– Considerations for ongoing management once established.

The Northland Kiwi Forum Working Group in conjunction with Kiwis for kiwi drew upon the experiences and frustrations of applicants and approvers of past translocations in developing the guidelines.

Although drafted with an emphasis on establishing and protecting populations of Northland brown kiwi, the document should also be useful for other kiwi taxa or even other species.

Toby Shanley, Kevin and Gill Adshead of Mataia.

Kiwis for kiwi, iwi representatives, Department of Conservation and Auckland Zoo kiwi specialists about to ‘hand the kiwi over’ to the people of Mataia.

Jo Ritchie releasing a kiwi into a temporary wooden burrow.

Wendy Sporle of Kiwis for kiwi introducing Gill and Kevin Adhead of Mataia to one of their new kiwi, surrounded by the public.

The Northland Kiwi Forum

The Northland Kiwi Forum is a collaboration of agencies, individuals, iwi, community groups, farmers, foresters, and central and local government staff who are actively involved in managing the Northland taxon of Northland brown kiwi on public and private land.

Kiwis for kiwi

Kiwis for kiwi is a non profit organisation that supports the work of more than 80 community groups around the country, providing funding for vital kiwi conservation, breeding and hatching programmes.

In Kiwi, Northland, Volunteers establishing kiwi, kiwi releases, translocations

Photo of the week: Coromandel kiwi move to Motutapu

Department of Conservation — 09/04/2014

Today’s photo shows one of the Coromandel brown kiwi relocated to predator-free Motutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf last week.

It was the biggest ever single translocation of Coromandel brown kiwi and was done to create new diversity and future-proof the species.

Did you know?

There are only around 1,500 Coromandel brown kiwi on the Coromandel Peninsula.

There are 5 kiwi species:

Little spotted kiwi on several offshore islands and at Karori Sanctuary in Wellington
Great spotted kiwi/roroa in the northern South Island
Brown kiwi in the North Island
Rowi at Okarito, on the West Coast of the South Island
Tokoeka in the South Island (Fiordland, the Haast Range and on Stewart Island) and on Kapiti Island.

2 of the 5 kiwi species have distinct geographical varieties within them:

Brown kiwi have four geographically and genetically distinct forms: Northland, Coromandel, western and eastern.
Tokoeka also have four distinct geographical forms: Haast, northern Fiordland, southern Fiordland, and Stewart Island.

In Islands, Kiwi, Photo of the week Brown Kiwi, Coromandel, Kiwis for kiwi, Moehau, Motutapu Island, translocation

Photo of the week: Duvaucel’s gecko

Department of Conservation — 02/04/2014

New Zealand’s largest lizard, and one of the world’s largest geckos, moved onto Motuihe Island this week.

Duvaucel’s gecko

100 Duvaucel’s geckos joined other threatened wildlife already on Motuihe, as part of an ecological restoration programme being implemented by the Motuihe Trust with the support of Iwi and the Department of Conservation.

Geckos play an important role in ecosystems as predator and prey, as well as dispersers of seeds and pollinating plants.

Duvaucel’s geckos are nationally “At Risk” and by reintroducing these animals to Motuihe, the long-term survival of Duvaucel’s gecko will be further assured.

Learn more

Threatened geckos to find sanctuary on Motuihe Island – Media release

New Zealand geckos

Visit Motuihe Recreation Reserve

In Auckland, Native animals duvaucel's gecko, Geckos, lizards, Motuihe

Archives For 30/11/1999

Dog’s breakfast a win for the birds

Takahē mission in the Murchison Mountains