Otago skink rangers Sandra Soeder and Tim Lever share their special experience seeing an Otago skink giving birth in the wild.
Continue Reading...Archives For 30/11/1999
Which sign do you like best? We asked this question – and you answered! Within three days of putting an online questionnaire on the DOC website, 150 of you had filled it out! And more are coming in every day, which tells me kiwis do care for kea and want to help this loveable clown of the mountains.
Look at those eyes - how can you say no?
DOC and others have struggled for years with the issue of people feeding kea. We’ve put up signs and posters in every mountain town where people and kea meet. We’ve produced pamphlets and written articles for magazines and papers, highlighting the plight of kea. We’ve given talks and worked with schools.
And yet people still feed them. I mean, it’s hard not to when they ask so nicely! They hop up towards you, with their head tilted to the side, their intelligent eyes flicking between your face and your sandwich… they are so engaging you want to take their photo but they stay just out of reach… until you break off a small scrap and hold it out towards them… click a great shot!
There’s been research done about visitor behaviour around wild animals (seals and dingoes are two examples) that says that signs don’t really work. We thought we’d try our own experiment with kea.
Which message works for you?
We challenged University of Otago design students to test some of the common elements that appear in these sorts of signs. Photos, symbols or cartoons? Polite plea or funny consequences? Words or no words?
And then we asked you what you thought worked best … and this is what you said.
Kea poster 2 was the clear favourite
Kea poster two was the clear favourite; 67% of you said it was the most clear; 53% voted it the most likely to catch your eye; and 65% said it was the one you were most likely to obey.
The reasons given were all pretty similar: “it’s simple”, “it looks official”, “it’s a universally understand symbol”, “It’s a clear DO NOT sign”.
And my personal favourite answer: “something about a big red mark staying NO that makes you feel like someone is watching you being naughty.”
OK that all seems pretty sensible. But it’s not the full picture.
Kea poster one scored high for aesthetic values!
A lot of you also really like poster one; in fact on the most likely to catch your eye question, poster one captured 37% of the vote.
“It shows a real kea”, “the beauty of bird and mountain makes you want to find out more – read sign”, “striking pose by the kea, draws your attention”, “beautiful photo”, “because it is clearly a kea”.
Many of you gave a mixed response to the signs – you liked some elements but not others; and there’s the conundrum – if we can’t make a sign that hits all the right buttons for one person, how can we make one that suits many!
Here’s a good example: “I LOVE the photos of the KEA. Aesthetically, this is my preferred one – BUT I think that as a sign to communicate across cultures – the circle with red line across it does that most effectively.”
There were heaps more really great comments which I can’t include in one short blog. But they were all really helpful to build up a better picture of why signs are actually really hard to get right! The questionnaire is still online and will be until the end of April so if you’d like to add your two cents worth go to it! The results will be formally written up after that – feel free to contact me if you’d like a copy!
By Lyndon Perriman, head ranger at Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve
Taiaroa Head/Pukekura, at the end of the Otago Peninsula, is home to an impressive number and diversity of seabirds. With nearly 10,000 birds, the area has significant populations of gulls, shags, penguins and shearwaters, but is most well known for the iconic albatross.
Toroa, Taiaroa Head’s 500th chick (hatched 2007) with his dad
Weighing 6-8 kg and with a 3 metre wingspan, the northern royal albatross are one of the largest of the albatross species. The small population at Taiaroa Head is significant as it is the only mainland breeding colony for any albatross species in the southern hemisphere.
Studying foraging strategies
For the northern royal albatross, the beginning of autumn is the start of a phase we call ‘post guard’, where both parents forage at sea for food, leaving the chick alone for several days between meals.
There are many questions about foraging adults that we would like to know the answer to: Are longer trips at sea more productive for the adults? Do foraging areas used by males differ from females? Do the foraging areas change throughout the season?
Ranger Lyndon Perriman monitoring an albatross nest
Junichi Sugishita, a PhD student with the University of Otago, is studying the foraging strategies of the breeding adults at Taiaroa Head and, for the first time, adult birds are being tracked during the post guard stage. The research involves a number of devices situated on land at Taiaroa Head, and also attached to birds.
GPS and radio transmitters
The rangers have a good working relationship with (most) of the albatross at Taiaroa Head, so we were able to attach GPS and radio transmitters to the back feathers of the adult birds without the need for restraint. The combined weight of these two units attached to the feathers is less than 0.6% of the adult’s normal body weight.
Albatross carrying a GPS unit
Weight platforms
Weight platforms were also installed at selected nests. These platforms consist of electronic scales connected to a data logger situated under a plywood base. We had hoped to monitor changes in the weights of adults throughout the breeding season but the albatross had other ideas.
During installation of the scales the birds on the nests showed absolutely no interest, with some adults even choosing to sleep throughout the installation process. However, when they returned from sea to change nest duty with their partner they reckoned there was something decidedly fishy about the platforms. They avoided standing on the scales by choosing an alternative access to their nest.
Skylark on the albatross weighing platform
We then thought we could dupe them by painting the plywood so that it blended in with the surroundings. However, they still weren’t convinced and continued to choose an alternative route into and out of the nest which avoided crossing the scales.
Next we tried coercion by erecting a plastic mesh fence around the nest, so that the best option for access would involve walking over the scales. However, the albatross decided they would rather climb over the fence than cross those scary looking scales.
We finally realised that the albatross would continue to outsmart us. We removed the fences and let them be. It was a gentle reminder to us that what we perceived as non invasive wasn’t considered so by the albatross!
Slow breeders
The royal albatross is a slow breeder, with only one chick raised every two years.
Breeding takes a full year — from mating in October, to incubation of the egg from November to January, followed by nine months of feeding until the chick fledges in September.
Chicks that fledge successfully won’t be seen on the headland again for another five years, when they return to find a mate — and they can be quite picky, taking 2–3 seasons to make a choice. They finally start to breed at around eight years old.
It is this naturally slow breeding biology, coupled with complexities of life on a mainland site, that has restricted the population growth at Taiaroa Head which by 2011 was around 160 individuals.
Albatross have a long memory
Over-handling and restraining of albatross can affect their behaviour and trust of people. As conservation managers we need to weigh up handling, research and manipulation against the negative effects on the bird and their breeding success. This is particularly important at Taiaroa Head as a huge part of management involves manipulation of eggs and chicks at the nest to achieve a high success rate. The success rates are due, in part, to having adult birds tolerant of staff while they inspect their egg or chick.
Flies threaten newly hatched chicks
One of the greatest threats to newly hatched chicks is fly strike. Flies can lay maggots directly onto the hatching egg. Of the 21 chicks hatched in the 2011/12 season, only one died and this was from fly strike. Our best protection against flies during this vulnerable time is to move the hatching eggs into an incubator during the day, returning them to the nest at night.
Hatching eggs in the incubator
Like most years, the hatching/guard stage this season hasn’t been without issue. Three chicks lost significant weight. This indicated a microbial infection in the gut, which a course of antibiotics fixed. All three chicks are now several weeks old and growing rapidly.
One of this season’s sick chick’s in a brooder
Find out more
Six committed volunteers from as far afield as Australia recently spent a week helping restore Tailings Hut in Oteake Conservation Park.
The Volunteers and Mark Harrison (DOC ranger) in front of Tailings Hut
The trip to Tailings Hut is an adventure in itself; the 4WD track has numerous river crossings and steep rocky sections with long falls to the valley floor that get the heart racing. Travelling through this vast tussock country with big skies reveals a Graham Sydney painting in every direction. The hut suddenly appears, nestled in a small valley beside a lovely crystal creek.
Volunteers, Laurie and Mick spray painting the bunk safety barriers
The volunteers are keen and quick to help. Once assigned tasks, they work like beavers from early morning until they are persuaded to put down tools and call it a day. They replace weatherboards, tugging away the rotten ones, paint over vivid lime green paint in the bunkrooms, remove a wall of trashy graffiti, repaint the interior and exterior, refurbish the fireplace and build a new hay shed.
Volunteers, Sue and Paul painting one of the bunkrooms
There was little sleep in the camp for the first couple of nights, as wind funnels and howls through the camp site, whipping the tents around. The volunteers take this in their stride and have a fun and memorable week, leaving with new friends and a sense of satisfaction that they have contributed to the upkeep of backcountry huts.
The camp set up at Tailings Hut
This area is a recent addition to Oteake Conservation Park after the tenure review of the Mt Ida Pastoral Occupation License. Grazing continues in this area of the park and the hut is used by the concessionaire for mustering.
Volunteers Roddy and Paul hard at work
Volunteer Sue removing graffiti in bunkroom
Tailings hut is a product of three huts with different histories. The two bunkrooms were once single man quarters used for construction of the Roxburgh Hydro Dam. The larger building, built in the 1930s by farmers who previously held the occupation licence for the site, is now the kitchen.
Volunteers and Mark Harrison (Visitor Assets DOC ranger) hard at work in the kitchen
Thanks to the Central Otago Visitor assets team and the volunteers, the hut has been transformed into a light and pleasant place for people to stay and enjoy the Otago tussock country.
Every Friday Jobs at DOC will take you behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation.
Today we profile Otago Communications Manager, Andrea Crawford.
At work…
Position: Communications Manager, changing later this year to Communication and Engagement Advisor.
My faithful companion Zoe
What kind of things do you do in your role?
One of my roles is to advise, support and mentor Otago staff about media, communications, publications, interpretation and web publishing. I help field media enquiries and advise on communication of local issues making national news, in consultation with the National Office media team.
My main expertise is writing and I like the challenge of saying the same thing in different ways, whether it’s writing media releases, feature articles, communications plans, our newsletter (Good as Gold), media advisories, blogs, web pages, speech notes for the Minister, or pitching stories to the media on interesting developments within DOC. I edit the work of other staff, which could be a brochure or interpretation panel, and ensure it meets DOC standards and the new DOC identity.
Assisting film-maker Claudia Babirat make a video on Project Gold
Transforming technical reports into Plain English can be a mission for a non-scientific generalist like myself but the end result is rewarding if people can better understand a complex issue. My other challenge is to present contentious information in a positive way so it doesn’t detract from public regard for DOC. Some people call this ‘spin’, but to me it’s getting important messages out there.
I enjoy helping to organise and promote events such as our Conservation Week awards functions. I’ve been lucky to have been involved in an inspiring scheme, Project Gold, which encourages kowhai planting in Otago. I’m now managing this project with a team of enthusiastic Area staff. Another project I’ve helped establish in Otago is Kiwi Ranger which is proving successful in Wanaka and I’m hoping to set it up at other Otago sites.
In the coming year, I’ll be more involved in marketing, focusing on identifying and satisfying customer needs and wants and creating tailored strategies.
What is the best part about your job?
The satisfaction of seeing a positive story I initiated come to fruition, especially if watched by a large TV audience, then getting encouraging and supportive comments from the public.
Staying in DOC staff accommodation such as the Bannockburn Post Office is one of the benefits of working for DOC. Shame I tore my hamstring waterskiing this holiday. This is my daughter Marika (12) and our dog Zoe (8 months)
What is the hardest part about your job?
Managing media coverage of a contentious or potentially damaging local issue.
What led you to your role in DOC?
In a previous life I was a newspaper reporter, feature writer and sub-editor, then moved into communications eight years ago, firstly with the Otago Regional Council then DOC.
What was your highlight from the month just gone?
Seeing a sea lion mum and pup successfully moved from a busy Dunedin beach to a more remote location by Area staff, and of course the holidays, camping at three fabulous Otago spots.
The rule of three…
Three loves
- My three children
- My loony dog Zoe
- Walking through the bush or along the beach with my stick-and-ball-obsessed dog by my side
Me and my kids relaxing at Bannockburn. From left, me, Jonny (18), Tim (24) and Marika (12)
Three pet peeves
- People who harm or abuse their children, spouse or pets
- Neighbours who party up into the wee hours
- Materialism
Three foods
- Most Jamie Oliver creations – he has the best recipes!
- Sushi
- Pavlova
Three favourite places in New Zealand
- Bannockburn, Central Otago
- Aviemore, North Otago
- Greenstone/Caples tracks near Queenstown
Central Otago was the pick of places to camp over summer – hottest temperatures in the country most days
Favourite movie, album, book
- Movie: Secrets and Lies, in fact most Mike Leigh movies
- Album: Eden by Everything But The Girl
- Book: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Deep and meaningful…
What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?
You can achieve anything you put your mind to.
Me and my son Tim at his graduation. He’s now working on his PhD at Otago University
Who or what inspires you and why?
Writers such as Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thomson and Truman Capote who radically changed the face of modern journalism and introduced a writing style that has always intrigued and captivated me.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer/journalist. I loved writing stories from a young age and excelled at English at school.
And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?
A freelance writer.
What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?
I’m afraid to say I haven’t got into the sustainability thing (yet).
Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?
To plant more natives around my home and encourage others to do the same.
If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?
An Otago skink so I could lounge about all day on a hot rock.
What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?
Seeing children’s eyes light up when they connect with something about conservation is one of my greatest pleasures. They are our future and any advice or message we pass onto them is priceless. If they ‘get’ conservation, this country’s future is rosy.
