This photograph of the Antipodes parakeet was taken by University of Auckland scientist, Dr James Russell.
Dr Russell is leading the recently departed expedition to the Antipodes Islands that will lay the groundwork for the removal of mice from this remote nature reserve.
Their research will fill gaps in knowledge about the mice and effects of their removal on some of the island’s special native species, in particular the two parakeets—Antipodes and Reischek’s parakeet—which are found nowhere else. They will also gather baseline data to chart ecosystem recovery once mice are gone.
You can help the unique ecosystems, native seabirds, plants and insects of the Antipodes Islands
The Million Dollar Mouse campaign aims to raise more than a million dollars towards the Antipodes Islands mouse eradication project. The fund currently sits at $819,000 with all public contributions matched dollar for dollar by philanthropists Gareth and Jo Morgan.
If you have a great, conservation related photo you want to share with the world (or at least the readers of this blog) send it through to us at socialmedia@doc.govt.nz.
Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Today we profile Jonathan Kearvell, Biodiversity Ranger orange-fronted parakeet.
Taking an orange-front out of a mist net and trying not to get my fingers too badly torn
My primary role is acting as Team Leader for the Orange-fronted Parakeet team, which entails guiding the breeding season team when searching for and protecting nests, monitoring parakeet numbers and general valley searches. Apart from lots of data entry in the winter I also have a freshwater role, including Mudfish monitoring.
What is the best part of your job?
Easy—working with the best people ever; makes the job a joy. Thanks all.
What is the hardest part about the job?
Working a 10 day away (four at home) roster for seven months of the year, and this for most years since 1995. I’m sure quite a few do this but it sure makes it hard on my long suffering wife.
What led you to your role in DOC?
I simply had to work for DOC, right from the day we emigrated here in 1993; who wouldn’t. So I walked in the door on the first day and asked. So thanks Andy Grant and Ian Hill for giving me my first jobs; volunteering and then some historic inventory research.
Trying to find orange-fronts on Maud Island
Checking out a parakeet nest
What was the highlight from the month just gone?
Hearing that they had spotted an unbanded orange-fronted parakeet on Blumine Island; they were first translocated there 9 months ago and they are breeding; just great.
The rule of three…..
3 loves
My wife
My family
My crazy dog Murphy
3 pet peeves
Litter
Wasting food
Failing to identify yet another parakeet
…and of course wee Kirsty. I know that’s four but she will understand
3 foods
In no particular order:
Homemade coffee cake
Chocolate
Real ale
The south branch of the Hurunui river
3 favourite places in New Zealand
The South Branch of the Hurunui (in Lake Sumner Forest Park) will always be special to me and I never tired of going there
Mangere Island in the Chathams is also a huge favourite
Akaroa, it is just such a cool place
Favourite movie, album, book
Movie – just has to be the quirky French comedy ‘Amelie’
Album – easily Loreena McKennitt and ‘Nights from the Alhambra’, although Imelda May is a close second these days
Book – I first read it 47 years ago; it has to be Lord of the Rings
Deep and meaningful…
What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self? Don’t panic, don’t rush, life will show you the way.
Who or what inspires you? People like Aung San Suu Kyi; she believes, she has faith.
Electric fishing in Arthur’s Pass National Park, with my supervisor, Simon Elkington
The trials of working on Mangere Island; and this skua drew blood
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A soldier in the Royal Marines, but I ended up in the junior TA instead.
And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be? Either a jump jockey or an archaeologist; and I’ve been one in a wee way.
What sustainability tip would you like to pass on? Second hand is OK.
Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year-at home? At work? Grow even more wonderful vegetables and cycle more often to work, even when it’s raining.
If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why? Sorry all but it is going to have to be an orange-fronted parakeet. I want to know what it is like flying really fast through dense vegetation; they are just awesome at it. Especially when a falcon is on their tail!
What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation? I quote from Maggie Kuhn; “Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind even if your voice shakes”.
The Orange-fronted Parakeet is a beautiful bird, what is your favourite New Zealand bird species?
It’s times like these that I am reminded that the organisation I work for can be like a big family.
Sarah, the orange fronted Cantabrian, with two Tauranga chicks, Barb and Janice
Following the Christchurch earthquake and our office being closed, I decided to go back to my hometown and work from the Tauranga Area Office for a few weeks.
They welcomed me with open arms – great bunch of people – and on my first day I was reminded by ranger John H that other Cantabrians also were seeking refuge here. Canterbury’s own orange-fronted parakeets or kākāriki – are currently residing here on Tuhua – an offshore island paradise.
And within a week of being back inside the buzz of a busy area office I was privileged to be among the first to hear – juvenile parakeets had been spotted on the island!
The arrival of new babies are always a happy occasion and these wee parakeets – photographed by John H during a nest-monitoring trip – are no exception.
Orange-fronted parakeets are extremely rare – there are less than 200 left in the wild and only in Canterbury.
Orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki
To help save this species from extinction, some birds have been reared in captivity by Anne and her team at Isaacs Wildlife Trust in Christchurch. The birds are then released on predator-free offshore islands – including Tuhua here in the Bay of Plenty. They arrived here this summer, and John H has been keeping a close eye on them ever since.
This little kākāriki signals hope for the future – the first confirmed breeding of orange-fronted parakeet in the North Island for over 130 years!
Everyone here – and in Canterbury – is absolutely over the moon with the discovery.
Tuhua, because of its size, could be just so important to the future of this fantastic wee parakeet. Tūhua is a really special place – the ancestral home of Te Whānau a Tauwhao ki Tūhuaand looked after by the Tūhua Trust Board.
I feel so proud to have just been a bystander in this wonderful event. And it reminds me that no matter where we are in the country, we are all working towards the same goals – a future for our own children. Just call me Aunty Sarah!
