The Project Island Song partnership, made up of community group Guardians of the Bay of Islands, local hapū Ngāti Kuta and Patukeha and DOC, teamed up with Kerikeri Shade House volunteers for a busy day on Tuesday 13th June.
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Forty tīeke/North Island saddleback were recently welcomed to Ipipiri in the Eastern Bay of Islands by around 90 tāngata whenua and Project Island Song supporters.
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This blog post was originally posted on the Explore Group’s website.
The Project Island Song partners—the Guardians, Ngati Kuta and Patukeha hapu and DOC—recently translocated 43 North Island robin/toutouwai from Pureora Forest in the central North Island to a new home on Moturua Island in the Eastern Bay of Islands/Ipipiri.
North Island robin/toutouwai.
Dr Kevin Parker from Parker Conservation and Massey University lead a large team of 20 which doubled as a training exercise for groups from both Pureora and the Bay of Islands.
The translocation was initiated between the hapu from both areas.
Robins being unloaded on Moturua Island
Firstly, a team from Nga Hapu o Rawhiti in Pureora went ahead to locate and pre-feed the birds, then the full crew arrived for three days of catching.
The catching was mainly done using clap traps, with some mist netting.
The male quota of 25 was caught by the middle of the second day, but the females proved a bit more elusive, with 18 caught by the end of day three.
A North Island robin being banded
The toutouwai were then transported to Paihia overnight in a campervan provided by Wilderness Motorhomes, and then taken to Moturua Island the next morning where kaumatua and kuia were there to welcome them along with around 50 people who were transported to the island by the Explore Group.
Release time
This was Project Island Song’s first wild to wild translocation.
To find out more visit the Project Island Song website.
Ranger and conservation dog