In this issue:
Volunteer Awareness Week
Kiwi listening 2012
Kiwi listening positive trends
Hunting dog kiwi aversion
Home again for zoo hatched chicks
Dog DNA
Stoat trapping best practice
Volunteer Awareness Week 17-23 June 2012
Volunteers meet a kiwi up close
To all communities volunteering to support kiwi, BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust wants to say – thank you!
Kiwi listening 2012
2012 kiwi listening has kicked off! The 2012 kiwi listening/call count survey is off to a good start with some clear cold nights in the first window (as set via moon phase) 7-27 June. Listeners have a window 6-26 July to follow up with if they can’t get their four nights per site (6 to 8 pm) achieved during June.
Kiwi listening positive trends - a first since 1995
Coordinated once a year across Northland call count data provides a measure of population density and change from year to year.
The 2011 results show an upward trend in call data for Northland overall – a first since the survey began in 1995. The Southern ‘cluster’ (Whangarei Kiwi Sanctuary) 2011 data shows similar call rates to 2005, 2008, and 2009 indicating a recovery after a low call rate for 2010.
The positive trends with call rates rising, indicates improved chick survival due to ongoing site management such as trapping and dog management.
Read the Whangarei Kiwi Sanctuary annual report summary 2010-2011
Hunting dog kiwi aversion
Rua models the red electric kiwi aversion collar
27 hunting dogs were put through kiwi/bird aversion training at a Saturday hui in Motatau mid June.
Kiwi/bird aversion training so far this year has seen 165 dogs trained by Pete Graham (phone +64 9 470 3374). Each year Pete trains 350- 400 dogs.
In Northland, there are four more kiwi aversion training individuals or groups operating.
Find out more about Kiwi/bird aversion training
Home again for zoo hatched chicks
It’s been home again for 29 zoo-hatched chicks released at four sites within the Whangarei Kiwi Sanctuary in April. 15 went to Tutukaka, 2 to Pipiwai, and a further 12 were released at two Riponui kiwi sanctuary sites.
At present kiwi have done their pair bonding calls and are now on the nest with eggs.
A kiwi is undergoing biometric data gathering on Motuora prior to transfer back to Whangarei
Kiwi sanctuary partners regularly retrieve data collected from transmittered birds. This allows them to follow nesting progress through to egg collection.
30 eggs are collected from the sanctuary per season and hatched at Auckland Zoo. The chicks are reared on Motuora predator free island in the Hauraki Gulf as part of the BNZ Operation Nest EggTM Programme.
All birds then returned to Whangarei need to be over 1200 g before they are brought off the Island, so they can handle mainland stoats and cats.
Dog DNA
As we all know, any dog can kill kiwi given the opportunity to run free in kiwi areas. Dogs are the number one factor limiting kiwi populations in the north.
Dead kiwi, suspected to have been attacked by dogs, can be bagged and frozen then sent to EcoGene in Auckland for dog saliva analysis. This saliva DNA sample can then be matched from a DNA sample from the suspect dog. The Whangarei kiwi team is here to support this process and dog DNA database is in discussion.
Stoat trapping best practice
Get in touch with Gina, DOC Whangarei Kiwi Team, gwilliams@doc.govt.nz, +64 9 470 3371 to request best practice printouts covering station layout, checking regimes, data, trap type, tunnel covers and lures.
DOC plans to get this information onto the website for public access when resourcing allows.
DOC200 single tunnel trap design: the 60 x 80 mm (internal baffle) and 60 x 60 mm (external end) holes cut in the mesh need to be measured exactly for the trap to work targeting stoats. A bigger hole means the stoat doesn’t elongate to enter the trap and can bunch up and jump over to bait. The stoat also will not be well aligned with the killing plate and be caught left or right instead with a clean kill not achieved as a result.
DOC250 traps have a larger entry hole, will capture a range of pests, and need to be raised 100 mm off the ground with wood blocks to avoid killing kiwi chicks.
View the DOC200 single tunnel trap design (PDF, 296K)
Useful web site: www.predatortraps.com