| 24th
November 2006
Captive
Breeding
- The
artificially incubated captive kiwi egg that was removed
from our nocturnal house kiwi pair last month was discovered
to be infertile. The egg was removed because the male
kiwi failed to incubate this egg. A second egg was discovered
in the nocturnal house at the start of November. This
egg remained un-incubated for 18 days so it was also removed
to be artificially incubated.
- The
hihi breeding season has got off to a promising start.
All four of our female hihi are currently rearing chicks.
In total the four females laid 18 eggs with 12 of those
being fertile. All 4 clutches have hatched, producing
10 chicks.
- An
x-ray last September revealed our female tuatara Rewa
was carrying eggs. Rewa was induced earlier this month
so we could easily find the eggs without having to search
the enclosure. As a result Rewa produced 13 eggs over
a 30 hour period. During the laying period Rewa travelled
home with one of our biodiversity staff so she could be
monitored closely and the eggs could be removed as they
were laid. Rewa seemed to enjoy the outing? The eggs have
been transferred down the Victoria University as part
of a study to determine how incubation temperatures determine
sex ratios.
- Work
is progressing on tidying up the Campbell Island teal
pens, while the Campbell Island teal are slowly getting
used to the idea of having a holiday from breeding this
season.
- It
has been very busy month for shore plover. All six nests
were brought into be incubated and the chicks hand reared.
15 chicks hatched from the 18 eggs laid. (Three were infertile).
Chicks from the two early nests (laid in late Sept), have
just been colour banded and placed outside in the aviaries.
The remaining 11 chicks should be ready to go outside
by the end of November. We will need the space. As of
Nov. 19th, six of our seven breeding pairs have laid second
clutches. These nests will also be brought in to be incubated
and hand reared. If the plovers are up for laying 3rd
clutches, the eggs will be left in the aviary to hatch,
and the plovers can have a go at raising the chicks.
- Sad
news for the Takahe. On Nov 1st, Bart broke his leg and
was taken to the Veterinary School at Massey University.
He underwent surgery to pin the break, but died a week
later from his injury. Georgie and Bud are doing well.
They have been building “chairs” (just like
a nest) under the tussocks to nap in during the heat of
the day.
Pukaha restoration
- Our
wild kaka have begun their breeding season with 5 clutches
of eggs being incubated in artificial nest boxes, and
another nest in an artificial nest box has three chicks
with two eggs still to hatch. At least one other female
kaka has laid a clutch in a natural nest site.
- It
looks like the kokako have decided it’s time to
get started with breeding this year. We have 2 of our
3 pairs actively building nests. The third pair is a new
pairing, just introduced in September. They have become
a bit more secretive in the last week, so staff are hopeful
that they are thinking about nesting as well.
- A
mix of good and bad for our kiwi. Tua was found dead in
the stream, three weeks after his release. From the position
of the body it seems he fell down a steep bank and then
became trapped in a deep pool by a fallen tree and its
root plate. Rangi, released at the same time, has moved
to the ridge and was in good condition when she was last
caught and weighed.
- The
two wandering young birds kiwi have again been tracked
down, after disappearing for the best part of three months.
They are now about 5km from the Wildlife Centre, on the
eastern side of the reserve and are also doing really
well.
- The
parents of the kiwi chick that hatched earlier in the
season have made another nest, and this too has a fertile
egg inside. We will return in another couple of weeks
to see how advanced it is. When this egg is close to hatching
it will be transferred to an incubator to be incubated
and reared in captivity. All the other recently released
kiwi seem to be thriving and we will keep an eye on their
progress.
- The
first signs of kokako breeding have been noticed in the
reserve and from now on things will probably happen at
considerable pace. On the summit the female who has set
up the territory with the young male has been identified
as Mihitai, the last of the Mangatutu birds to be released
from captivity. As yet there is no sign of a nest, but
they are an attentive pair, so there is every reason for
optimism.
- One
of the Mapara sourced pairs has started nest building,
the same pair that led the season last year. As yet the
location of the nest is known only to the birds, but we
have a good idea of its likely location.
- The
four other known territories will be thoroughly searched
over the coming two weeks to see if we can find any nests
before they are so advanced that the birds start trying
to avoid us!
Pest Control
- We
carried out the post operational rodent monitor on the
night of November 2 and returned an index of 3.75% - 3
of 80 tunnels showing rat tracking. This is within the
levels of 0 -5% that is accepted to be the threshold for
successful kokako breeding.
- Possum
interference with the bait stations is lower than at this
time last year. There are still a few of the critters
out there, but only a very few.
- The
next rat monitor is scheduled for mid December and will
tell us if we need a mid season top up of the bait stations.
- The
possum monitor is scheduled for early December and should
confirm field observations that show very little possum
sign in the reserve
- The
number of birds generally in the reserve is now quite
astonishing - on a good day the sounds of tui and bellbirds
comes from all directions, and the warblers, tomtits,
rifleman abound. It is hard to imagine that tomtit and
bellbird used to be quite rare - you'd be lucky to see
two or three a year before the restoration started; now
any less than two or three a day is a remarkably light
tally.
Top
17th
October 2006
Captive
Breeding;
- Rangi
and Tua our old nocturnal house kiwi pair were released
into the reserve on the 9th of October. Approximately
20 local kindergarten children attended the release.
These two birds were excellent display birds and proven
breeders. During the last 18 months they had produced
7 eggs and 3 surviving chicks. One if these chicks have
already been released into the reserve, while the remaining
2 are being held in captivity until they are large enough
to be released. Rangi and Tua’s last egg that
was removed to be artificially incubated turned out
to be infertile.
- Ruakiwi
and Rimu our new nocturnal house kiwi pair have produced
an egg. These birds have only been in the nocturnal
house for approximately one month and have not had time
to create a nest. As a consequence the egg has been
laid in the pairs roost box. Ruakiwi the male kiwi has
showed no signs of incubating this egg so far. If no
attempt is made we will be forced to remove this egg
and attempt to incubate it from fresh.
- Riley
our male hihi from aviary 6 has been temporarily paired
with Mahira in the cell block aviaries. Mahira has finished
her nest and produced 3 eggs so far. Riley has had a
few health issues in the past so we will be waiting
nervously to see if the eggs are fertile.
- Unfortuately
the male hihi that was transferred from Karori Wildlife
Sanctuary has died. An early pathology result indicated
that the cause of death was from a penetrating wound
to the oesophagus. We can only speculate that this occurred
from an insect sting.
- All
5 of our tuatara were measured and weighed as part of
their biannual health check. These checks revealed that
all are in good condition. We also x-rayed Rewa our
adult female tuatara to see if she was gravid. We are
pleased to report that the x-ray revealed that she is
carrying 13 eggs. We will be inducing Rewa in early
November. The eggs will be transferred down to Victoria
University for research into how incubation temperatures
affect male and female sex ratios.
- New
Zealand Shore Plover – Breeding season is in full
swing for the shore plovers. “Westy” and
his mate were the first to produce a full clutch the
last week of September. As of Oct 10th five other pairs
have followed suit and we now have six active nests.
- Takahe
– Bud recently spent a week in a temporary pen
within the Takahe enclosure. All three birds required
routine medication that was administered in a slice
of apple. Bart and Georgie would take their apple willingly,
but Bud would not. He was placed in the temporary pen
so that staff could be sure that he received his medications.
It was a long week for Bud and he is very happy to be
back with Georgie and Bart. Hopefully, staff will be
able to condition him to take apples and he won’t
have to go back into the pen next time medication is
required.
Pukaha
restoration;
-
It is still early in the season for kokako, but nevertheless
a good time to work out what territories are occupied
(and by which birds) in preparation for the upcoming
breeding season. Tom Studholme has returned for the
summer and will again concentrate on finding and monitoring
kokako nests.
- Already
we have had some interesting finds - the male “Son
of Turk” seen by himself near the summit last
year now has another bird in the territory, as yet the
bands haven’t been seen so we don’t know
who it is! One of the fabled “mystery pair”
who were quite regularly seen along Hotel Ridge has
turned out to be a female (Zara) released from the aviaries.
We now have only to find out who is the male of this
pair.
- Five
of the six territories known last year still have birds
calling in their vicinity – four are definitely
known to be occupied and we will be spending time over
the coming weeks establishing exactly what birds are
in what territories.
- One
of the recently released kiwi juveniles has crossed
the ridge, crossed the next stream and was last encountered
halfway up the far ridge (and that was two weeks ago!).
It looks like this chap has itchy feet. The place he
has been to are notoriously bad for radio reception
and it is proving difficult to track him on a regular
basis. We will be taking the tracking gear out at every
opportunity to see if we can get a signal from the elusive
one.
- A
female (Orana) from Orana Park was released in late
September and appears to be settling well. A recent
check showed that she had lost weight, but was still
in good condition. We are tracking her most days and
provided she doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary,
we will now just let her settle in at Pukaha.
- Rangi
and Tua (formerly in the NWC Kiwi House and seen by
tens of thousands, even during their intimate moments)
have also been released, though they are not yet away
from prying eyes (and ears). They will be monitored
on a daily basis during the coming weeks and then recaptured
for a weight and condition assessment before being left
alone to get on with the serious business of being kiwi.
Their most recent youngster is also due for release.
- Another
egg from a wild pair has been found – as yet we
don’t know if it is fertile, but the pair has
produced fertile eggs in the past, so we are hopeful.
We will candle it at some stage over the coming weeks
(on a nice warm, dry night).
- One
of the adult females (released in 2004) was found to
have a damaged beak and after a vet examination here
was sent to Massey University for more intensive treatment.
She has responded well and is expected back for rehabilitation
here in the next few days and when completely healed
will be released again.
- Pest
control The two fillings of bait stations
are now complete and we have seen bait take from most
lines, with quite an amount of rodent sign in and around
the stations. Thankfully there is little interference
from possums, with possum sign noted at only two places.
It should not be too difficult to deal with them.
The post control rat monitor will be carried out later
in October and once the results are in we will know
if there are any spots that need further treatment.
- Thomas
and Yvan, the two French students who were working on
the trap grid over the winter have finished their time
with us. Yvan has returned to France and Thomas has
continued his journey to Cairns. Another French student,
Baptiste, has joined us and will continue the work that
Thomas and Yvan started.
Top
19
September 2006
Captive
Breeding;
- Rangi
and Tua our nocturnal house kiwi pair have been removed
from the nocturnal house and placed in an outside enclosure.
Both birds will spend approximately 1 month adjusting
to life outside before being released into the reserve.
Ruakiwi and Rimu the 2 kiwi that were transferred from
Napier last July have replaced Rangi and Tua.
Before moving Rangi and Tua out of the kiwi house we
removed Tua’s egg for artificial incubation. Unfortuately
early candling of this egg has revealed it is probably
infertile. We will continue incubating this egg for
another 5 days just to make sure that we have got it
right.
- The
wild kiwi egg that was removed for artificial incubation
from Pukaha Mount Bruce reserve last month has hatched.
This is the third wild kiwi chick to hatch from the
reserve since the kiwi reintroduction programme began
in 2003. The chick is progressing well and has quickly
accepted the artificial diet. Once the chick is 3 weeks
of age it will be transferred to an outside enclosure
and then released into the reserve early next year.
- We
have an early hihi nest. Mahira our female hihi in the
cell block aviaries has been busy collecting sticks
and meticulously placing them in her nest box. Once
nest building nears completion we will introduce Riley
our male hihi from aviary 6.
- Campbell
Island Teal – We have received news from Campbell
Island that all 54 Campbell Island teal coped well with
their boat trip. All have arrived safely at Perseverance
Harbour, Campbell Island, eager to get out and about
and explore their new home. The teal were held in captivity
for a few days on the island before being released at
various sites around the island, (although one teal
couldn’t wait to be released and self-released
from its enclosure shortly after arrival).
We have also heard that the Campbell Island teal art
auction/bbq fund-raising event that took place in London
on the 2nd September raised close to $20,000.
- New
Zealand Shore Plover – Staff have been catching
and moving plovers between aviaries in an attempt to
form two new breeding pairs. Volunteers have been helping
with observations, and weeding as we get ready for the
nesting season to begin.
- Kokako-
“Mihitai” was released into the Pukaha Mt
Bruce Forest on the 25th of August. The Pukaha restoration
summer rangers will be keeping an eye out for her as
they make their way through the bush. The door has been
opened between Aviary 7A & 7B. We are very happy
to report that “Poutoma” and the young female
“Te Rae” are enjoying the extra space and
each other’s company. Both birds have been quite
active and vocal since they were put together. This
has been great for visitors to Mt. Bruce.
- Takahe
–Georgie and Bart obliged staff and volunteers
by standing on the remote scale so their weights could
be recorded. Georgie weighs in at 3.16 kg and Bart at
3.55 kg. We have left the scale in place hoping that
Bud will cooperate in the near future.
Pukaha restoration;
- Third
wild kiwi chick hatched: The kiwi nest has
been visited and the egg removed. It was taken to the
incubator room where it recently hatched. The male has
hardly paused for breath and is now sitting on another
egg in a new nest. This will be checked for fertility
in the coming weeks. Other kiwi are still being monitored
and the remainder of the young birds will shortly be
caught to have their weight and transmitter attachments
checked. At the last check they were in good condition
and putting on weight.
- The
first fill of the bait 1000 stations for his year’s
round of pest control has been completed. Reducing rat
numbers will help protect the native species in the
reserve and increase breeding success of kokako and
kaka. The monitoring of rats before the operation showed
a tracking rate of 31.5% - this is within the range
that would be considered normal for a rat population
and so we are treating the block as we did last year
with Racumin being used to knock down the ship rats.
The second fill is scheduled form late September, with
another rat monitor late in October
Top
25
August 2006
Captive
Breeding
- Nesting
boxes were placed in all the hihi aviaries earlier this
week. One of our male hihi is so enthusiastic about
the coming breeding season that he has started putting
sticks in his nest box already. Nesting activity usually
starts in October! His female next door doesn’t
seem to be as keen. Riley our male hihi in aviaries
6 is still not 100%. We have started dosing him again
and he has been examined by our veterinarian. The remaining
6 birds are all looking good.
- Our
captive pair, Moka and Chino, watched with interest
as a tree stump nest box was installed in their aviary.
Hopefully they are thinking it would be a great place
to lay some eggs over the next couple of months.
- The
Campbell Island Teal destined for release onto Campbell
Island have completed all their disease screening requirements,
and crate training, so are now counting down the days
until their big adventure begins - that day will be
Tuesday 22 August. Check out the New Zealand Society
website, www.nzsociety.co.uk/TEAL
for info on a fundraising extravaganza organised to
raise money for the Campbell Island Teal. On Saturday
2nd September a charity gourmet barbeque and art sale
is taking place at Marlborough House in London, with
menu designed by kiwi chef Peter Gordon. Art is being
displayed at NZ House in London prior to the auction,
and a catalogue showcasing all the artworks for sale
can be downloaded from the website. They are also accepting
remote bids for the artwork, and you can also buy a
t-shirt to support the teal. So check out the website,
and tell all your friends about it as well!
- Kokako-
“Mihitai” was moved to Antips Aviary to
finish her quarantine period for her release into the
Pukaha Mt Bruce Forest next week. This allowed us to
move the juvenile female from Aviary 16 into Aviary
7a. We hope that “Poutoma” and this currently
un-named female will bond and form a new breeding pair
for this coming season. They are currently getting to
know each other through the common wall between the
aviaries.
- Takahe
– Our male takahe, Blossom, has had his name changed
to “Bud”. Bart and Bud are quite chummy
and we felt this name was a better fit for a 10 year
old male takahe.
Pukaha
restoration;
- The
young kiwi are now apparently well settled. One has
managed the trip into the next valley, back to the ridge,
and back into the valley again, while the others generally
stay close to the ridge and face. All the young birds
will soon be caught to see how their transmitter harnesses
are wearing. At the last check all was well and they
were a healthy weight. Once they are big enough to wear
adult harnesses, checking will become an annual event,
but until then we are trying to check on them every
six weeks. The latest round of transmitter changes also
brought the chance to have a quick check on the birds
and showed that one female has an injury to her beak.
We are seeking veterinarian advice about how best to
treat her. Our first nesting male has been found, not
close to home this year, but most of the way to the
ridge. We candled two eggs in the nest and removed one
that was infertile. The other was well advanced and
will shortly be taken in for the final stages of incubation
and hatching.
-
We are about to start the annual round of pest control,
again using Racumin and again concentrating primarily
on ship rats. The first monitoring for rats using tracking
tunnels is due this week and it will be interesting
to see what the population is like after the cold and
damp winter. A "normal" index for a population
is anywhere between 20% and 70% of tunnels tracked and
over the past years ours have generally tracked in the
20's early in the season. Thomas and Yvan our French
volunteers have been checking some of the traps and
getting GPS readings of both trap and bait station sites
to build an accurate picture of the coverage our grid
is giving.
Top
14
July 2006
Captive
Breeding
- The
kiwi egg that was removed from our nocturnal house pair
(Rangi and Tua) last month hatched successfully. The
chick has already started to feed itself and has nearly
regained its hatch weight. The chick is currently housed
in one of our brooders in the service block but will
be transferred outside shortly. While removing the first
egg from Tua’s nest, a second egg was found that
had been buried. The second egg was placed in the nest
cup for Tua to incubate. Unfortuately ten days later
the egg was found broken and it was removed.
- All
of the hihi are looking good. Recently, Riley our male
hihi in aviary 6 was showing signs of poor health. He
was treated for Aspergillus and has improved. The female
hihi in the cell block aviary has recently been given
a name. This bird is very curious so was given the name
Mahira. Mahira means inquisitive in Maori.
- We
have named the male kaka that was recently transferred
from Otorohanga to Pukaha Mt Bruce “Chino”.
He was moved to Aviary 4 and introduced to our female
Moka on July 11th.
- Travel
crate training has begun for the Campbell Island Teal
destined for Campbell Island. This allows the teal to
become familiar with the crates, and feel comfortable
feeding in the crates prior to the boat trip to Campbell
Island.
-
The New Zealand Shore Plover Recovery Group met in Christchurch
recently to discuss new release sites for chicks produced
at Mt Bruce and Peacock Springs this coming breeding
season. We will attempt to form two more breeding pairs
for next season.
Pukaha restoration
- A
pair of wild kokako has been seen recently in the reserve
behind the visitor centre. Wild kokako have also been
seen close to aviary 16. This seems to be stirring up
the captive pair and encouraging some impressive singing
from them. Other than that, the kokako are having a
winter away from prying human eyes.The
annual round of transmitter changes is happening for
the wild kiwi in the reserve. These transmitters only
last 12 months so need to be changed annually. This
also gives us a chance to assess their health. So far
all are in very good condition. One of the males is
sitting on an egg (or maybe more than one!), so there
will be a night trip to candle it and confirm that it
is fertile. The young birds are all doing well. One
chick dispersed over the ridge and down into the next
valley. He has recently proved his fitness by climbing
back out again and is currently sitting again on top
of the ridge.
- The
three adults that were released two weeks ago are all
moving about and seem to be settling in well. Thomas
and Yvan, two French students have arrived to spend
the rest of the winter finishing the GPS work started
by Danny and Lauren. They will also be checking the
stoat traps and resetting the rest of the bait stations.
So far they are undaunted by the rain and, like the
kiwi, have managed to climb out of the valley without
falling foul of the huge supplejack tangles.
- The
planning for the next round of pest control is well
advanced with a target of late August or early September
for the first filling of the bait stations. This is
a little earlier than last year and should allow us
to get on top of the rats before they have a chance
to start breeding.
Top
14th
June 2006
Captive
Breeding;
- Three
adult North Island. brown kiwi have been transferred
to the National Wildlife Centre recently. These kiwi
are being held in our kiwi pens until they are released
into the reserve. The planned released date for these
birds is the 27th June. Before they are released they
will all be fitted with transmitters so they can be
monitored closely.
- The
kiwi egg in the nocturnal house has been candled recently.
The chick is developing as expected and should hatch
within the next 7-14 days. Prior to hatching the egg
will be removed from the nest and will be hatched artificially
in an incubator.
- Measurements
and weights were taken from our 5 Tuatara last month.
All 5 are looking healthy and are steadily gaining weight.
- Annette
Hunt has recently joined the team as a temporary captive
breeding ranger. Annette has a Bachelor of Science degree
in zoology and a post graduate diploma in marine science.
- A
new male kaka has been transferred from Otorohanga kiwi
house. He will be held in the kea aviary while he is
being quarantined. Once quarantine has finished he will
then be paired with our female kaka Moka in aviary 3.
- The
female Kokako in aviary 7 is destined to be released
in the Pukaha Mount Bruce reserve. She is currently
undergoing disease screening and will hopefully be released
in the coming months.
Pukaha restoration;
- All
is now relatively quiet on the restoration front as
winter begins to bite and field work slows.Danny and
Lauren our two American volunteers have been working
hard tracking our wild kiwi and using GPS to locate
trap lines within the reserve. They have also spotted
a number of wild kokako while undertaking their duties.
-
All the kiwi from the releases are doing well and are
relatively easy to locate. C2 the kiwi chick produced
by Rangi and Tua our nocturnal house pair was recaptured
recently due to a failed transmitter. This transmitter
has been replaced with a new one and he was released
back into the reserve last Tuesday.
- At
the recent Kokako Recovery Group meeting it was decided
that the 18 birds released at Pukaha Mount Bruce over
the past 3 years should be sufficient for the founding
of this population. No further releases are required
in the foreseeable future.
Top
19th
May 2006
Captive
Breeding
- Rangi
and Tua’s egg in the nocturnal house was candled
2 weeks ago. Candling revealed this egg is fertile.
Rangi and Tua have produced 6 eggs within the last 12
months, not a bad effort!
- The
three kiwi chicks that were incubated and hand reared
by captive breeding staff were released into Pukaha
Mount Bruce Reserve last week. All the chicks were fitted
with transmitters prior to release. These transmitters
will allow staff to monitor the chicks closely during
the coming months.
- Two
of the chicks hatched from eggs produced in the wild.
The 3rd chick was from our nocturnal house pair Rangi
and Tua. We are still holding a forth chick in the kiwi
pens at the back of the Takahe enclosure. This chick
was also produced by Rangi and Tua. The chick will be
released once it reached 1100-1200 grams. It currently
weighs 800 grams.
- The
last hihi juvenile was released at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
last month. Eight hihi have been released at the sanctuary
this season. We are currently holding 3 male and 4 female
hihi in captivity. These birds will form our breeding
population for 2006/07The three hand reared bats were
transferred to Kapiti Island during April.
- The
bats will be held in an enclosure on the island until
they are released.Kaka- Muzz and four fledglings were
released into Pukaha/Mt Bruce on Monday 1st May.
- Eight
Campbell Island Teal were transferred from Peacock Springs
Wildlife Park in Christchurch to Mt Bruce in late April.
The birds will be held with the Mt Bruce teal and are
destined for release onto Campbell Island later this
year. New Zealand Shore Plover - Plans are underway
to release the remaining juvenile shore plovers from
the 2005/2006 breeding season. All have recovered from
the avian pox outbreak. If the weather cooperates, the
14 birds from Pukaha Mt. Bruce and 4 birds from Isaac
Wildlife Trust will be transferred to a predator free
island on May 22.
- All
7 Kokako (3 pairs and 1 juvenile) are getting routine
disease screens and have been weighed this month. "Mihitai"
the female in Aviary 7 will have two disease screenings
as we hope to release her into Pukaha Mt. Bruce forest
in early June.
- Our
two male and one female Takahe are all getting along
quite well. Blossom and Bart are often seen together
at the feeding hopper. This may be because Blossom isn't
use to eating from a hopper and relies on Bart to open
the lid. Currently we have one feeding hopper with the
lid propped open and one with the lid down. Once we
see Blossom opening the lid on his own we will close
both hoppers.
Pukaha
restoration
- Kokako-
The last nest of the season (a Mapara pair in the main
part of the block) failed, probably as a result of a
falcon or harrier taking the chicks. However the cause
cannot yet, and may never be fully determined. We did
recover the nest and it will be taken to the upcoming
kokako Recovery group meeting for analysis.
- The
end result of the breeding season this year for kokako
was that 6 nests were located and monitored, of which
four were successful and produced six fledglings. Currently
over 20 wild kokako are in the Pukaha Mount Bruce Reserve.
Of course there are quite possibly youngsters this year
from nests that we were not able to find!
- Tom
our restoration contactor is about to finish his contract.
Tom has again done a huge amount during the time with
us. We would like to say a huge “thanks”
to both Tom and Ollie, along with all the other staff
and volunteers who made this such a successful season
- The
release of the first wild bred kiwi chicks in early
May marked a huge step forward for the kiwi project
- they, along with one from the nocturnal house pair
are being faithfully followed by Rebecca one of our
volunteers. Within a week, two of the birds had ventured
to the top of the ridge. We wait with interest to see
where the travels of these little fellows will take
them.
- The
two goats that have been wandering about separately
at each end of the reserve have now met up. The male
goat has made the move into the north flowing catchment
and the telemetry signals indicate that he and the nanny
are close together. These goats are monitored closely.
This monitoring will allow us to easily detect any increase
in goat number within the reserve. The male goat had
a vasectomy before he was released into the reserve
so there is no risk these two goats will breed.
Top
16
April 2006
Captive
Breeding;
- Rangi
and Tua our captive kiwi pair have produced another
egg. The kiwi breeding season usually starts in June
and finishes in February so this egg was a bit of a
surprise. Tua the male has started to incubate this
egg and we will be candling it next week to see if it
is fertile. We plan to release Rangi and Tua into the
Pukaha Mount Bruce Reserve during the next few months
and will be getting 2 Kiwi from Napier to replace these
birds.
- The
4 Kiwi chicks in the Takahe enclosure continue to gain
weight. The 2 oldest birds are now over 1200 grams and
are ready to be released. Kiwi chicks over this weight
are better able to fight off predators. The 2 younger
chicks still have a bit of growing to do and will probably
be released into the reserve during late winter or early
spring.
- Three
hihi were released at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary last
month. Two of the birds (Sally and Bramble) failed to
breed last year. The third bird was one of last season
fledglings. We have one more fledgling to release this
season. This will hopefully happen next week. Unfortuately
Ngatiwai our oldest male hihi was euthanased last month
because of ongoing health issues. One of Izzie’s
fledglings will be held back to replace him.
- Our
2 Tuatara babies have been moved into the visitor centre
and have been given names. Their Maori names Pouri and
Rama refer to their skin colouration. Pouri, meaning
dark and Rama meaning light. Sam our 5 year old Tuatara
has been transferred from the visitor centre to the
back of the nocturnal house.
- Female
kaka “Boots” has been released into Pukaha/Mt
Bruce forest. Some of this year’s fledglings are
starting to use the supplementary feed stations.
- The
appearance of a newly hatched duckling in one of the
CI teal pens on Monday 3rd April was a nice (if somewhat
unexpected) surprise. This is probably the latest that
a CI teal duckling has hatched in captivity at the NWC.
- Unfortunately
the second Shore Plover release that was scheduled for
the 20th March has had to be postponed, with about half
the juvenile birds scheduled for release showing signs
of avian pox. These birds are currently being quarantined
while the pox lesions heal.
- Kokako-
The juvenile in aviary 16 was recently separated from
her parents for a short period. Mapara and Tama nui
were moulting and showing a bit of aggression towards
the young female, however all are now together again
and getting along well.
Pukaha
restoration;
- So
far it has been a great season for our wild kokako -
6 nests have been monitored this season, with four of
the nests having successfully produced a total of six
juveniles. One nest currently has another two chicks
which are yet to fledge, and only one nest is known
to have failed this season for unknown reasons.
- The
wild kiwi male whose mate was found dead in the stream
has not wasted any time and has shifted up the hill
and found one of the lone females. He was found with
2 eggs, both of which unfortunately proved infertile.
- The
call of wild kaka continues to be commonly heard around
the Wildlife Centre, but there are more signs of activity
further out in the heart of the reserve.
- Both
possum and rat numbers have been beaten into the low
levels required for successful kokako nesting, in fact
possum monitoring failed to catch a single animal
-
There are signs that other bird species such as tomtit,
tui and bellbird have had a huge nesting season, along
with an increase in observed reptile activity.
- The
mustelid trapping that our stoat contractor (Olliver
Knox) ran over the season caught only a few animals
(which is a good sign), and along with low catches from
the Regional Council trapping in the buffer, shows that
we are far from overrun by these voracious animals.
- Successful
kaka nesting also helps indicate that they are at low
numbers.Most of the monitoring effort this past season
has been directed at kokako and kiwi, with a lesser
amount devoted to kaka. However, a series of lines to
monitor tomtit abundance has been established and will
operate from next breeding season.
- The
data collected from this monitoring will show how wild
species are responding to low levels of introduced predators
and other pest species.
Biodiversity
Manager Ponderings;
- You
may have heard, Pukaha Mount Bruce recently won the
Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks
and Aquaria (ARAZPA) award for In Situ Conservation.
This award was presented to Pukaha Mount Bruce for exceptional
effort towards habitat preservation, species restoration
and support of biodiversity in the wild. I would like
to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the
staff at Pukaha Mount Bruce on gaining this International
recognition for the great work that has been occurring
at Pukaha Mount Bruce over the years. More about this
here...
- Oliver
Knox has finished his contract with us as the “Stoat
Contractor”, and Jacqui Walls has recently finished
up as our Captive Breeding Summer Contractor.It is with
some regret that I have resigned from my position as
Biodiversity Program Manager at Pukaha Mount Bruce,
and will soon be moving to Adelaide to commence as the
Manager of Cleland Wildlife Park. It has been a great
honour to have been involved in the programs at Pukaha
Mount Bruce, and I have been very privileged to have
had the opportunity to work with a very dedicated and
professional group of people. I would particularly like
to take this opportunity to thank all of the Biodiversity
Staff for all of their support during my time here,
and know that Pukaha Mount Bruce will continue to achieve
amazing results as a result of their dedication.
Top
8
March 2006
- Rangi
and Tua our captive kiwi pair have had further 2 chicks
hatch. Their 2nd chick hatched last month and has already
been transferred outside to join the 2 wild kiwi chicks
from the reserve. Their 3rd chick of the season hatched
approximately 12 days ago. The egg was found with a
hole in the shell just before it was planned to be removed
for artificial incubation. This hole was probably made
by Tua as he tried to roll the egg. The egg was removed
and a piece of shell from an old kiwi egg was used to
seal the hole. The chick hatched 5 days later and has
just started to eat. Unfortunately their 5th egg of
the season was also found in the nest box with a hole
in it. Tua hadn’t started to incubate this egg
so it was unable to be saved.
- Eight
hihi chicks have fledged so far this season. Four of
these chicks have already been released at Karori Wildlife
Sanctuary. Reports earlier this week indicate these
chicks are doing well. Staff members also said that
3 of the 4 hihi that were release at the sanctuary last
year are breeding and have produced a number of chicks.
We currently have one more nest containing 2 chicks.
This nest belongs to Zoe in aviary 2. Riley our male
hihi in the cell block aviaries was showing signs of
aspergillus last week. He has improved during the last
2 days having been treated with Alcobon and Diflucan.
We
have decided to release Sally, Ngatiwai and Bramble
at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary next month. Bramble showed
no signs of breeding this year. So instead of holding
her for another year and hoping she will breed, we have
decided to replace her with one of this years fledglings.
Sally and Ngatiwai are both relatively old birds and
releasing them will allow us to have a younger and hopefully
more productive breeding population. Both Ngatiwai and
Sally failed to breed last season. All 3 birds are currently
in quarantine and disease screening has started.
- The
kaka in the reserve have had another busy breeding season.
Fourteen chicks have fledged so far this year with another
2 chicks still to fledgeMillie and Muzz our captive
kaka pair in aviary 3 have successfully fledged 4 chicks.
These chicks will be released into the reserve this
coming autumn. Muzz will also be released at the same
time. Millie will be transferred to Staglands Wildlife
Park in Upper Hutt. Moka our 1 year old female kaka
in aviary 4 will be moved to aviary 3 once it becomes
empty. Moka will be paired with a new male kaka from
Otorohanga. If all goes to plan this bird will arrive
this coming winter.We have recently received a 16 year
old female kaka called Boots. Boots was transferred
from Nga Manu wild sanctuary in Waikanae. We have started
disease screening on this bird and she has been placed
in quarantine. If there are no positive results during
the disease screening, she will be released into the
reserve next week
- Eleven
captive bred New Zealand Shore Plover were released
onto an island in Foveaux Strait in February. Fifteen
birds were planned to be released but unfortunately
4 birds suffered head injuries the day before the release
and had to be held back. The most likely cause of these
injuries was the birds flying into the wire netting
probably having been scared by a Harrier Hawk. The 4
birds were treated by our vet and held inside for a
few days before being released back into the aviary.
A second Shore Plover release is scheduled for the 20th
March. This release will consist of another 13 captive
bred birds plus the 4 birds that missed out on the first
release.The Campbell Island teal have produced 23 ducklings
this season. These ducklings will once again be released
onto Campbell Island later this year. This will be the
3rd year running that teal from Pukaha Mount Bruce have
been released onto the island.
-
Unfortuately one of our oldest female Campbell Island
Teal died of egg peritonitis. Fairchild was 9 years
old.
- Rosemary
Vander Lee has joined the biodiversity team, replacing
Rose Collen as our Shore Plover/Kokako/Takahe captive
breeding ranger. Rosemary immigrated to New Zealand
from the United States. She has a Masters of Science
in Wildlife Ecology and has worked extensively on endangered
species recovery efforts throughout her career.
- Blossom
our new male Takahe that arrived from Tiri Tiri Matangi
Island late last year has been successfully introduced
to our resident pair in the takahe enclosure. A small
amount of aggression was observed early during the introduction
but the birds quickly settled down. The birds are often
seen feeding together and are providing plenty of viewing
opportunities for visitors.
- Our
Kokako in aviary 16 have hatched and fledged 1 chick.
Feathers were removed from this bird last month and
sent away for DNA sexing. The test revealed the fledgling
is a female.Tony, Tom and Ollie have been busy out in
the reserve battling the numerous predators that threaten
our native wildlife. 3 wild kokako chicks have fledged
so far this year. Another 2 wild nests are due to hatch
any day now.
- A
recent possum monitor caught no possums in the reserve
and a recent rat monitor revealed a tracking rate of
3.75%. Any number below 5% is considered good
Top
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