Banner Photo: Hoover caught on camera, feeding at night We have been very fortunate to be granted funds from First Light Community Foundation for trail cameras to monitor our Kaweka kiwi. On 31 August, Greg and I placed one camera near kiwi Hoover’s nest to monitor comings and goings from his burrow and any critters… [Read More]
We’re all go at last, and have our first chick in the crèche
Banner Photo: Ari’s egg with its patch (l), and Mr JC’s egg After the sad loss of kiwi Kanuka, we have some happier news. We had two teams out last Sunday (18 September) for the first nest raids of the season and brought out our first chick and two eggs. Anna and Deb raided Mr… [Read More]
Help from a lot of friends, to scare off invaders
Top picture: The safety briefing Thousands of starlings have been roosting within the crèche at Lake Opouahi, threatening to make it an unhealthy environment for young kiwi. The starlings’ droppings carry disease. A team of volunteers, mostly from the Tutira community and led by George Christison, took on the challenge of scaring the invaders off…. [Read More]
Tom’s lucky day – great escaper wins his freedom
Tom’s territory – with Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe in the far distance Tom had been awol for about seven months. We last heard him in mid-December 2021 and, despite an extensive search by Mike and Lyn, he remained silent until early July, when he suddenly reappeared! Deb did a double take to make sure she had… [Read More]
Nesting season’s under way
Top picture: David demonstrating his kiwi tracking skills July 20 – The 2022-23 season is under way with six nests on the go. Our first hatch is due around 11 September, with a raid about 21 September. Fortnightly monitoring of Makahu Saddle and Middle Hill would be good at this stage, moving to weekly as… [Read More]
The growing threat of feral cats
Feral cats are becoming a big problem in many parts of the country. But the ‘cat conversation’ can be contentious. Save the Kiwi National Predator Control Advisor John Bissell discusses why feral cats are becoming more of a threat, and why this observation isn’t an attack on domestic cats. He says: ‘Feral cat numbers in… [Read More]
A trap line with a river view
Te Puia Track, Hot Springs and Mangatainoka trap line, Wednesday 15 June 2022 Julia recently went trap line checking with Grant, a new volunteer on the Save Our Kaweka Kiwi taskforce. Grant wants to ‘give back’ to the Kaweka Forest Park, where he spends downtime with his family camping and hunting. With recent rain in… [Read More]
Doing it hard, now we’re flightless – just like kiwi Camy
A few weeks ago, Deb and David completed an overnight trip to do a health check on kiwi ‘Camy’. With no longer having access to a helicopter, it was a matter of clearing the badly storm-damaged ridge to make future trips a bit easier and quicker. Deb tells the story: After spending all day on… [Read More]
