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Omaha’s shorebird population is under serious threat from predation and human disturbance, members of the Omaha Shorebird Protection Trust told Rodney Local Board (RLB) in December.
Trustees Jo Strahan and Dr Marie Ward outlined the challenges facing Omaha Beach Reserve, also known as the Omaha Shorebird Sanctuary.
The reserve, which is protected by the Omaha predator fence, “is tiny and the only area in the catchment safe for shorebirds to breed, roost and rest” during nesting season, which starts in spring and goes through to February.
However, the trustees said the shorebirds’ breeding habitat had been severely reduced, with cats entering around the ends of the fence and exceptionally high visitor numbers inside the sanctuary disturbing wildlife “all hours of the day and night”.
This was supported by data the trust had been collecting since 2009, including on-the-ground observations and trail camera captures.
Video footage showed cats had been active in the reserve 187 times over the past five years, while visitor numbers in November during the current breeding season was 25 disturbances per day on average.
Consequently, 33 shorebird eggs had been lost, or 33 potential chicks.
As a result, the breeding outcome of the shored birds was well below population replacement with fewer than 20 breeding pairs each of dotterels and oyster catchers left at Omaha.
The good news was that both of these issues (cats and people) could be better managed, the trust said.
It wanted RLB to implement the Rodney Local Park Management Plan, which was adopted by the board in 2023. This would:
- Restrict inappropriate activities inside the reserve
- Limit access over high tide when birds are sleeping
- Manage cats inside the sanctuary – accept Department of Conservation (DOC) help
- Support community to extend the predator fence
- Control public access through a single entry/exit
- Define walkway to a viewing area
- Fund monitoring and enforcement
RLB member Lisa Whyte asked for clarification on how DOC could assist with cat management and how trapping cats would “go down in the community”.
Ward said the trust respected the community and Auckland Council, and “didn’t do cat trapping”.
“It would be better if we could prevent cats from coming in at all. Every year we speak at community meetings, to the groups that are interested. And a lot of people are quite angry about the cats that are left to roam all night,” she said.
Strahan said community support for controlling cat populations was strong.
“A 2024 survey of Rodney residents showed over 80 per cent of respondents said that they supported the initiative of containment and control of cats within two kilometres of a wildlife sanctuary.
“Now, all of Omaha is within two kilometres of a wildlife sanctuary because we’re bookended by Tawharanui (Regional Park). So a mandate is there within the community.”
Also, Predator Free 2050 just recently included feral cats within the list of controlled predators. So there’s really a groundswell of readiness to control cats, even though you will get pushback from a very small group of people, Strahan said.
RLB deputy chair Ivan Wagstaff asked if the trust was pushing for an extension to the predator fence (which would need to be privately funded).
The trust said it wouldn’t be putting money into the resource consent process unless it had the support of the board.
RLB chair Guy Wishart thanked the trust for its “excellent presentation”.
