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When 40 rare hihi/stitchbirds were released at Shakespear Open Sanctuary last month, rangers and volunteers felt confident of the little birds’ chances. This is despite the fact that none of the initial batch of 40, released in 2020, survived.
Both groups of birds were translocated from Tiritiri Matangi Island sanctuary.
The difference this time, according to open sanctuaries senior ranger Matt Maitland, is increased defences against incursion by predators. The first 40 hihi were mainly victims of a substantial stoat incursion that happened shortly after the birds arrived. Covid restrictions at the time also limited the response.
“Since then, improved processes and technology for ongoing pest detection and management have consistently reached zero pest targets at the sanctuary – we have successfully been able to keep further mammal incursions from establishing,” Maitland says.
Those systems include more cameras, some with artificial intelligence and monitoring capabilities. The stoat incursion, which saw the predators at large for almost two years before eradication, also showed up hot spots that pest animals return to, which can now be monitored.
“However, wildlife translocations are ‘high risk, high return’ conservation interventions. We are acutely aware that hihi need time and care to establish. We are working with SOSSI volunteers to monitor the hihi closely and ensure they have adequate food supplies at feeding stations which have been placed throughout the sanctuary.”
Maitland says giving the species a second chance at Shakespear Open Sanctuary is important because they were originally present and are, therefore, part of restoring the ecosystem.
Hihi are one of NZ’s rarest forest birds A DOC-led programme has so far resulted in seven populations on predator free islands and protected sanctuaries, but hihi recovery remains uncertain. An eighth population at Shakespear would provide further resilience.
Visitors to the sanctuary may be able to see, or hear, hihi. They are a fantail-sized bird with a white wing bar and high pitched whistle. Males are easier to spot, with a black head and flash of yellow on the neck.
