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The tuneful chattering calls of the Whitehead could soon be heard in Shakespear Regional Park, following the announcement last month that this species is likely to be the first bird to be reintroduced to the Open Sanctuary.
Open sanctuary coordinator Matt Maitland says the process is well underway that will see around 60 of the little birds released at Shakespear, mainly sourced from Tiritiri Matangi Island.
Whiteheads (or popokotea) are found on the mainland North Island in dense forests. Habitat loss and predation has seen them disappear from Auckland north, aside from sanctuaries.
The birds gather in noisy flocks in the forest canopy and are often heard before they are seen.
Matt says that he expects that the birds will be re-introduced to Shakespear this winter, or next, and that once they are there, robust monitoring is required.
“Reintroductions are a high-risk area of conservation management,” Matt says. “Whiteheads have been successfully reintroduced to a number of sites including Tawharanui Open Sanctuary, which has similar topography, habitat and site management. Robust monitoring will take place to observe and describe the result, whichever way it falls.”
In addition, the Open Sanctuary has noted two sightings of Forest Gecko, the latest in recent weeks, offering hope that this population is in recovery in the park.
The confirmation that Forest Gecko are present means that the Open Sanctuary has seven out of the nine reptile species found in the Auckland ecological region.
“This gives us the greatest lizard biodiversity in mainland Auckland and is very exciting for our volunteers and supporters,” Matt says.
Next stop China – A flock of around 30 bar-tailed Godwits left Okoromai Bay in Shakespear Regional Park late last month for their annual non-stop flight to China and then on to Alaska. They breed in the tundra there and are expected back at Okoromai in September. Photo, Donald Snook
