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Council’s Open Sanctuaries senior ranger, Matt Maitland, left, with Chief Petty Officer John Harrison, holding the rescued kiwi.
The instincts of a volunteer at Shakespear Open Sanctuary led to the discovery of a little spotted kiwi that had fallen into a 2m deep bunker.
The bunker is hidden in long grass on the Navy land that forms part of the sanctuary and no one knew it was there.
Recently, kiwi monitoring team leader Maree Johnston was tracking the 10 kiwi within the sanctuary that still wear transmitters – most have had the devices taken off as the birds seem settled since they were introduced in April, 2017.
For some reason, with this particular bird, Maree thought something was amiss, and decided to go a bit further and get a pinpoint position.
In doing so, she discovered the bird huddled at the bottom of the bunker.
Open Sanctuaries senior ranger and bird handling expert Matt Maitland was called in to climb down, rescue the bird and check to see if it was injured from the fall.
“There was no food down there and so we were very lucky to get to him, probably less than three days after he fell,” Matt says.
The bird passed the health check with flying colours and ran away when released nearby. A lid has been fitted to the bunker.
On the lookout for rodent and rabbit
Surveillance cameras in Shakespear Open Sanctuary have picked up the presence of a rabbit, and a Norway rat in recent weeks. It is just over a year since rabbits were last found within the pest free gates, and seven months since a rat was detected there.
Open Sanctuaries senior ranger, Matt Maitland, says it is clear from the footage that the rat is a male – a female is more of a threat as it could give birth. Rabbit graze on plants, which reduces the condition of the habitat for other species. It is not known whether this rabbit is male or female.
Matt says the rabbit could have got in while the pest proof gates were closing, or from the beach side. “It’s disappointing because we have worked hard to keep the buffer zone just outside the sanctuary rabbit free, so even having them there is a worry,” he says.
“We really appreciate the work that Pest Free Peninsula is doing to reduce those numbers.” All staff and volunteers are keeping their eyes peeled for both the animals.
Rat poison has been put in bait stations and some spotlighting/shooting is taking place at night, targeting rabbits.
