Environment – A safe haven

While we’ve had a few false starts, the Shakespear Open Sanctuary should receive its first kiwi in a few months.
 
We finally have all the permits, permissions and funding for the first 20 Little Spotted Kiwi to be trans-located. All such kiwi are descended from a remnant population on Kapiti, so it is important to try to introduce more genetic diversity. We’re therefore getting 10 males from Tiritiri Matangi and 10 females from Kapiti.

However there is still a lot of work to be completed before then, as we need to erect low fences to prevent the kiwi getting access to the ends of the pest-proof fence.  These have to extend all the way to the nearest cliff face to prevent kiwi getting down to the beaches.

 

While you can expect to see more coverage in Hibiscus Matters of their introduction soon, their actual release has to be a carefully managed affair as the welfare of these birds will be paramount. They’d be terrified by being released into bright sunlight under the feet of a crowd of people!

I still have people telling me that pest animals too can just get around the end of the pest-proof fence and therefore “the fence does not work”, as if this we’ve overlooked this flaw and erected a modern version of the Maginot Line.

 

However, from the outset it was acknowledged as a ‘leaky’ obstacle so the occasional incursion was anticipated and planned for, with hundreds of traps and bait stations both inside and outside the fence. So, yes, we do get the odd rat or possum but so far their days have been numbered once they’ve entered the sanctuary.

The effect of all this is now becoming very evident from the successful breeding that has resulted. The whiteheads introduced a couple of years ago may now be heard all over the park (listen for a high-pitched chatter), and there have been recent reports of them being seen outside the Sanctuary as well. Of the 40 robins brought in last year, 26 formed pairs and between them raised 34 chicks, so the numbers have almost doubled in less than a year. Some of these will almost certainly leave the Sanctuary so if you see one please try to record its leg band colours (read bird’s top left to bottom right) and let us know. And the dotterels on Te Haruhi Beach somehow managed to overcome the king tides and summer crowds to raise 10 fledglings.

The Sanctuary is part of the North-West Wildlink that connects habitats and communities right across the Auckland ithsmus, providing safe routes and refuges for native plants and animals. As this develops you can expect to see more native birds and lizards in your garden, but their spread will remain limited by the presence of predators. To be blunt, robins and other birds spreading from Shakespear will be wiped out by the first rat or stoat they meet, so please consider doing your bit by controlling predators (and pets) in your area.