My Account
As you may have heard there has been another “translocation of ‘Kiwis’” to the open sanctuary, namely the people evacuated from Wuhan who are being quarantined on the Defence Force land.
There is no access in or out of there, so the Regional Park area remains safe for visitors.
The restricted access meant that sanctuary work scheduled for the next month had to be completed in a few days so all of the little spotted kiwi with radio trackers were rounded up for a health check. They were found to be fit and well in spite of the extended period of dry weather which can limit their food supply.
Also on the bird front, the sanctuary has now been judged a suitable habitat for hihi (stitchbird), so we are currently in the process of obtaining permits for a translocation of 60 birds this year. The introduction of animal pests and diseases plus the destruction of habitat made these birds extinct on the mainland in the 1880s, but fortunately they survived on Little Barrier Island, which has been a sanctuary since 1894. Although there are now a number of populations at various other sanctuaries they all require support, so we are starting by acquiring feeding stations and constructing yet more nesting boxes.
The dotterels on Te Haruhi Beach did not fare so well this spring. They got off to an excellent start with 13 nests and 32 eggs, but for various reasons there were only three fledglings. Apart from egg-raiders like pukeko, oyster catchers, gulls and possibly people, some nests were simply abandoned.
Kite-boarders consistently sail too close to the beach, and their kites terrify the dotterels which fly up to drive them off and leave their nests unprotected. Please remember that Maritime Safety Rules state that you must not exceed a speed of five knots if you are within 200m of the shore.
There have already been some good outcomes from the new Shakespear Interpretation Plan – ‘interpretation’ is jargon for improving visitor experiences. The most notable is the new SOSSI app, Shakespear Explorer (HM February 5) which contains two guided walks with information about the sanctuary and can be downloaded for free from the app stores. A second project has set guidelines for the look and feel of all future projects and a third seeks to improve directions at the park entrance.
Persistent flooding of the ranger station in Te Haruhi Bay meant that it had to be abandoned a couple of years ago, and the workshop and offices then moved to temporary buildings up behind the Shakespear Homestead.
Construction is now finally underway for a new nursery there as well, so SOSSI volunteers will also have a new and bigger home.
A new workshop will come next and finally, new offices and perhaps a visitor centre, but they are some years off yet.
