Kiwi Listening Devices have recorded kiwi calls at Taheke – the first time kiwi have been heard in the area for twenty years.
Two Kiwi Listening Devices deployed on Tahere Farm off Pataua North Road have both recorded male kiwi calls. This is big news for Taheke Landcare who specifically set up to clear out the predators and get the kiwi back into this area. This follows on from the good news earlier in the year when a kiwi footprint was found further down the road at Brynavon.
Tahere Farm owners, Ian and Sandy Page, coordinate the local Taheke Landcare Group and have lived on the property for over 35 years. Sandy says:
“We last heard kiwi here 20 years ago and are absolutely delighted to have them back! This gives our local Landcare Group a whole new take on what we are doing and a huge boost to keep going!”
Kiwi Listening Devices were last deployed in 2013 but did not detect any kiwi. This did not deter the Taheke Landcare Group that kept their eyes firmly on the goal of bringing kiwi back to the area. Together private landowners and professional trappers worked hard to reduce animal pests over their 800ha project area, encourage responsible dog control and bring the native forests back to life.
Part of the Taheke Landcare project area is in plantation pine forest owned by Hancock Forest Management (HFM). The Kiwi Coast and HFM supported the group by resourcing the establishment of traplines and professional predator trappers to regularly service the traps. Since April 2014 these trappers have removed twenty-two mustelids from the area, making the area much safer for native wildlife.
It would seem that the hard work has paid off!
