Kiwi have been confirmed this week in the Kohinui Stream valley!
A recent report of a male kiwi call from the Kohinui Stream valley in Owhiwa was followed up this week, when professional trapper Todd Hamilton came across kiwi poo when checking stoat traps for Kohinui Stream Landcare.
The first time a kiwi was found in the Kohinui Stream valley in 2011 it had been killed by a stoat. This unfortunate find reinforced the suspicion that the growing kiwi population of the Whangarei Heads were spilling out of the carefully pest-controlled peninsula and into unsafe territory. The idea of supporting and encouraging further Landcare style groups to form in order to create a trapping network between the kiwi strongholds of Whangarei Heads and Tutukaka gained momentum, and the Kiwi Coast was born.
That first kiwi find also motivated Robyn Bigelow to form the Kohinui Stream Landcare Group with her neighbouring landowners. With support from the Northland Regional Council, Kiwi Coast and Reconnecting Northland, both animal and plant pest control got underway, native trees were planted along the stream banks and almost every landowner along the entire length of the Kohinui Stream was soon involved. Stoat traps now extend throughout the catchment, and the Kiwi Coast provides support for professional predator trapping services to ensure that that stoat, ferret and feral cat numbers are controlled.
This evidence of a live kiwi happily wandering along the Kohinui Stream valley is heartening. After three years of hard work from dedicated locals, the Kohinui Stream Valley is now so much safer for kiwi. We hope this one takes up residence and invites his friends and family to join him…
If you think you are hearing kiwi, or seeing kiwi signs such as footprints, poo or feathers you can use the Kiwi Report Form to record your find and let us know!
