The storms that have swept through Northland have left lots of wet paddocks and muddy paths. You can put this to good use by looking for kiwi footprints.
By measuring footprints from tip of the middle claw to the base of the heel you can figure out if you have adult or juvenile kiwi.
Wendy Sporle, from the Kiwis for Kiwi Trust says:
- Footprint lengths of about 50-80mm will be young kiwi that managed to survive the stoats over summer
- Adult kiwi footprints are over 90mm in length
By measuring footprints you can understand your kiwi population, and whether kiwi hatchlings are surviving.” 95% of kiwi chicks are killed by stoats before they reach their first birthday.
