Kiwi Coast and a specialist team from Whakatane joined forces in February to help the Moturoa Island Wildlife Refuge figure out how well their kiwi were doing.
Kiwi Coast and Whakatane kiwi teams plan the day’s search
Moturoa is a private, 200 ha island that combines an active sheep farm with substantial area of fenced and planted native bush. The kiwi population of Moturoa Island was founded in the 1980s with seven kiwi that were moved from the Bay of Islands mainland for safekeeping when their habitat was destroyed.
The kiwi bred successfully and spread out over the island, doing well thanks to the ongoing pest control work and a huge revegetation effort by the island shareholders. Several of the 21 shareholders of the island participate in habitat and wildlife restoration and over 60,000 native plants now clad hillsides and gullies, protecting waterways and creating shade and shelter.
The Moturoa Island Wildlife Committee were in interested finding out how well the kiwi were doing, and so in the first week of February the Kiwi Coast crew joined forces with a kiwi team from Whakatane to carry out a special kiwi population survey.
The crews formed two teams of accredited kiwi handlers, each led by a specialist handler and their trained Kiwi Conservation Dog – Lesley Baigent and Yagi, as well as Bridget Palmer and Aria. The teams were joined each day by an interested island shareholder, island caretaker or trainee kiwi handler. A strategic survey plan led the crews on a search of every possible kiwi habitat and hiding place on the island.
The teams began at first light each day while temperatures were cool and scents were fresh so the four-pawed specialists could do their best work. Taking a break during the heat of the day, the teams often resumed work in the evenings when the conditions were favourable.
Moturoa Kiwi Chick held by Carol Ralph. Kiwi Coast: February 2024
Two weeks were set aside for the survey, which had a goal of catching between 30 and 50 kiwi in order to obtain enough information to generate a robust and representative population sample. However, the teams successfully located 52 kiwi in just eight days.
Lesley said “It was a pretty full-on week but a very successful one with over 50 kiwi caught, weighed, measured
and condition scored. Each bird was fitted with a tiny ID microchip so we would know if we caught the same kiwi again and to allow future identification”.
“While we heard plenty of kiwi calling around the house each night, our survey was restricted to daytime work which allowed us to learn about the habitats being used by the kiwi for roosts and burrows.”
“The teams would like to extend a huge thanks to the Moturoa Island shareholders and caretakers for all the help, transport, assistance and accommodation provided. It was a very special week and we were very grateful for the warm welcome and generous hospitality given to the teams.”
A special permit obtained by Save the Kiwi Trust enabled the survey to be undertaken, with funding provided by Kiwi Coast, Save the Kiwi Trust and donations from Moturoa Island shareholders.
