We have to accept that, if we are to save endangered native fauna, we have to get rid of the animals that can harm them. WekaWatch targets the worst weka predators, stoats, ferrets and weasels and also rats and hedgehogs. Safe baits became very expensive so we now use only traps. Timms traps. Most people are familiar with the bright yellow trap in the photo below. Timms traps are the most effective... Read More | Share it now!
Our enthusiastic trappers had a productive month in June. The two long trap lines on the Tawhitokino farm were walked and 92 traps were cleared, some of them twice. And the results? 70 rats, 9 hedgehogs, and one stoat. Only 2 possums have been taken in the Te Papa Road area this month, quite a low number for 30 days. But the possum total for 2017 is now 34! We are really targeting stoats and ferrets. The... Read More | Share it now!
Bad news for the possums but good news for the weka in the Te Papa Road area! Possums frequently trip our motion sensitive cameras so we know they are always there in our valley. In April John trapped 14 of them! Thank you Barbara and Alan for the free feijoas – the possums loved them! This gives us a grand total of 352 of these pests trapped since 2005. We all know that possums are a ‘bad... Read More | Share it now!
The photo shows a weka eating a dead rat. This shows how important it is to use the correct poison to eradicate rats and mice and may be a contributing factor in the decline in bird numbers .We also have evidence of a weka feeding its chicks from a dead rat . To avoid “Secondary Kill” the bait to use is called RACUMIN (this contains the active agent COUMATETRALYL) which removes the possibility of secondary... Read More | Share it now!
Hi there weka counters You will all be aware of our concerns for the sudden drop in weka numbers in the winter of 2015. To get a good idea of where the weka population stands in autumn 2016 we need a really good turn out of counters this year. The dates set for the 2016 annual weka count are the four Saturdays in April. Please note the dates in your diaries and try to get to at least one. It is really... Read More | Share it now!
Bottle tops and more bottle tops! We have had a wonderful response to our request for milk bottle tops from the residents of Kawakawa Bay and now have enough to last us at least 2 years! We have our first Aroma Towers out in use. After some research into importing stainless steel tubing from the UK at $50 a metre (very expensive!) and trying to drill holes in plastic waste pipe (very time consuming!), we... Read More | Share it now!
Weka around Kawakawa Bay have been very, very quiet lately… But THANK GOODNESS! We have had this awesome news from Debbie & Steve who live further along Coast Rd. They have reported weka chicks and here is evidence. “The first three photos are of Whitey and Suzy’s first chick (Tane) for this year, now in his adolescence. The last two are of the three new chicks. They have also seen Whitey... Read More | Share it now!
Weka sightings have been way down of late and the WekaWatch committee decided to trial a camera to record what may be causing the problem. Recently a new trap was set up at the junction of 5 tracks. Fresh rabbit was used as bait and the little cage was pegged down with wire to avoid it being knocked over by stock. The camera was set on video. Volunteers will retrieve the recordings as often as possible. ... Read More | Share it now!
Weka sightings have been way down of late and the WekaWatch committee decided to trial a camera to record what may be causing the problem. Recently a new trap was set up at the junction of 5 tracks. Fresh rabbit was used as bait and the little cage was pegged down with wire to avoid it being knocked over by stock. The camera was set on video. Volunteers will retrieve the recordings as often as possible. ... Read More | Share it now!