It is two years since we set up our first shoreline trap line of twelve traps. DOC gave ten traps to the Dabchick counting group and Land Care had a couple. We now have 45 that cover the lakeshore margin along the walkway, Acacia Rd, Taumaihi Pt, Loop Rd and Boyes Beach. The traps have consistently been checked weekly in all weathers by Rod Stace, Mike Goodwin, Dave Scott and Mike Vincent. At the time of writing we had trapped 396 rats, 22 ferrets, 51 hedgehogs and 2 feral cats, the main predators of young birds and eggs. This is good for the Dabchicks (Weweia) New Zealand’s only endemic grebe of which there are only approximately 2000.
Hopefully by providing good nesting habitat which includes predator control, preserving and enhancing flora, reducing lake level fluctuation and not disturbing the birds, Okareka can increase the overall population. There will no doubt be collateral spin off for other birds such as scaup, coots, white heads, mallards, grey warblers, bellbird and tui which we see when checking the traps.
Over the past few weeks the dabchicks have been returning to the lake (where they go in the winter is a mystery, northern hemisphere grebes go to the coast because the shallow lakes they live at freeze over). Breeding pairs can be seen around the lake and in particular near the jetty, along the walkway and Boyes
Beach.
We would wish to extend our traps further along the walkway, and to new areas such as the Boyes Beach to
DOC camp walkway and around the wetland on Miller Rd. Also at Labour Weekend we are going to approach
home owners in the Loop Rd, Calder Rd and Steep St areas to see if we can get traps or bait stations on lake side properties.
If you would like to know more about what we are doing or would like to help please ring Mike Vincent on 3628 376.
Hopefully by providing good nesting habitat which includes predator control, preserving and enhancing flora, reducing lake level fluctuation and not disturbing the birds, Okareka can increase the overall population. There will no doubt be collateral spin off for other birds such as scaup, coots, white heads, mallards, grey warblers, bellbird and tui which we see when checking the traps.
Over the past few weeks the dabchicks have been returning to the lake (where they go in the winter is a mystery, northern hemisphere grebes go to the coast because the shallow lakes they live at freeze over). Breeding pairs can be seen around the lake and in particular near the jetty, along the walkway and Boyes
Beach.
We would wish to extend our traps further along the walkway, and to new areas such as the Boyes Beach to
DOC camp walkway and around the wetland on Miller Rd. Also at Labour Weekend we are going to approach
home owners in the Loop Rd, Calder Rd and Steep St areas to see if we can get traps or bait stations on lake side properties.
If you would like to know more about what we are doing or would like to help please ring Mike Vincent on 3628 376.
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