Lake Okareka
  • Home
    • LŌCA Committee
    • Lake Ōkāreka History
    • Contact
  • Landcare
    • Possum & Rat Traps
    • Contact
  • Tennis Club
    • Contact
  • Fishing Club
    • Lake Ōkāreka
    • Contact
  • Preschool
  • Fire Brigade
  • Campsites
  • Walking Tracks
    • Eastern Walkway
    • Tarawera Trail
    • Western Okataina
    • Tikitapu Scenic Reserve
    • Whakarewarewa Forest
  • Community Newsletters
  • Mistletoe Project
    • Tikitapu Pest Control
    • Ōkāreka Mistletoe Walk
  • Neighbourhood Support
  • Okareka Civil Defence
    • Ōkāreka Resident Registry
    • Okataina Volcanic Geology

NATIVE LONG TAIL BATS FOUND AT LAKE OKAREKA

3/12/2013

0 Comments

 
Volunteers from Landcare Okareka and Rotorua branch of Forest and Bird are working together to search for the presence of native bats in the Lake Okareka catchment area. No work has been done by Department of Conservation actually looking for bats in this area. The results of the on-going animal pest control programme in the Lake Tikitapu Scenic Reserve are showing a great improvement in the biodiversity there, borne out by the improving monitoring counts of birds and vegetation, especially mistletoe. One biodiversity element for the Lake Okareka catchment that has been spoken about has been native bats – long tailed and short tailed. So both organisations are involved in a project this summer to see if bats can be located here at Lake Okareka.

Native bats or pekapeka are one of the few native land mammals of New Zealand, apart from seals and sea lions. Pekapeka are only found in New Zealand, from where they have been isolated from other species of bats for millennia. There are two main kinds (genera) – the long tailed bat Chalinolobus and the lesser short tailed bat Mystacina. Both kinds are endangered.

Long-tailed bats emerge at dusk, when they could be mistaken for late-flying fantails or swallows. Short-tailed bats emerge only when it is properly dark, so they are rarely seen. Pekapeka navigate and catch insects at night by boucing high -frequency sounds off their surroundings. This activity called “echolocation” gives the bats a detailed picture of their environment using sound waves rather than light.

Because of the difficulty of seeing these tiny flying animals (the size of small mice) at night, scientists have developed “automatic bat detectors”. These are small devices that pick up and record the high-frequency “echolocation calls” that the bats emit in flight. Using these “bat detectors” researchers have discovered that although pekapeka are widespread, their range has declined and they are numerous in only a few places.

Funding for the data cards and batteries for the bat recording devices is being provided to Landcare Okareka under their Biodiversity Management Plan with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Pekapeka are highly mobile, with flights of 10 to 25 kms common. An individual bat will often fly over 50 km in a night and cruise to a favourite feeding site at over 60 km per hour. Because they feed over such a wide area, pekapeka need about 150 sq km of forest to sustain a colony. Just because we may not find the presence of bats at a certain location this week, does not mean to say they won't be there at a future date.

Both species depend for shelter on the oldest and largest trees in cool temperate rain forests, forming colonies in well-insulated tree-cavities to protect them from the elements. During the summer breeding season long-tailed bats change trees almost daily, females carrying their single young with them.

Long-tailed bats stick strictly to a diet of flying insects; mainly moths, midges, mosquitos and beetles. They use a membrane along the full length of their tails to scoop up insects on the wing.

And we are pleased to report that long-tailed bats have been found at a few sites around the Lake Okareka catchment. Results of this survey which will continue over summer, will be passed on to Department of Conservation for a nation-wide bat monitoring dataset.

Thanks to the Department of Conservation publication about pekapeka bats for the information for this article.

Mike and Sandra Goodwin
0 Comments

TRAPPING IN ESPLANADE STRIP IN LAKE OKAREKA

2/12/2013

0 Comments

 
A small group of local volunteers from Landcare Okareka and the dab chick monitoring group who are interested in protecting wetland birds, especially dab chicks, have been involved with a trapping project under Department of Conservation approval since mid September. The current area being trapped is the esplanade strip around Acacia bay area at Lake Okareka. The locations of all of the trap locations have been GPS'd. Traps are being checked at regular intervals, and the catches recorded. To date, we have caught 20 rats and five hedgehogs. DOC believes that at Lake Tarawera there does seem to be a correlation between the increase in dab chick numbers and the ongoing rodent control there.

The traps being used are DOC 250 humane kill traps, which are secured into wooden boxes and these comply will all DOC protocols. Landcare Okareka holds the DOC permit, on behalf of this group. The traps were provided to the group by DOC, having been surplus to their requirements from Mokoia Island.

The traps are designed to catch rats and mustelids (stoats, ferrets or weasles), which predate on local fauna – wetland birds, lizards, insects and frogs. 

The group hopes to expand the operation to other riparian areas around Lake Okareka. More traps and boxes will be donated to the group or funded by Lake Okareka Community Assn through proceeds from the DOC camp on Millar Road.

The next count of dab chicks will take place in February and will coincide with a five yearly survey of all lakes by DOC and the Ornithological Society.

If you are interested to help with this trapping project please contact:
Mike Vincent 3628 376 or Mike Goodwin 3628 865.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Archives

    July 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.