The last few months since my appointment at the AGM in Napier, has gone quickly. Looking back we are making good progress on a number of fronts.
The 1200 metre low bund was constructed at Wairio to capture and hold extra water and it is performing exactly as it was designed. When I was on site there in October it was holding about 25 hectares of water with a maximum depth of 1.2 metres. Local DU members and volunteers had commenced planting along the bunds to provide cover for wildlife and protect the bund from wave lap erosion. Excellent habitat for a wide range of wetland birds including bittern, pied stilts, dabchick and waterfowl. Jim Law, Ross Cottle and team are now looking at replicating this for the block immediately to the south. This “think big” approach is certainly paying off.
I am also the DU nominee on the NZ Game Bird Habitat Trust which distributes about $100,000 each year to worthwhile wetland projects and $2 from each waterfowl hunter’s licence goes into a national fund for this purpose.
The Trust members met in November in Blenheim to inspect the Nelson – Malborough Fish and Game Para Wetland project located alongside SH1 between Picton and Blenheim. This large project has the same challenges as many wetlands: declining water levels and invading willows. There is a long term restoration plan in place currently being funded by the Trust at about $18,000 per year. The sight of large dead crack willows as you drive past looks like a grave yard but they are starting to win the battle. Native fish and wetland birds, including waterfowl are the beneficiaries.
On behalf of the Board, I hope you all had a very merry Xmas and will have a prosperous New Year. The AGM will be in the Wairarapa this year and planning is well underway to make this a success. Look forward to seeing you there.
John Cheyne
WETmak is a free online Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Kit aimed at groups working on wetland restoration projects in New Zealand. It includes a range of monitoring techniques and methods of assessing the impact of restoration work, all designed to minimise the need for expensive or complicated equipment.
The kit is available in different formats to suit user needs. You can download the entire resource or focus on specific modules. Blank datasheets and report templates can be printed off or downloaded to fill in electronically.
Download WETmak, print out a few datasheets, pull on your gumboots and head out with friends to get measuring. Increasing understanding of your restoration work will bring huge rewards and provide useful information for future planning.
There are 40 Wetlands to visit. DoC in association with the National Wetland Trust has produced a booklet about the 40 wetlands you can visit.
Pick up a copy at your local DOC info centre or visit the DOC website to view them online.
A feature wetland is Nukuhous Saltmash, Burke Road, Ohiwa Harbour, Bay of Plenty.
Nukuhou Saltmarsh covers about 60 hectares where the Nukuhou
stream enters the Ohiwa Harbour. In 2003 the Nukuhou Saltmarsh Care Group was formed and with the help of the DoC and Environment Bay of Plenty, began a significant restoration and interpretation project.
Extensive plantings, weed and pest control, an overlook, interpretation panels, pottery bird plaques, a short boardwalk and a contemplation bench have made this a pleasant place to enjoy the wetland and listen quietly for fernbird calls (a high pitched single note).
Pest control has boosted fernbird numbers, as well as banded rail, Australasian bittern and waders.
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Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) pats its own back – and so they should. It has been 75 years in the making, but they say wetland and waterfowl conservation has only just begun.
DUC celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2013. That’s three-quarters of a century of work conserving critical wetlands including marshes and ponds.
Together, they have conserved 6.4 million acres (approx 2589988ha) and completed nearly 9,400 habitat conservation projects. Building on the strong foundation developed by the founders back in 1938, DUC is continuing their rich tradition of wetland conservation and writing a new chapter for waterfowl, wildlife and all Canadians.
Read more about the DU Canada celebrations here.
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Top of the Flyways: DUC celebrates 75 years of conservation excellence
In the heart of the prairies at the height of fall migration, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) celebrated 75 years of conservation
excellence with friends and colleagues from across North America.
A special Top of the Flyways convention took place on October 5, 2013, with events held at the historic Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba and at DUC’s national office and flagship interpretive centre at Oak Hammock Marsh.
Business session
Speakers from across North America shared thoughts on DUC’s past, present and future during an informative and inspiring business session. Flyway Showcase
Nearly 900 visitors enjoyed a sunny fall day at the beautiful Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre to learn more about wetland
conservation. Conservationists of all ages got a hands-on look at DUC’s work and its importance in their lives. From radio telemetry demonstrations to bird identification challenges, critter dipping stations and more, the marsh was buzzing with activity. Plus, the sights and sounds of fall migration provided the perfect backdrop.
The historic cabin that once marked the spot of DUC’s first conservation project at Big Grass Marsh was the focal point for a special donor dedication. The cabin now resides at Oak Hammock Marsh, and a new cairn was unveiled to recognise more than 200 donors who contributed to a special major gift campaign in honour of DUC’s 75th anniversary.
Glamorous Galas and Down-Home dinners
Two fantastic sold-out events capped off Top of the Flyways. a signature gala at the Fort Garry Hotel was a vision of style, while the Marsh Keepers Migration dinner under a tent at Oak Hammock Marsh provided attendees with a spectacular setting to view results of DUC’s conservation work.
Saluting leaders, honouring legacies
Throughout its history, DUC has benefited from many pioneering and visionary leaders. Thirty-eight different men have served in the important and influential position of DUC President. Thirteen of DUC’s living past presidents joined delegates at the Top of the Flyways convention, and were honoured during a special ceremony.
Our business is to harness community, business and government resources to restore and develop lost wetland areas within New Zealand.
environment, acting as huge ecological sponges by soaking up pollutants and filtering water before it reaches streams, rivers, lakes, aquifers and the sea.
Our initiatives focus on matters as far-reaching as groundwater replenishment, flood control, nutrient and contaminant management and climate change – all critical factors for the conservation of freshwater and saltwater wetlands and marshes.
We want to preserve and conserve the flora and fauna of our most endangered ecosystem so that vibrant wetlands are our legacy to future generations.
Central to Wetland Care New Zealand’s mission is forming partnerships with people and organisations with similar aims. Money from our partnership with Banrock Station Wines has been given to wetland conservation projects done by, among others:
- Tutukaka Landcare Coalition
- Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc.
- Ducks Unlimited Operation Pateke
- Port Charles release 2005 at Coromandel
- Henley Trust, Masterton
- Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington
- Kitchener Park, Feilding
- Manawatu Estuary Trust, Foxton
- Mangaone Wetland, Raetihi
- Masterton Intermediate School
- Steyning Trust, Hawke’s Bay
- Travis Wetland Trust, Christchurch
- Wairo Wetland, South Wairarapa
- Wetland Trust New Zealand,
- Rangiriri Waitakere Branch Forest and Bird
- Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, Dunedin
- Cape kidnappers pateke release, 2008 and 2009
- Fiordland pateke release, 2009.
Bitterns are an iconic wetland bird which is becoming increasingly rare through wetland loss and predation by mammalian predators.
They are the apex avian predator in many wetlands and their presence gives an indication of overall wetland condition and health.
I was fortunate that Greater Wellington Regional Council engaged me last year through my small wetland consultancy WetlandWorks to carry out wetland bird surveys on a number of wetlands on the eastern side of Lake Wairarapa. This included Boggy Pond, Mathews Lagoon, Wairio wetland, JK Donald Block and Bartons Lagoon.
Each trip was 8-10 days duration and we based ourselves at Kilmore Lodge, a great home away from home owned by Wellington Fish and Game. One of my recommendations to the Council was the need to carry out a bittern survey of all wetlands around the lake to get a good handle on the population and what threats each site was subject to.
The survey, carried out over two weeks in October and November 2013, focused on locating male bittern who in spring advertise their presence by making a booming call much like a fog horn. They establish territories in mainly dense raupo and use this call to advertise their presence to available females and make other males aware not to come near. The main calling periods are one hour either side of sunrise and sunset. Occasionally they boom all night and all day when there is plenty of action on. This requires regular early starts and late finishes for the bittern counters.
During the survey 20 male bittern were recorded booming and their territories plotted on a map. Seventeen of the booming birds were calling from patches of raupo and the other three from scattered wet patches of oioi (jointed rush), closer to the eastern lake edge.
The main concentrations were around five key sites: Boggy/Mathews/Wairio, Ponui Lagoon, Barrage Gates, south Donald/Mangatete Stream and Bartons/Tauherenikau River mouth.
While bittern are polygamous and males can attract more than one female to their territory, some males are unsuccessful at attracting any. Other studies indicate the sex ratio is about 1:1 so the total population for Wairarapa Moana and associated wetlands is around 40 birds. A report is currently being prepared for Greater Wellington Regional Council that will discuss how these wetlands can be better managed for bittern.
Bittern Workshop
A “meeting of the minds” for people working on bittern was held at Kilmore Lodge, Boggy Pond, Wairarapa on November 2 last year. This was attended by the DOC bittern scientist from Christchurch, other DOC staff, a university student doing a doctorate on bittern, and Greater Wellington Regional Council staff.
This was followed by a get together of local people and landowners interested in bittern around Wairarapa Moana. About 25 people overall.
The presentations and discussions that followed focused on the biology of bittern, habitat use and threats from plant and animal pests and was followed by a short trip to the Boggy Pond car park where everyone heard three of the local male bittern booming and advertising their wares.
A great opportunity for everyone to share information on this threatened but still keystone wetland bird.
John Cheyne
If you live in the Auckland region and see or hear a Red-vented bulbul, ring 0800 08 99 66 and you could receive a $1000 if your information leads to a capture. Reward period runs to the end of February.
The reward for information leading to the capture of this pest bird was increased from $300 to $1000 in October last year. The reward is for information that leads to the capture of this invasive pest. Capturing and eliminating this bird is important.
Red-vented bulbuls can cause significant damage to fruit and vegetable crops and they chase and attack other birds. The Ministry for Primary Industries, Department of Conservation (DOC) and Auckland Council are working together to track and eradicate the red-vented bulbul in Auckland.
The response team working to eradicate this pest bird, which comes from Asia, need information of sightings.
“We’ve had more than 70 calls about possible sightings since we offered the $300 reward, but are still working to capture one of these birds,” said DOC spokesperson Liz Brooks. “We’re asking the public to keep looking for red-vented bulbuls and to call 0800 80 99 66 if they think they see one. To encourage this we increased the reward to $1000 for a call that leads to a capture,” said Ms Brooks.
“We think there are at least five red-vented bulbuls in Auckland which most likely arrived by ship or yacht. They’ve arrived in Auckland twice before and were successfully eradicated. We want to eliminate them before they make themselves at home,” said Ms Brooks.
The red-vented bulbul is one of the most invasive bird species in the world and in New Zealand is listed as an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993. The maximum penalty for importing, trading, releasing, exhibiting or breeding a red-vented bulbul is five years in prison or a fine of $100,000.
Red-vented bulbuls are confirmed to be located in three clusters in Auckland: south Auckland (Mangere /Manurewa/ Alfriston), west Auckland (Henderson / Te Atatu / Massey) and on the North Shore (Devonport / Belmont / Takapuna). There’s also been a confirmed sighting on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
There have also been unconfirmed sightings in Orakei, in central Auckland, and at Walton, between Morrinsville and Matamata in Waikato.
Keep an eye and an ear out for red-vented bulbuls. They have a very distinctive call, unlike other birds. They are easy to spot, a medium-sized bird, around 20 centimetres in length, about the size of a starling. They have a black head, a dark back, grey-white belly, and a distinctive crimson-red patch beneath their tail. Call 0800 80 99 66.
Their distinctive call can be heard at: http:// www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/red-ventedbulbul.
In late November Steve Playle did a trap run at Boggy Pond and Wairio. The count was 1 ferret, 1 rat and 10 hedgehogs.
“The ferret was a big bugger and was caught along the stop bank between Mathews and Boggy. This took the total predator count to 23 ferrets, 1 stoat, 2 weasels, 4 cats, 5 rats and 14 hedgehogs.” said Steve.
Rampant growth of grass and weeds along with warm weather meant extra time cleaning around trap sites. Steve also put out another seven DoC250 traps on the Wairio Restoration Block along with two more timms traps along a pine belt where cats have been seen.
Stock tends to interfere with the traps in the Wairio Restoration Block. “We have to live with that unfortunately,” said Steve.
Mice also play havoc with baits with most traps stripped of meat if they have not had a kill in them. Steve said he knows it’s mostly mice because the DoC traps have mouse droppings in them. He has seen mice in the timms traps too. “With only one ferret for this check it could mean their numbers and getting down or maybe they are feasting on mice or even frogs as the place is alive with them at the moment,” said Steve.
Steve has seen and heard bitterns and another was heard at Mathews pond.
Trapping is ongoing.
As a cataloguer in the library at Massey University in the Manawatu Judi is in just the right place to follow her interest in photography and birds. These photos were taken beside the small lake in the University grounds.
With about 90 percent of New Zealand’s wetland lost over the past 150 years, Fish & Game NZ realises there’s a compelling need to assess the role that ponds play in successfully managing waterfowl.
Ponds have been established across the New Zealand landscape for various purposes including stock watering, irrigation, storm water capture, effluent ponding, waterfowl habitat and simple aesthetic values. Currently, there’s little scientific information on what, and how big a role these ponds play as habitat for waterfowl populations.
The aim of this ‘citizen science’ project is to determine what pond habitat features provide good breeding for waterfowl, and promote good pond management practices for breeding these birds. Fish & Game has launched an appeal for people who want to monitor waterfowl populations on ponds around their area. The aim is to establish a network of ponds to be closely monitored over the breeding season.
You don’t have to be a scientist! All volunteers will be given a set of simple instructions on how to go about monitoring. Fish & Game will supply a manual with simple instructions on how to run their surveys – so everyone round the country is tackling the project the same way, and volunteers gather the best data possible.
If you’re keen to help with collection of data and are prepared to monitor a pond, a fun and fulfilling project that will help New Zealand’s waterfowl and other native water dependant birds, this project is for you. Don’t forget – we are keen to hear from a wide range of people, including youngsters. Kids – depending on your age, you may need to line up support from mum and dad, a friend or relation.
Your help in this project will not only provide data to drive management decisions, but will give waterfowl enthusiasts, hunters and landowners a unique opportunity to get involved and make a real hands on contribution to our efforts to manage waterfowl – and keep their numbers up!