The late spring - summer across most of New Zealand has been significantly wetter than last year and this is good for wetlands and waterfowl with greater survival of young birds.
Although most of the large permanent lakes (Waihola, Ellesmere, Wairarapa, Hatuma and Whangape) still exist, many of them suffer from water quality problems which reduce their productivity in terms of plants, birds and fish. The ephemeral wetlands around their margins are also under pressure. The excellent work of DU and other organisations is going some way to address the habitat issues but there is much more to do. Much of the DU effort is supported by donations and subsidies which we are extremely grateful for.
There are also good results being achieved from many of the whio and pateke projects around the country which DU has supported. With these endangered species there often is sufficient habitat but introduced mammalian predators play a major role in limiting numbers and even causing local extinctions. Where ongoing predator control is carried out 300 percent increase in whio numbers is regularly being recorded.
Our AGM is being held near Martinborough in the Wairarapa on August 1-3 and an interesting programme and field trip is being organised. Please mark your diaries. (See information page 2)
Look forward to seeing you all then.
John Cheyne
Planning is well underway for our AGM/
Conference at Brackenridge Country Retreat & Spa, Martinborough, Wairarapa, Friday August 1 to Sunday August 3.
A three minute drive from the Martinborough Square, Brackenridge sits within view of
the iconic Haurangi ranges. Reminiscent of
early New Zealand station dwellings yet with welcoming stylish interiors, the cottages and
studios offer relaxing accommodation. The main reception venue with open fires and covered
verandas complete the picture.
Brackenridge can accommodate up to 64
guests in a mix of two (up to 4 guests) and four bedroom (up to 8 guests) cottages and studios. They have been very generous to DUNZ and
Conference at Brackenridge Country Retreat & Spa, Martinborough, Wairarapa, Friday August 1 to Sunday August 3.
A three minute drive from the Martinborough Square, Brackenridge sits within view of
the iconic Haurangi ranges. Reminiscent of
early New Zealand station dwellings yet with welcoming stylish interiors, the cottages and
studios offer relaxing accommodation. The main reception venue with open fires and covered
verandas complete the picture.
Brackenridge can accommodate up to 64
guests in a mix of two (up to 4 guests) and four bedroom (up to 8 guests) cottages and studios. They have been very generous to DUNZ and
discounted their usual accommodation rates substantially so if you can share you will be able to further reduce the rates. Rates include
continental breakfast provisions plus free range eggs, plus full use of the gym, spa pool and 20m indoor heated pool.
The Spa Brackenridge is open all weekend for appointments – bookings are essential.
At this stage we are planning to have a BBQ Dinner Friday evening for those who can get there.
On Saturday the actual AGM in the morning is followed by a bus trip to Wairio wetlands with lunch at Lake Ferry Hotel.
That evening is Buffet dinner at Brackenridge
continental breakfast provisions plus free range eggs, plus full use of the gym, spa pool and 20m indoor heated pool.
The Spa Brackenridge is open all weekend for appointments – bookings are essential.
At this stage we are planning to have a BBQ Dinner Friday evening for those who can get there.
On Saturday the actual AGM in the morning is followed by a bus trip to Wairio wetlands with lunch at Lake Ferry Hotel.
That evening is Buffet dinner at Brackenridge
with the DU fundraising auction.
On Sunday we have organised several speakers. I visited the facilities in January and they are wonderful.
Request:
If anyone has auction items they purchased at a previous DU dinner and no longer like or want, please feel free to recycle them back into the organisation.
Or if you have other items suitable for the
auction, just email me and I will organise
someone to pick them up – info@ducks.org.nz Many thanks
Jan Abel, Administration
On Sunday we have organised several speakers. I visited the facilities in January and they are wonderful.
Request:
If anyone has auction items they purchased at a previous DU dinner and no longer like or want, please feel free to recycle them back into the organisation.
Or if you have other items suitable for the
auction, just email me and I will organise
someone to pick them up – info@ducks.org.nz Many thanks
Jan Abel, Administration
Game bird hunters are probably all checking their equipment ready for the May 3 Saturday start to the hunting season.
No 1 on the list should be the game bird hunting licence. Check your bank account, the full season licence has gone up one dollar. That’s right $91 this season.
Why the extra dollar? Fish & Game tell me the extra dollar will be going toward Mallard research.
Hunting has become so hi-tech in recent years the ducks really don’t stand a chance. Some hunters spend thousands of dollars in preparation for the season.
The camo gear, the special maimais, and even the decoys mean the ducks are duped into thinking there are real ducks on the water.
Special paint on the decoy makes them look lifelike. Some decoys are made to look as if they are sleeping or feeding.
There are also decoys that paddle and splash the water. Then there are electronic callers. The ducks don’t really stand a chance…It is just as well there is a bag limit.
Some reminders for your prehunting list:
• Game bird hunting licence, regulations booklet.
• Carry firearms licence at all times.
• Confirm access with landowners.
• Get permit to hunt on Fish & Game and DOC land. • Fix the maimai: leaks, rotten boards seating etc.
• Clean decoys.
• Vaccinations and worming for the dog.
• Check regulations for the region you are hunting in. • Hunt ethically and responsibly.
• Don’t drink and hunt. Alcohol impairs judgement.
• Be a tidy kiwi – take your rubbish when you leave.
Basic safety rules:
• Shotgun in tip-top condition. Check sighting. • Treat every firearm as loaded.
• Store firearms and ammunition safely.
• Always point firearms in a safe direction.
• Load only when ready to fire.
• Always, always - identify your target.
• Check the firing zone.
Change attitudes and improve the environment
The Mangaone West region is typical of many farming districts where remaining indigenous cover is very limited and the balance is in productive farmland.
Into this area a few years ago stepped Ducks Unlimited member Ossie Latham, and his conscious was pricked by the degradation he saw in the waterways near his home.
Growing up on the banks of the Oroua River downstream from Feilding, part of a third generation on both maternal and paternal sides of his family he remembers: “During that time the Oroua had gone from a pristine small river where kids could swim in deep holes, dive off the road bridge, catch eel, trout and flounder, to a gravel choked conduit for industrial, town and farm waste. A dead waterway, the greatest degradation happened in my time as a kid,” said Ossie.
Then came concern for the Manawatu River and its’ tributaries of which the Oroua is one. The Manawatu River Accord was set up and out of that spun the Oroua Catchment Care Group. Ossie attended their meetings and the Oroua Group decided the best way to tackle the problems was to think catchment wide
but act local to address whatever issues may be in any given area. The Mangaone West stream where Ossie and wife Mary live is a tributary of the Oroua. Ossie volunteered to be champion for that area.
As a local champion his job was to gage the support of residents for a collective effort to address issues of farming and lifestyle practises that degrade the environment.
“Once sufficient interest was identified, we called a community meeting and established the Mangaone West Landcare Group.
Knowing that what we do on our land eventually affects water quality in our area
Neil Managh, coordinator of the original group gave his support to Ossie who
then called on the leading farmers in the area, the local school principal, known
environmentalists, friends and acquaintances and got their commitment to the scheme.
“We organised a community wide pamphlet drop calling a public meeting and away we went,” Ossie said.
and downstream, we chose to take a holistic view of our catchment and deal with our habitat as a whole, be it farming practises or lifestyle choices.”
Ossie said it was fortunate that some residents in the lower catchment had come together 15 years ago and as a group had investigated and in many cases implemented, more sustainable farming practises.
This group ran out of puff after four years but two of the group’s successes were a widespread possum control programme that is still going today, and the other was recognising the detrimental effect of pugging by wintering mature cattle on wet soils.
Neil Managh, coordinator of the original group gave his support to Ossie who
then called on the leading farmers in the area, the local school principal, known
environmentalists, friends and acquaintances and got their commitment to the scheme.
“We organised a community wide pamphlet drop calling a public meeting and away we went,” Ossie said.
Is this something DU members should get involved with? Ossie said: “Given that
whatever we do to our landscape sooner or later affects our wetlands and waterways, I think it is worth DU members thinking about what happens upstream from their favourite dam, wetland or waterway.
whatever we do to our landscape sooner or later affects our wetlands and waterways, I think it is worth DU members thinking about what happens upstream from their favourite dam, wetland or waterway.
“The primary benefits are thinking of being more sustainable in what we do for the benefit of the habitat as a whole. This includes the best way to keep our soils in situ, the nutrients on the property and a flourishing diversity of which we are part.”
Although initial funding came from the Government through the Ministry for the
About 60 percent of landowners are part of the group. All major farmers bar two are committed and interest is growing. There is a diversity of views on what best practise is and just what is sustainable but Ossie said they cope with this by agreeing that “Sustainability is the ability of the current generation to meet its needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.”
“I’m not sure where I got the quote from but it gained widespread acceptance to what we are on about.
“We recognise it’s taken over 100 years to get where we are now, so we expect our work to improve our chosen living spaces to be intergenerational. While the stream is our common bond, we love our landscape which the stream and we are part off.”
(Afterthought)
“After doing the question and answer bit for you I got to thinking, what is the key for many of the settler families who are part of our group? Many of them are 3rd and 4th generation; they have a strong sense of stewardship, a concept that is evolving as our knowledge of interdependence grows. It’s good to be part of their efforts.”
Environment to the Regional Council to the group; they also applied to Trusts with an interest in what they are doing and they asked Landcare to come on board to provide the governance and institutional expertise.
About 60 percent of landowners are part of the group. All major farmers bar two are committed and interest is growing. There is a diversity of views on what best practise is and just what is sustainable but Ossie said they cope with this by agreeing that “Sustainability is the ability of the current generation to meet its needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.”
“I’m not sure where I got the quote from but it gained widespread acceptance to what we are on about.
“We recognise it’s taken over 100 years to get where we are now, so we expect our work to improve our chosen living spaces to be intergenerational. While the stream is our common bond, we love our landscape which the stream and we are part off.”
(Afterthought)
“After doing the question and answer bit for you I got to thinking, what is the key for many of the settler families who are part of our group? Many of them are 3rd and 4th generation; they have a strong sense of stewardship, a concept that is evolving as our knowledge of interdependence grows. It’s good to be part of their efforts.”
Tossi field day
At the recent Volunteers Day at Tawharanui Regional Park, one of the tasks was to weed the new plants that had been put in last year beside the Bird Hide.
The Lagoon at Jones Bay has been very busy now with various water bird life and they are not at all worried about the Hide built there in 2013. It’s a great place to sit and enjoy the scene.
With the grassy area behind the Hide, a decision was made to disguise it with bush. So the volunteers planted low shrubs there last year.
Sadly a family of rabbits moved into the area and many of the plants have been eaten badly. So now netting has been used around individual plants. Also many of the rabbits have been discretely removed.
A trailer load of mulch has also been useful to place around the plants to keep them moist in the extreme summer heat.
Patte Williams
Jim Coster has been farming Mataiwhetu Station for almost 60 years (his family
purchased the property on his 21st birthday) and now his eldest son, Allen, manages operations.
purchased the property on his 21st birthday) and now his eldest son, Allen, manages operations.
The farm was originally rundown with leaky fences, rudimentary sheep yards, a basic woolshed and no cattle yards. About a quarter of the 300ha was covered in fern and manuka, and plenty of gorse.
Today the sheep and dairy grazing station has been heralded as a sustainable success. The former Meat & Wool Board monitor farm, and supreme winner of the Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards, has benefited from technology and environmental practices.
Jim said measures had been put in place on the farm located in the lower Kaimai Ranges, to preserve the fauna, flora and Mangakaiwhiria Stream that meanders through the property. Thousands of trees were planted, most waterways fenced and land around the stream
was retired to take advantage of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council riparian programme. However, Jim said the process takes
perseverance and hard work.
perseverance and hard work.
“When you retire land from grazing, you can have real problems. First, you need to have a substantial fence that is stock proof, and it’s advisable to run a hot wire at shoulder height to deter cattle from reaching through.”
Noxious animals and weeds were other problems, and although the gorse had been beaten any spraying done had to be judicious as there was the risk of killing replacement plantings. Regional council natural resources operations manager Warwick Murray said the council has been working for decades on land and waterway management.
Since 2009, 569 farmers have taken advantage of regional council assistance to improve water quality and farm productivity, he said. The riparian programme uptake was increasing year on year.
Between 2001 and 2005, it averaged 224m of waterway protected annually per landowner, compared with 379m in 2009/10 and 541m in 2012/13.
“This response has been terrific but we’d love to have more landowners on board,” Warwick said.
“This response has been terrific but we’d love to have more landowners on board,” Warwick said.
“Up to 25 percent funding is available for most work the under a riparian management plan and there is a ‘trees at cost’ option, for landowners to get plants and trees for propagation from nurseries.”
The Western Bay of Plenty District Council also provides funding for fencing in certain circumstances. Figures show stock has been excluded from 87 percent of the stream length within the Tauranga Harbour catchment, 83 percent of Ohiwa Harbour catchment streams and Nukuhou and Waiotahi Rivers, and 93 percent of stream margins in the Rotorua Lakes.
Carmen Hall
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Combining good farming practices with proactive steps to look after the wetlands on their beef and dairy farm, has earned Ducks Unlimited members in the Wairarapa, Jane Donald and her family, the title of “National Rural Wetland Champion 2014”.
To celebrate World Wetlands Day this year, the National Wetland Trust and the Department of Conservation (DOC) worked with regional councils to find New Zealand’s most wetlandfriendly farming families.
Wetlands are important to maintaining a healthy environment, playing a key role in water purification and flood control. Protecting wetlands and minimising the impact of farming benefits everyone.
Seven regional councils submitted nominations.
The judges - National Wetland Trust founder Gordon Stephenson, National Wetland Trust trustee Keith Thompson and Jan Simmons – were impressed with the wetlands conservation work being done by farmers throughout the
country.
country.
They named the Donald family as the National Rural Wetland Champion for 2014. The family has been farming alongside Lake Wairarapa, at
Big Haywards Lagoon, for more than 150 years.
Big Haywards Lagoon, for more than 150 years.
The judges said: “This farm ticked just about all the boxes for environmental best practice.”
For several generations, since 1856, the Donald family has been working to protect and restore more than 300 hectares of nationally significant
wetlands, on the eastern side of Lake Wairarapa.
wetlands, on the eastern side of Lake Wairarapa.
In their nomination the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) described Jane Donald, daughter Paula Gillett and their family - present and past - as role models for wetland restoration.
The GWRC praised the Donalds’ ability to marry their farming and conservation of their wetlands.
“Canny initiative and perseverance describe Jane and Paula’s approach to wetland development and protection. This land has a long association with farmers, hunters, conservationists, and local councils. The majority of the land farmed by the Tairoa partnership is protected by a QEII covenant with actively managed functioning wetlands.
Areas of remnant native forest have been and continue to be fenced off with a programme of weed and animal pest control in and around the wetlands. The farming operation is strategic, with the beef farming associated with the
wetlands and lakeshore and the dairying occurring inland separated from the wetland complexes. The farm and integrated wetlands provide a show case for not just protecting biodiversity and water quality but enhancing it in a most practical and innovative way by clever land managers using agricultural tools.”
wetlands and lakeshore and the dairying occurring inland separated from the wetland complexes. The farm and integrated wetlands provide a show case for not just protecting biodiversity and water quality but enhancing it in a most practical and innovative way by clever land managers using agricultural tools.”
The Donald family have had the wetlands permanently protected by a QEII National Trust covenant and as part of their farming operation they also:
• keep stock out of waterways and other
sensitive areas
• plant native wetland plants to restore habitat
• manage pests and weeds to enhance native wildlife
• design their culverts to ensure fish can
move freely
• carefully manage fertiliser and dairy shed effluent to minimise runoff and return nutrients to the land
• use a feed pad to reduce trampling by stock and erosion.
• keep stock out of waterways and other
sensitive areas
• plant native wetland plants to restore habitat
• manage pests and weeds to enhance native wildlife
• design their culverts to ensure fish can
move freely
• carefully manage fertiliser and dairy shed effluent to minimise runoff and return nutrients to the land
• use a feed pad to reduce trampling by stock and erosion.
One example of the how they incorporate conservation into their farming is the use of cattle as weed control agents. They graze open areas in summer to control weeds such as wild tall fescue and maintain waterfowl habitat. This shows that farming and wetlands can coexist. Wildlife and water quality can be protected while maintaining farm production.
Pioneer Jane Donald has also pioneered aerial application of herbicide to control plant species such as willow and alder which were encroaching on the wetland her father had protected. This is now a commonly used, costeffective method for hard-to-reach wetlands. Done correctly, it controls the spread of introduced plant species enabling native plants to flourish and provide a habitat for native birds and other native wildlife.
The Donald farm is proof that this is a recipe for success. Jane and her family have been rewarded for their conservation work with abundant native wildlife in their wetlands. This includes the rare Australasian bittern (matuku), the first record of royal spoonbills (kōtuku
ngutupapa) nesting in the Wairarapa, and the highest diversity of native fish species among wetlands in the area.
National Wetland Trust founder Gordon Stephenson said: “There’s a heap of initiatives and best practices here, in both farming and conservation. The Donald family are excellent role models for farmers. I’m delighted to see they share what they’ve learnt on their farm with the wider community.”
Highly Commended
The judges awarded a Highly Commended Certificate to the Gilder family of Otago for their work to protect wetlands on several Landcorp dairy farms they manage at Paretai near Balclutha. They have QEII covenants on the wetlands and fenced them as protection from stock. The Gilders are also planning wetland conservation measures on their own recently purchased block.
The judges were impressed with the Gilder’s best practice farming and involving their community and schools in their conservation work. Helen Gilder said, “It’s important to sow the seed of environmental importance into future generations.”
Jan Simmons of the Department of Conservation was delighted at the high quality of the nominations spanning the country. “These farming families show that profitable farming and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand. They are an inspiration.”
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2, the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance held in Iran in 1971. The theme for this year’s National Wetlands Day was ‘Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth’.
To learn more about wetland restoration visit www.wetlandtrust.org.nz
Game bird hunters were invited this year to help farmers disperse big flocks of Paradise shelduck from paddocks and crops on private land in the Wellington region.
The special three weekend hunting season starting from Saturday, February 8 took place in the Manawatu/Wairarapa areas.
Fish & Game introduced the special season to assist landowners who have groups of birds feeding on new grass and crops. The idea was to disperse the ducks more than to bag them.
Paradise shelduck are known for moulting in groups on open water in January, and once the birds can fly again in February they tend to gather in large groups. They can often be seen in mobs of 200 or more on the lookout for food, and cause problems for farmers.
This special season was restricted to private land only. Public areas including DOC and Fish & Game land were not open during the special season. There was a five bird a day limit so the kill was modest.
The hunt succeeded in spreading out the birds and was seen as a good result.
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Lack of ducks – Where have all the mallards gone…?
A Wairarapa Times Age article (March 3) regarding the dramatic drop in the number of ducks that can be hunted during the forthcoming season makes depressing reading!
But lack of habitat and the impact of predators are certainly not the main reasons why our main gamebird – the mallard – has almost disappeared from the Wairarapa; because thousands of acres of wetlands have been created and protected over the last 20 years and, thanks to the Greater Wellington Regional Council, vast numbers of bird predators have been eliminated at well over a dozen key sites in the Wairarapa.
For example, at 30-hectares of Taumata Lagoon over 4500 predators have been eliminated – feral cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels, rats and hedgehogs – but from 6000 mallards flocking at the lagoon each February between 1990 and 2007 we now see only 100 - 150 arriving!
This is because in 2006 the use of lead shot was banned in 12 gauge shotguns and it is now known that steel shot – an inexpensive alternative – has increased the crippling factor from 6 percent with lead shot to over 50 percent. Which means that a shooter who has retrieved a Limit Bag has actually shot three limit bags, with 50 percent of the birds shot not being recovered.
The ban on lead shot was introduced because it was believed that ingested lead kills ducks, but this is now known to be simply not true!
The mallard situation is now so serious that the 12 NZ Fish & Game Councils will be lucky to survive the inevitable massive drop in licence sales; with North Island Councils being the first to close up shop!
On top of this it is now known that the aerial bombardment of 1080 is killing trout – and at the same time eliminating a highly lucrative tourist fishing industry and the huge income from the sale of trout fishing licenses by Fish & Game Councils.
Neil Hayes QSM CEnv
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Bird numbers up at Lake Ellesmere – annual census
An “all wetland species” census of Lake Ellesmere was carried out on February 22 by 12 teams of observers: Ornithological
Society NZ, Department of Conservation, Christchurch City Council rangers, Fish & Game, Environment Canterbury, Ngai Tahu, Rotoract, Waihora Ellesmere Trust, and others.
Society NZ, Department of Conservation, Christchurch City Council rangers, Fish & Game, Environment Canterbury, Ngai Tahu, Rotoract, Waihora Ellesmere Trust, and others.
There were 55,033 birds counted thanks to the hard work of the many people involved.
BirdingNZ website tells us that February 22 was one of the hottest days of summer, over 40 people from a range of organisations undertook the counting of all the wetland birds on Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. You can see some of those photos on their Facebook page.
The 12 teams each took a section of the lake margin. Each team included experienced OSNZ birders, supported by staff and volunteers from the various organisations.
Three teams led by Christchurch City Council Rangers counted the sections of the lake located within the city boundary – from the Halswell River towards Kaituna and along Kaitorete Spit. The other teams covered the remainder of the lake margin which is in the Selwyn District.
The count is a snapshot of the birds present on a specific day and for the species which occur in large numbers such as the ducks and geese, the numbers are estimated by experienced counters.
The total number of birds recorded is slightly down on last year, with just over 55,000, compared with around 55,700 in 2013. The numbers of waterfowl were down with just under 42,000 this year compared with around
45,000 in 2013. However, the numbers of waders were up with over 7300 recorded, compared with around 6100 in 2013.
Also notable is that 45 species were recorded in 2014 compared with only 39 in 2013. This year’s count recorded many more Arctic migratory species, e.g. greenshank and sanderling that were not seen in 2013.
With the very low lake level, the habitat for birds was of variable quality with some areas of the lake edge too dry. However, the lake edge is extensive and the habitat was very good in places leading to a redistribution of birds around the lake.
Overall the bird numbers seem stable.
This copy courtesy of BirdingNZ, and Peter Russell. See www.birdingnz.net
More information on the count is published on the WET (Waihora Ellesmere Trust) website. www.wet.org.nz, but count totals were as follows:
Aust Crested Grebe
Black Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Little Cormorant
Spotted Shag
White-faced Heron
White Heron
Royal Spoonbill
Mute Swan
Black Swan
Canada Goose
Feral (greylag) Goose
Paradise Shelduck
Mallard/Grey Duck
Grey Teal
NZ Shoveler
Shoveler/G Teal
NZ Scaup
duck sp.
Australasian Harrier
Pukeko
SIPO
VOC
Black Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Little Cormorant
Spotted Shag
White-faced Heron
White Heron
Royal Spoonbill
Mute Swan
Black Swan
Canada Goose
Feral (greylag) Goose
Paradise Shelduck
Mallard/Grey Duck
Grey Teal
NZ Shoveler
Shoveler/G Teal
NZ Scaup
duck sp.
Australasian Harrier
Pukeko
SIPO
VOC
3
615
240
51
4
92
3
871
14
7473
3777
443
5148
5173
12504
5893
780
12
696
67
97
17
2
240
51
4
92
3
871
14
7473
3777
443
5148
5173
12504
5893
780
12
696
67
97
17
2
Spur-winged Plover
Pacific Golden Plover Wrybill
Banded Dotterel
Bar-tailed Godwit
Red Knot
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper
Red-necked Stint Sanderling
Common Greenshank Pied Stilt
Black Stilt
Black-backed Gull
Red-billed Gull
Black-billed Gull
Black-fronted Tern Caspian Tern
Gull-billed Tern
White-fronted Tern
NZ kingfisher
328
45
243
1496
120
44
18
6
18
44
2
1
4959
2
691
38
2359
61
386
16
175
6
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