TLC has been very active in the past months, trapping, bird monitoring, weeding and communicating with locals.
Weeding or habitat restoration? S.W.A.T was originally chosen as a name to introduce our “Specialist Weed Action Team”. Sure we are an Action team, and we might be specialised, aiming to eradicate invasive plants that don’t belong in the native environment. However, weeding is a bit simplistic, even boring.
We don’t pick grassy or herb invaders out of a garden, rather we cut large plants with loppers or saws, paste the stumps with herbicide gel, fell small trees and sometimes we spray invasive vegetation on public or private land. We do this to clear the space occupied by invasive plants and restore the native habitat which is threatened by many introduced species. We think our acronym can remain, but we are adding another meaning: Strengthening the Wilderness Aspiring to Thrive!
Since August, we have visited public reserves - Snells Point, Matapouri, Shoebridge, Woolleys Bay reserve – as well as private properties to control climbing asparagus, moth plant, cape ivy, flowering cotoneaster, wilding pines, pampas grass, woolly nightshade and more.
At William Parata Reserve we arranged a planting day to support the amazing, dedicated work of a local who has for the past few years battled gorse and moth plant on the track and adjacent properties.
Photo: Ben carrying plants to the site. Next photo: Murray planting at the lookout of William Parata Reserve.
Advocating for a Healthy Environment. At the beginning of November, TLC along with Forest and Bird and Save the Kiwi attended the Ngunguru School Dog Show - our message to the community - dogs and birds can live together if we take care to educate our pet animals.
We will soon hold a Know Your Dog workshop at Ngunguru hall where veterinarian Lesley Baigent will entertain with funny, interesting, and highly informative stories about dogs, with tips on how to train and interact with our canine friends.
We will also have more dogs trained in kiwi aversion at Tawapou in an initiative supported by DOC and Save the Kiwi.
All these efforts are directed at protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of this amazing High Value Area (HVA) of the Tutukaka Coast. The whenua from Scow Landing along the coast to Sandy Bay, and approximately 10 km inland has been formally recognised by the Northland Regional Council as an HVA, where high biodiversity values and recreational interests are matched with strong community support in pest control.
What is Biodiversity? Biodiversity means the variety of life in an area: animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. These work together within an intricate web, in ecosystem that maintains balance and supports life - from oxygen to food, from water to shade, and from pleasure to connection. It is important to us because it supports the processes that sustain all life on Earth, including our own.
Check this very short and playful video on biodiversity:
Any loss or deterioration in the condition of biodiversity can compromise all these values and affect human wellbeing. That is why part of TLC’s work relates to checking the health of our biodiversity on the Tutukaka Coast.
- Silvia Pinca
Monitoring Biodiversity. One of the ways TLC does this is by monitoring the presence of rare birds.
The matuku, or bittern, is rarely seen or heard these days but was once common on the Tutukaka Coast, including around the Matapouri and Ngunguru estuaries. With low and decreasing numbers, it is thought that there are now less than 900 birds left in New Zealand. Loss of wetland habitat, predation by mustelids, cats and dogs, and poor water quality are all factors in their decline. Locally, people have reported hearing and seeing them, so we know they are still present, but we do not know how many and whether there has been any successful nesting occurring. They like living in shallow, densely vegetated wetlands and feed around estuaries, streams, drains, flooded paddocks and roadsides.
From September through October and November we have been using automatic recorders at a number of wetlands, rivers and estuary sites to see if we can pick up the booming in the early morning and at sunset. Most of the data is currently being analysed, and the results will be added to last year’s data to get an overall picture of the bittern population as part of the much larger collaborative Matuku Mahi Northland project.
- Nan Pullman
An automatic recording device. Photo by M. Pullman
Matapouri is again surrounded by kiwi. TLC is confident in making this claim after analysing kiwi calls from three automatic recording devices (ARDs) and talking to locals.
The data came from the addition of a new kiwi listening station at Parangarahu to the south, the reactivation of two listening stations to the north and several reports of people hearing kiwi calls in the village.
On July 7 with the help of Charlie Mackie I placed an automatic kiwi listening device (basically an automated recorder) about two thirds of the way down the hillside towards the coast from the Urupa.
Charlie Mackie with aerial following released kiwi.
We collected the device for analysis on July 11.
This ARD confirmed the presence of a male and a female kiwi calling strongly close to the device. These calls were what is often called a “duet” where the male usually calls first and is responded to fairly quickly by a female indicating they are probably a breeding pair.
Another pair was recorded somewhat further away but probably still within the same valley system. The recorder, unfortunately, doesn’t tell us which direction the call was from but gives a good indication of proximity.
In addition there were several other male kiwi calls in the mid distance and another call that was potentially a juvenile.
The recorder also picked up chatter from a korora (little blue penguin).
To the north ARDs in the Whale Bay and Otito reserves recorded calls from single birds. These sites were set up several years ago by Matapouri Kaitiaki but had not been used for some time and had never previously recorded any kiwi calls.
For more detail about the calls again being heard in the village it is probably best to have a natter with Carla and the locals at the shop.
With the combination of local predator trapping, dog control education and kiwi releases it is safe to assume kiwi are making a comeback at Matapouri.
- Malcolm Pullman
A true story of kiwi love! If you are interested in reading a story about kiwi calls in our neighborhood, check this intriguing tale from one of our community members, Emma, and which is speaking loudly about the wonderful effects of more than 20 years of efforts and engagement from all.
Effective pest control. Although the Tutukaka Coast is famed for its natural beauty, pest animals have been widespread across our landscape, and if not effectively controlled, they can cause significant damage to our native birds and forests. We're fortunate to have wild populations of kiwi and pateke (brown teal), and on calm nights, you can hear the distinctive calls of the kiwi. Yet, without pest control, stoats and feral cats can swiftly decimate these precious native birds.
A vital aspect of TLC's efforts is to maintain a network of hundreds of pest traps throughout the Tutukaka Coast area. These traps are checked and re-baited every few weeks, capturing several thousand pest animals annually - stoats, weasels, feral cats, possums, and rats.
But is trapping enough? Does it reduce pest animals to levels low enough to prevent damage to our natural environment? Experts say no.
Stoats are particularly destructive to our bird populations and are known for being cunning and hard to trap. Studies have shown that to maintain low stoat numbers, periodic use of a poison or toxin is required to target those elusive individuals that evade traps. By applying the toxin briefly every two or three years, stoat numbers can be drastically reduced, leading to a significant improvement in kiwi chick survival. TLC has adopted a pest control strategy that combines both trapping and periodic use of toxin. By employing this integrated approach, the population of kiwi and other birds on the Tutukaka Coast is thriving.
We are so fortunate to live in a place inhabited by such ancient animals, who have seen changes and who are trustful enough to come back from the brink of extinction …
- I. Skipworth
Above photo: Pateke or Brown Teal, the 4th most endangered duck in the world, reintroduced on the Tutukaka Coast . Photo by I. Skipworth
-Edited by N. Davies and M. Pullman
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