october 2009 kaipara, royal forest and bird protecton society newsletter

8/8/2019 October 2009 Kaipara, Royal Forest and Bird Protecton Society Newsletter

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! Coastlines October 2009 Page 1

The Government should sort outenvironmental degradation caused byexisting mines rather than proposing newones on core conservation land.Forest & Bird advocacy manager, Kevin

Hackwell has responded to a report by theParl iamentary Commissioner for theEnvironment, which recommends that theGovernment t i gh ten up weak andunenforceable environmental regulations on

more than 100 mines around the country.We are very concerned that the existingregulatory framework provides virtually nocontrol on mining activities under these

licences, Kevin Hackwell says.What is even more concerning is theGovernment intends to extend mininginto core conservation land which iscurrently protected under Section 4 of theCrown Minerals Act because of its high

conservation value. The Governmentshould instead be sorting out the problemthat already exists.There is a high risk of environmentaldamage, including toxic contamination.

This Caspian Tern dived successfully for a fish on the Kaukapakapa River duringKaipara Forest and Birds Riverboat Trip last month. (Photo: Peter Phillips)

No mining in National Parks

CoastlinesNewsletter of Kaipara Branch of Forest and Bird

October 2009

.................. ................Spring outings Pg 3 Atuanui News Pg 5-7

Join us for a

scenic KaiparaHarbour andriver cruise

Sunday November15th 8.15am

Early start to catchthe tide

See over forbookings


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Coastlines October 2009 Page 2

Forest and Bird 2010

Calendars and Diaries

Now on SALE !

Calendars were $16 now $12 each

Diaries were $25, now $20 each

Order from us today - free local delivery

for orders of five or more.

Ph 021-271-2527

Kaipara Forest and Bird

CommitteePO Box 187, Helensville 0840

[email protected]

Next Committee Meeting:

19th October 2009Email Dave Allen on to find out confirmedvenue and start time

Convenor and acting Secretary

Suzi Phillips, Ph [email protected]

Treasurer:

Felicity Smith Ph [email protected]

Committee Members:Dave Allen (Deputy chair)[email protected]

Chris Bindon, Ph [email protected]

Bill McNatty Ph 09-420-8070Specialising in resource [email protected]

Vivienne Wilson Ph [email protected]

Kaipara Forest and Bird Committee usuallymeets monthly. If you would like to beinvolved in any way, please contact one ofus.

Visit : www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz

Kaipara Waders Census Day

Waders and seabirds on the Kaipara Harbourwill be in the spotlight on November 7th forthe annual summer census.Members and friends of the Auckland Branch ofthe Ornithological Society will spread out toknown roosting and feeding sites around theharbour to conduct the count. More helpers arealways welcome from local groups and keen birdwatchers.The count usually includes shorebirds such asBar-tailed Godwits, Red Knots, South Island PiedOystercatchers and Vairable Oystercatchers, ourrare endemic Wrybill, NZ Dotterels, and gulls

including the uncommon Black-billed Gull. Thecensus also counts tern species, including theKaiparas NZ Fairy Tern, White-fronted Tern, andCaspian Tern populations. Other seabirdsinclude shags, herons, and sometimes RoyalSpoonbills are seen.If you would like to take part, but you are notconfident about your identification skills, dontworry you will be paired with a more experiencedmember.For more information contact OSNZ organiserand wader expert, Adrian Riegen by phone on09-814-9741 or by email to [email protected]

NZ Dotterel in flight (Photo: Suzi Phillips).
http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Boat Trip on the Kaipara

Sunday 15th November

Kaipara Forest and Bird has booked the KewpieToo for members and friends to enjoy a specialtrip on the south Kaipara Harbour and up theKaukapakapa River. Leaving from Parakai, we

cruise down the Kaipara River and across thesouthern arm of the Kaipara Harbour to ShellyBeach with views of an island where seabirdsbreed.This will be followed by an exploration of thetranquil Kaukapakapa River and the beautifulnative forest reserve along its banks.

An informative commentary along the way willcover highlights such as seabirds, wetland andforest birds and other wildlife, local history,

including early settlement, kauri mills and bushcamps.Complementary refreshments will be available onboard. Bring your binoculars for some greatviewing.We meet at 8.15am at Parakai Wharf for a8.30am departure. End of Springs Rd. (Wecannot wait for late-comers due to the tide).Return about midday.The cost for this excursion is $20 per person for

adults and $10 for children, 12 years and under.For Forest and Bird members, there is adiscount fare of $18 for adults and $8 forchildren. Dont miss out on this wonderfultrip.To book, send a cheque for fares to KaiparaRiverboat Trip, Kaipara Forest and Bird, PO Box187, Helensville 0840. (Cheque made out toKaipara Forest and Bird). Book now to avoidmissing out. For enquiries and availability,

email [email protected].

Spring Outings in Kaipara

Come along to Forest

and Birds North Island

Conference - Nov 21-22This year the North Island Conference isin Blockhouse Bay, Auckland.

For an insight into conservation issuesin the new political climate, workshopsand a field trip - join us there in

November. For more information,phone Suzi on 021-271-2527

KCC Sand and Seabirds

November 7th - Meet 11am Tapora Hall

Kids and Parents - Come and join us for an

all-day ramble to Manukapua Island on theKaipara Harbour to see seabirds and the bigflocks of thousands of wading birds thatmigrate from the northern hemisphere eachsummer to feed in our harbours. Bringbinoculars!

This trip is limited to children 8 years andolder,(with their parents/guardians). As thisis a long day for the kids (and adults!) thatinvolves four hours+ walking on the sand,

we cannot take younger children.

From Tapora Hall, we carpool to theOkahukura DOC Reserve and walk from thecarpark across at low tide to this big sandisland, where a reserve protects beautifulsand dune and seabird habitat.

We cross the island on a sandy track, (mightsee fernbirds) and then northeast up theseaward side to the largest bird roost.There we should see thousands of godwits,

knots, oystercatchers and hundredsof terns, wrybill, and turnstones withsmaller numbers of NZ dotterels, bandeddotts, sandpipers, and whimbrel and curleware also possible.

To book, phone Kaipara KCC co-ordinator,Vivienne Wilson on 09-411-5100 or email herat [email protected], givingnames and ages of children coming andnames of accompanying adults, and your

contact details.

This trip is for children (with parents) only.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Pest control of possums, rats and other pestsin small rural bush fragments is important forpreserving these areas, according toLandcare scientist, John Innes.Both bush regeneration and bird breeding

success is helped by pest control.A recent study found there was one rat per

hectare in grazed bush fragments and seven ratsper hectare in fenced bush fragments, (of 3 to 67hectares).The fenced bush fragments were thought tocontain more rats, because there was more foodavailable for them. The fencing protects thebush, but pest control is essential to reduce ratnumbers, said John Innes.Nest success was a reliable indicator of theeffectiveness of pest control of both rats and

possums.In bush fragments where there was nopest control, 36 per cent of chicks fledged, but inareas with pest control, this increased to 88 percent of chicks.

Three bird species were studied for nest successwith and without pest control. After 30 days ofpest control, nesting success for Fantailsincreased from 37 per cent to 76 per cent.After 35 days, nesting success for Tui increased

from 32 per cent to 73 per cent, and for Kereru,from 17 per cent to 62 per cent.

In many years of filming at nest sites, Ive notedthat possums never go past an egg in a nestwithout eating it, said Dr Innes.Hedgehogs were another pest that could have abig effect in a bush fragment, as 80 per cent oftheir diet was insects in the leaf litter, and thisaffected the invertebrate balance in the bush.Bush fragments are an important aspect oflandscape connectivity for wildlife, and aregenerally resilient, although not to the extent of

nearby large forests, he said.If you would like help or advice protectingyour bush fragment, please contact us [email protected]

Filling a baitstation areMaureen Young and Gill

Adshead. (Photo: SuziPhillips)

Protect your bush fragments

Can you help out our Committee this summer ?

Over summer we will be holding Forest and Bird stalls at events such asEcodays and A and P Shows in our area, including the Helensville A and Pshow in February and the Kumeu A and H Show in March. We are keen tohave some new volunteers to help us on the stalls for a couple of hours.If you would like to help, we will be delighted to hear from you.

You can email us at [email protected] or see page 2 forCommittee contact details.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Tree planting and pest control have been thefocus of efforts by ARP volunteers this season.There was a great turn out of helpers for theArbour Day community tree planting in June.Our planters put in about 300 native trees to forma picnic area by the stile at the top of the KaiparaHills Road access to Atuanui.

The native trees were sponsored by the RodneyDistrict Council and included flax, puriri,pittosporum, manuka, and cabbage trees - all

supplied by Kaipara Coast Plant Centre.Once the trees are established, a picnic table willbe moved into an area kept clear to form shelter.Pest control has been the main focus ofvolunteer efforts this year.The large DOC250 stoat traps have been carriedout to the boundaries, and rat control is being

done using the 635 bait-stations that are spreadacross the reserve on a 100m x 100m grid.Work on finishing the bait-station grid on the northside of the reserve by a

contractor was funded byBirdlife InternationalsC o n s e r v a t i o n f o r Communities Fund.We are about half way

through the rat controlnow and still need morevolunteers to put Ratabaterat poison into the bait-stations.This is challenging workon s teep and o f ten

slippery bush slopes, butvolunteers have madegreat progress this month.

More help is needed, so if

you would like a morning tramping and putting outRatabate, please contact us by email or phone.For contact details see page 2.The cost of the Ratabate poison was funded byt h e A u c k l a n d R e g i o n a l C o u n c i l sEnvironmental Initiative Fund.Possum control has also been carried out across

the entire reserve by a contractor, (as only alicensed contractor is allowed to distribute theFeratox possum poison). The possum control

was made possible by a grant from the ASBCommunity Trust, (who also fund our project co-ordinator position).Our thanks to all our volunteers for their hardwork and to our funders for supporting restorationplanting and pest control at Atuanui.

Below: Volunteers busy planting native trees on

the Atuanui access for our Arbour Day planting.

AtuanuiNewsNewsletter of the Atuanui Restoration Project of Kaipara Forest and Bird

The Atuanui Restoration Project is a volunteer based community partnershipproject of Kaipara Forest and Bird with the Department of Conservation. It isfunded by grants from the ASB Trust, the Birdlife International Conservation for

Communities Fund, the Auckland Regional Council, and Rodney District Council.

(Photos: Suzi Phillips)


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What You Can Do In 5 minutes

Find out more about restoration at

Atuanui by visiting our websites

Atuanui pages.

Visit the forest and see and hear for

yourself what we have and what is

missing.

Add your name to our list of

supporters by contacting us at

[email protected]

What You Can Do in 20+ minutes

Protect your own forest remnants and

stream edges from introduced pests.

Talk to local MPs and councillors ask

them to support pest control and

community conservation initiatives.

Let others know abut the Atuanui

Restoration Projects pest control

programme. Your voice is an

important part of spreading the word.

Help us to seek donors and sponsors

for our work at Atuanui.

Atuanuis eastern boundary from the airstrip access. (Photo: Suzi Phillips)

How you can help

Above: An autumn flowering Rata(Metrosideros fulgens) on Atuanuis ridgetrack in April. (Photo: Suzi Phillips).Recent possum and rat control on Atuanuiwill also help to protect plant species likeRata that are palatable to these introduced

pests.

Please send Supporter Donationsto: Atuanui Restoration Project,Kaipara Forest and Bird,PO Box 187, Helensville 0840.We appreciate donations from $5 to$500+ and receipts will be issued.


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Atuanui Restoration Project Volunteer Working Bees

Come for one day or more on these weekends from 9am to about 2pm

October 24th/25th, 31st Oct/November 1st, and November 8th/9th

We need experienced trampers to help us put rat control poison into our bait-

stations. Were about half way and hope to finish by the end of November. If you

can help us for a day, please get in touch asap, see below.This month we also will need some volunteers to check and reset our boundarylines of DOC250 stoat and ferret traps.Atuanui-Mt Auckland is 22km north of Kaukapakapa at Glorit. Turn right just past

the Glorit Hall, and drive 3km along Kaipara Hills Road to the Atuanui-MtAuckland access.We meet at 9am each volunteer day, at the top of the hill above the carpark.(Walk or drive through the gateway by the DOC sign and up the metalled track tomeet us at the Red Barn at the top). The working bee involves about 4-5 hours

tramping and requires a minimum of medium fitness.Please come prepared with warm clothing, sturdy tramping boots, wet weather

gear, lunch/drink, compass, and personal first-aid kit. If it's too wet, the workingbee will be postponed, so please provide contact details for cancellationnotification.

Please RSVP if you can help to: [email protected] or text/phone021-271-2527. New volunteers need to read the Health and Safety briefing beforearrival, available by email or hard copy.

Thank you to our Volunteers, our Funders and our Supporters including:Ross Beever, John MacDonald, Dave Allen, Felicity Smith, Gillian and KevinAdshead, Shane and Jenny Hood, Stuart Rogers and Josie Mannington, MattMannington and Lissa, Crispin and Michelle Caldicott and Charlotte, Russell andRosemary Cullen, Suzi and Peter Phillips, Christine Silvester, Jay Wightman,Marty Taylor, Bernard Michaux, Mick Cleland, Barbara Hughes, Jamie Calvert,Greg and Helen Smith, Denise Poyner, Joanne and Mark Waterson, Michael andDavid Stott, Marina and Colin Ander, Eliane Lagnaz, Warwick and HuelineMassey, Maureen Young, Henning Hovmand, FW Marter, and students fromKaipara Colleges Papa Taiio group.

Roll of Honour 2009
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Forest & Birds Wild Rivers: Captured photocontest is a good excuse to get out on orbeside a wild river this summer.Your favourite scene could be raging rapids or atrickle in a braided river so long as its anuntamed waterway, we want to see it.The contest has two categories a New Zealandriver landscape without people and a riverlandscape with people.Wed also like a few details about where youphotographed your river scene and why itsspecial.

Prizes include a Leica camera worth $1700 andoutdoor equipment worth $900.Photos must be taken this summer and digitalentries can be submitted from January 1 to March15. Craig Potton is the judge, and prize winnerswill be announced on March 31.More information will be atwww.forestandbird.org.nzfrom November. Emailentries from January 1 to [email protected]

Enter your Wild River photo to be in to win aLeica Camera or Outdoor Equipment thissummer.

Tutoko River near Milford Sound(Photographer: Craig Potton)

Capture a Wild River this summer

For more news on Kaiparas environmental issues go to

www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz

Kaipara

Seen a Kaka in our area recently ?

Email your sighting details [email protected]

Did you know ?

Forest and Bird is the only indigenous, independent

organisation that gives nature a voice in New Zealand.

We protect native plants, animals and wild places on land

and in our oceans through the work of our professional staff

and a network of branches and volunteers around New

Zealand. Forest and Bird is a charity and does not receive

ANY government funding.

We rely on donations, membership support, funding grants,bequests and corporate donors. We rely on your support,

both locally and nationally. For information on nationalcampaigns go to www.forestandbird.org.nz
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/http://www.kaiparaforestandbird.org.nz/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.forestandbird.org.nz/http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/

october 2009 kaipara, royal forest and bird protecton society newsletter

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