Dawn Chorus - tiritirimatangi.worldsecuresystems.com · 2 Dawn Chorus 112 February 2018 3 Farewell to our Poet Lorikeet Diana Dombroski, who set the record for Tiritiri’s oldest

Dawn ChorusBulletin 112

ISSN 1171-8595February 2018

Tiritiri's gift to NZ2368 birds from the Island have

been gifted to other reserves

Building projects pass first

approval hurdle

Donations flow in towards

Island's new ute

Rat hunt underlines risk from boaties

www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz 32 Dawn Chorus 112 February 2018

From the chair

A dramaticstart tothe new year

Building projects pass first approval milestone

Tiritiri titbits

COVER: A saddleback heads happily for the bush after being held in captivity for a translocation programme. Photo by Jo McCarthy.

Happy new year to you all. Well, 2018 has kicked off with a bit of unwanted excitement! As you may have seen in the media, we had a rat on the Island. This was a potentially very serious develop-ment but it was detected early and DOC put a huge effort into catching it, which fortunately proved successful. Ironically the earlier, almost certainly false, mouse scare meant that we have been checking monitoring tunnels more frequently than normal and helped with the early detec-tion. The proximity of the rat’s tracks to Hobbs Beach seems to indicate a stow-away situation and is a timely reminder of just how vulnerable the Island is.

There will be changes to a key area of SoTM in March when Annette and Mal-colm de Raat step down from managing membership. They have spent many years handling the often difficult membership process and we thank them for their ster-ling efforts. Their departure means that we are looking for people to take over this critical role, so if you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible.

A piece of sad news is that longstand-ing supporter Diana Dombroski has passed away. Diana was a living legend, as a guide well into her nineties, and she will be much missed.

We have bought a replacement ute which should be on the Island this month and I would like to thank all those who have contributed to its purchase.

It has been a mixed breeding season this year. The takahe twins seem to be doing well which is great news. Riflemen are flourishing. Hihi are doing at least as well as last year. But kokako fortunes are mixed. The hot, dry summer might put an early end to the breeding season.

Finally, after long delays, we have re-ceived approval in principle from DOC for the leases which we have applied for in order to construct our field centre, mu-seum and signal mast. However, there is now a two-month public submission pe-riod and only after this has been success-fully navigated can we put a resource con-sent application to council. It is a long, slow and often frustrating process but we are making progress (truly!).

Hope you all had a great holiday.Brian Chandler

The plan to build a maritime museum, gi-ant signal mast and field centre on Tiritiri Matangi has passed its first bureaucratic milestone with the Department of Conser-vation finally agreeing in principle to grant the necessary leases.

However, that doesn’t mean work is about to start. There will now be a two-month period for public submissions on the proposed leases after which DOC will de-cide whether to actually grant them.

Once the leases are in place SoTM will have to lodge a resource consent application with Auckland Council, though we have already held a pre-lodgement meeting with the council to prepare the way.

Assuming consent is granted, sometime this year SoTM should then be able to pro-ceed to commissioning detailed drawings of the three projects and appointing funding and project managers. Plus, of course, it will still be necessary to apply to the council for building consents.

SoTM has already put $600,000 into a reserve fund for the projects but it will also be necessary to approach major fund-ing bodies like Lotto, philanthropic trusts, corporates, wealthy individuals, visitors and supporters. A timeline presented by chair Brian Chandler at the AGM pointed to con-struction possibly starting next year . . . pro-vided everything goes smoothly.

Successful fundraisingSOTM has received an extra-special Christ-mas present in the form of grants for two significant projects.

The Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust has again supported the education programme and our Growing Minds initiative with a grant of $50,000. Chair Brian noted that ‘the previous grant from the Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust was $40,000 and the in-crease shows the faith this prestigious grant-maker has in the Supporters.’

The elegant gecko project will get $5,000 a year for the next three years from Auck-land Council's Environment and Com-munity Committee to feed the expanding population. Hester Cooper says the proj-ect has been amazingly successful and the grant couldn’t have come at a better time.

‘Over the spring 12 babies were born which means we have a lot more hungry mouths to feed.’ Last year the project got $25,000 from Foundation North to support expansion of the breeding programme.

We also received a wonderful donation of $2240 from Point View School raised through sausage sizzles.

In January members were asked to help fund the $25,000 cost of getting a replace-ment ute for the Island and at the time of writing 255 donations had been received totalling $22,146. Brian said the Commit-tee was overwhelmed by the generosity. ‘No sooner had the appeal gone out than the do-nations started rolling in. It’s been amazing.’

You can donate by paying online to ac-count 12-3059-0283520-00 (under details put ‘ute appeal’, your name and the mem-bership number on your Dawn Chorus label. If you can't find the number send an email to [email protected] with the amount and your name and address. Or, send a cheque to the Membership Secretary, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, PO Box 90-814, Victoria Street West, Auckland, 1142.

BRIGHT STAR: The stunnng Fresnel Lens from Cuvier Lighthouse will be the centrepiece of the museum.

Photo / Geoff Beals


Farewell to our Poet LorikeetDiana Dombroski, who set the record for Tiritiri’s oldest guide and was also the Poet Lorikeet, has died aged 93. Even in death she made another contribution to the Island, asking for donations in lieu of flowers to be made to SoTM.

Diana led a full, exciting life, summed up by her Death Notice in the Herald which an-nounced: ‘Climbed her last mountain on 5 January 2018, in Auckland. Tiritiri Matangi guide, table tennis ace, Scrabble master, Poet Lorikeet, traveller and tramper, photogra-pher, opera buff and wise owl.’

On Tiritiri her passing was marked by a gathering of about 30 of her fellow Thurs-day guides who shared stories, munched lumps of her beloved ginger chocolate and, as Karin Gouldstone summed up, ‘had a few laughs and watery eyes’. They also enjoyed her poetry one more time:

Bad weather on the ferryThe winds did shriek as we breached each peakthen crashed back down again.The skipper battled every wavebut conditions were insane.However, all was not lost as we pitched and tossed.We finished on a high.The truth is out, without a doubt,That Takahe CAN fly!

Then Sally Hally read her Ode to Diana:No Shelley or Keats,Just our very own Poet Lorikeet,Diana, our Thursday muse,The one to unravel the cryptic clues.Who belonged to a book club and played ping pong,Who loved parrots and their cackling song,Chocolate ginger and nuts, savoury sandwiches and tea,Your healthy diet was additive-free.You encouraged our visitors to join the supportersAnd to fill the donation box with quarters.Tiritiri Matangi Island is your forever home,Remembered and missed by the Thursday coven.

Helicopter helperCarrying things like track gravel and water tanks around Tiritiri can be difficult . . . un-less you use a helicopter.

So, with much to be done, Ray Walter and Ian Higgins made an early drive to Sky-Work Helicopters depot at Warkworth for a flight to the Island. Once there, watched by an interested crowd on the bunkhouse deck, the helicopter re-positioned two water tanks behind the implement shed, replacing two

older tanks that were leaking. Then it was off to Spaghetti Junction to pick up 10 heavy duty bags of gravel – which had been organ-ised earlier by Ray, Ian and Brian Chandler – and transfer them to the Hobbs Beach Track to be used to top up places where the gravel was wearing a bit thin after the wet winter.

‘In no time we were finished,’ Ian said. 'All in all, a very successful day and a pleas-ant change from taking a barge load of gravel to Tiritiri.’

Transported to paradiseGeorge Hay, a member of SoTM living in Brixham, UK, reports listening to BBC Ra-dio 4 ‘when on came an article about New Zealand deciding it would be wonderful to try and get rid of predators. Suddenly I’m on a 360 Discovery ferry heading for Tiriti-ri Matangi. Next minute I am listening to bellbirds and stitchbirds singing their little hearts out at a feeding station. I was trans-ported 12,000 miles in an instant. It was a wonderful moment and I felt so proud to be a part of it by being a Supporter of Tiritiri Matangi, surely one of the seven wonders of the modern world.’

New creator for TiriKidsEilis Galuszewski, the Arts Education Facilitator at Corban Estate Arts Centre in West Auckland, has taken over the role of producing the TiriKids page in Dawn Chorus.

The position be-came vacant when Michelle Gordon,

who has done the page for two years despite returning to her native Canada, felt it would be better done by someone with more direct contact with the Island. A notice asking for expressions of interest drew five responses, three of whom produced possible pages, and it was decided that Eilis’ was the best.

At the Arts Centre, Eilis works ‘creat-ing and delivering workshops for children who attend our schools programme and this year we had the grand total of 7028 attend. I’m also part of the art events team and love bringing creativity to the community.’

She has been a member of SoTM for a couple of years now and last year became a guide. ‘I try to get out to the Island twice a month as I work during the week. Every time I go I learn so much more and enjoy the pas-sion and dedication of those who volunteer, guide and visit Tiritiri Matangi.’ Her first TiriKids is on page 14.

All about wetapungaSpeaker at the Supporters So-cial on 19 March is Ben Good-win of Auckland Zoo, who will talk about the wetapunga breeding programme which has seen the giant insects re-turn to Tiritiri. The talk is at Epsom Community Centre at 7:30pm. It will be an open evening, where non-members are welcome, so bring a friend.

Homes for wetaThe motels for tree weta have attracted their first guests. The one on the Kawerau Track is now accommodating at least two tree wetas.

EASY LIFTING: The SkyWork helicopter has no problems moving water tanks into position.Photo / Ian Higgins


Rat tracks at Hobbs Beach spark huge effort to catch invader

TRACKS: (from left) The footprints of the Norway rat; delicate footprints left by a skink; and tail and footprints of a tuatara

The rodent saga began on 9 November when a visitor from the US told shop vol-unteer Chris Eagles he had seen a mouse on Ridge Rd and later repeated the story to re-lief ranger Dave Jenkins. It was sufficiently convincing for the Department of Conser-vation to send a rodent dog to check and it smelled something interesting in the area of the sighting.

As a result DOC set up a detection zone in a 200m radius around the site and blanket-ed it with devices 25m apart. These included 300 mouse traps, 500 tracking tunnels with ink pads to record the footprints of anything walking through them, and 200 chew cards to record teeth marks.

In addition, the permanent rodent con-trol network, which has hundreds of traps and tunnels set up at 50m intervals around most of the tracks on the Island, was checked more regularly. Two teams of volunteers were set up – one for Sunday to Wednesday and the other Wednesday to Saturday – to do the monitoring.

Tony Petricevich, one of the volunteers,

Two huge rodent hunts have been carried out on Tiritiri over the past three months to preserve the rodent-free status the Island has enjoyed since 1993. Late last year a visitor reported seeing a mouse and sparked off a search which found nothing. Then early this year the discovery of rat tracks near Hobbs Beach led to an even bigger operation.

said they checked every tunnel/trap every two or three days ‘so between us we might work on the northern half of the Island one day, the southern half on the next and the central grid on the next and then repeat.’

Each morning there was a conference call from DOC at 9am, ‘then we would be given a map and list of tunnels/traps plus crunchy peanut butter in pottles or small plastic bags.

‘The tasks were simple: check tracking tunnels and traps, collect and replace cards, reset traps and rebait if required with peanut butter. The weather was very hot and dry and each of us would do up to 40 traps/tun-nels, which would take us about 3-4 hours, by which time we were exhausted, hot, sweaty and covered with peanut butter and tracking card ink.’ Nevertheless, Tony said, ‘there was a great team spirit and everyone pulled together to get the job done.’

‘We didn’t see any rodent tracks, but what we did see was interesting. After be-ing out for two or three nights many of the tracking cards, especially in damp bushy ar-eas, would be almost black with countless

weta prints. Where it was drier and more scrubby some cards would have skink prints and some might have a combination of the two, or no prints at all.’

By early December, with no trace of a mouse, in between the monitoring work the teams started to pack away some of the tun-nels/traps from less accessible areas. How-ever, Tony said, ‘We left the more easily ac-cessible tunnels/traps in place for the rangers to collect at their leisure. As it turned out, when the search was called off a few days lat-er DOC decided to leave these out and con-tinue monitoring. This was just as well . . .’

Only a couple of weeks later the alarm was raised again. Rangers Kata Tamaki and Vonny Sprey could only check the tracking tunnels if they had the time so when Neil Davies, one of the original SoTM mouse volunteers, was on the Island on 7 January he decided to give them a hand. In a tun-nel near Hobbs Beach, which had been last checked on 1 January, Neil discovered a rat print, and more prints were found in an-other tunnel.

The discovery prompted an immedi-ate and massive response. DOC sent two rat dogs and handlers to the Island and scrambled a team of officers to put out more than 50 additional traps and 60 extra track-ing tunnels. This time, unfortunately, it was no false alarm. More rat prints were found in the coastal strip from the bottom of the Kawerau Track to the Wharf and further in-land at the top of Cable Rd. A monitoring camera got a photo showing a Norway rat.

Auckland inner islands operations man-ager Keith Gell promised: ‘The operation will continue until we can be confident the Island is once again free of predator-pests.’

When the intruder initially eluded all

RODENT HUNTERS:

(from left)Dennis

Green, Yuka Ito, Tony

Petricevich, John

Kooperberg and Neil

Davies (who found the first

rat tracks).Photo / Yuka

Ito.


TRACKS: (from left) The footprints of the Norway rat; delicate footprints left by a skink; and tail and footprints of a tuatara

CAUGHT:(clockwise from top) the extensive pest detection network on Tiritiri; rat hunters Finn Buchanan with Pai, and Hannah Johnston with Indie, relax after a day's tracking; DOC rangers Andre de Graaf and Polly Hall show their delight at ending the threat to Tiritiri; the special trap they built to catch the rat; the Norway rat on camera approaching a station.

Photos / DOC, Karen O'Shea.

the efforts DOC staff sought advice from ex-perts and tried different tactics. For instance, knowing that Norway rats are creatures of habit, they put extensions on the tracking tunnels and fitted them with snap traps.

Brodificum poison was placed in five bait stations around Hobbs Beach and the bottom of the Kawerau Track and moni-tored daily, with the bait weighed to see how much had been eaten, and checked for teeth marks to see what had been doing the eating. To avoid disturbing the rat, visitors were urged to avoid the coastal strip around Hobbs Beach as much as possible.

The seven takahe were all penned to keep them safe from poison or rat attacks. Studies have shown that tuatara, being cold blood-ed, are not affected by brodificum. However, the DOC200 traps being used were raised to keep tuatara out.

Finally, on 26 January, DOC rangers do-ing an early morning check of traps at Hobbs Beach found a 280gm female Norway rat in a special device made by cutting a tracking tunnel in half and putting a DOC200 in the middle. Monitoring of tracks continued for a few weeks afterwards, just to be sure, and the takahe stayed in the pens for a while lon-ger because they were due for their health checks and immunisations. But the emer-gency was over.

However, the fact that the rat's foot-prints were first found near Hobbs Beach, where many boaties come ashore, makes it very likely that it landed from a visiting craft. The incident emphasises just how vul-nerable we are and how important it is to maintain strict biosecurity precautions.


Tiritiri Matangi is well-known as a place where people can come to see the endangered birds which once set our forests ringing with their calls. Less well-known, writes Martin Sanders, is the fact that many of the birds – and even one species of skink – which found sanctuary on the Island are now spreading out to other sanctuaries around the country where their calls can once again be heard for the first time in generations.

How Tiritiri's offspring have brought birdsong back to the country's reserves, forests and islands

Translocations have taken place since the very earliest days of the Tiritiri Matangi Open Sanctuary. The earliest record is associated with John Craig, one of the two scientists in the forefront of the Tiritiri project, who translocated a number of bellbirds to Shakespear Regional Park, just across the water on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, in the early 1980s. Since then well over 2000 birds from nine species have been translocated to 31 other predator-free areas where they can now be enjoyed by visitors.

This is the result of many separate projects involving the Department of Conservation, dedicated scientists, iwi keen to see natural treasures restored to their lands, and teams of enthusiastic volunteers both on the Island and in the destination sanctuaries. All translocations require DOC permits and some translocations are initiated by DOC, but increasingly they are the result of community-based initiatives to bring back lost species.

Great care has to be taken in any translocation, with plans often years in the making. First, the Tiritiri population of the species has to be in good health and capable of coping with the loss of birds. Catching must be done carefully and without causing harm and requires different techniques for different species: feeder cages for hihi, mist nets for most species, Potter traps for robins.

Once caught they have to be prepared for what may be a long journey by car, helicopter or even passenger plane. Preparation usually involves spending some time in aviaries, waiting until the desired number has been caught, until everything is ready at the destination site to receive them, or, if health-screening is required, waiting for laboratory checks to be completed.

Different species require their own unique arrangements for food, privacy and timing, etc. For instance, riflemen (titipounamu) should be moved and released within a few hours of being caught; robins (toutouwai) each have their own box because they can be aggressive towards one another, whereas tieke (saddleback) or popokatea (whitehead) can travel five to a box.

Translocation teams are usually led by a professional expert and include representatives from both the destination

site and the source site together with skilled and experienced volunteer helpers.

Meanwhile in the birds’ new home there will have been years of work by more volunteers, eradicating pests, planting trees and shrubs which provide suitable food and otherwise making sure the newcomers will be able to flourish. For those associated with the destination sites the arrival of a

consignment of birds from Tiritiri is the culmination of a dream and their release is often marked with moving ceremonies.

Translocations from Tiritiri continue to increase in number. As you can see from the map, apart from some takahe heading to the South Island, all those so far have been to the North Island.

As New Zealand progresses towards a

Destinations for gifts of Tiritiri birds

(NB the location of sites is indicative only)


Whitehead 1078Tieke 265Takahe 27North Island robin 139Bellbird 122Diving petrel 190Little spotted kiwi 10Hihi 493North Island kokako 44TOTAL 2368

What an amazing story the develop-ment of a wildlife sanctuary on Tiritiri Matangi is. And what an amazing privi-lege for Rotokare to be welcomed onto the Island and to work with SoTM to bring hihi back to Taranaki some 130 years after regional extinction (the photo shows site manager Fiona Gordon with a newly arrived hihi).Our planning process began in 2014 by recognising the possibility of returning hihi to Taranaki. We were already working with Kevin Parker and a number of SoTM members on other translocations at the time. The Hihi Research Group visited Rotokare to provide a formal site as-sessment and budgets were prepared for fundraising. In our case, this reintroduc-tion project is a partnership with a cor-porate sponsor, which has enabled us to be sure of sufficient funding, including contingencies for unforeseen complica-tions, not always the case with conserva-

tion projects.Throughout the process we have been fortunate to work closely with SoTM members, learning from their incredible

knowledge, not to mention the amazing passion for their work and the strong empa-thy for the birds. When time came for the translocation, our people were welcomed with open arms to the Island, and worked closely with SoTM members throughout the process. We truly feel a strong sense of togetherness through our involvement and recognise the amazing efforts

and achievements that have made such work possible. Rotokare is committed to doing every-thing possible to ensure this project is a success, for our community and their amazing efforts, and for SoTM, who we consider as part of our family.Returning hihi to Taranaki has been an absolute highlight for all concerned. A dream come true!

A joyous return for long-lost birdsThe arrival of birds from Tiritiri has brought joy to many conservation groups around the country. The reaction is typified by this tribute from Simon Collins, sanctuary manager for the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust, in Taranaki, which in recent years has re-introduced tieke, toutouwai, popokatea and, perhaps most exciting of all, hihi.

They have been hugely successful breeders in the years since and now shout their warnings from every corner of the Island.

Initially, because of a lack of mature bush, they adapted to nesting in boxes provided by SoTM, and now the bush has matured they enjoy a wide range of nesting sites.

So successful have they been that the tieke was adopted as the emblem of the Tiritiri Supporters. Trained volunteers have successfully monitored the breeding success of the birds for a number of years. This has allowed at least 265 birds to be translocated to other predator-free sites.

Whitehead/popokateaAlthough whiteheads are

not an endangered species and persist

in several of the central and southern North Island forests, they are a welcome addition to any sanctuary.

As well as providing a comforting chatter in the bush, their presence creates the opportunity that one day the threatened long-tailed cuckoo/koekoea

may breed on the Island, whiteheads being the sole North Island host species for this cuckoo.

The majority of popokatea removed from Tiritiri have been released in the Waitakere Ranges, but populations on Motuora, at Shakespear Regional Park and on several islands in the Bay of Islands also have their origins on the Island.

TakaheThe takahe is the largest living rail in the world and also the rarest.

They have become a feature of Tiritiri over many years and are always popular with visitors.

Because takahe are so rare and have such limited genetic diversity, DOC’s takahe recovery team move birds around the country to where they think they can make the best contribution to the breeding programme.

The current programme allows for two breeding pairs on Tiritiri.

The present pair near the lighthouse,

pest-free environment there are likely to be many more projects approaching SoTM to provide these reminders of early Aotearoa.

The tally of birds already translocated from Tiritiri includes:

Each species has its own story to tell.

North Island kokakoPerhaps the most moving of the many translocations from Tiritiri is the recent return of 20 kokako to

their ancestral home at Parininihi in Taranaki after a break of

nearly 20 years.The kokako’s

Taranaki line was in danger of dying

out when one of the last surviving birds, named Tamanui, was captured and

taken into protective c u s t o d y, his descendants eventually ending up on Tiritiri. There they thrived, mating with birds originating from the Waikato region, resulting in a significant number with Taranaki descent. By agreement with local iwi, dedicated Tiritiri volunteers tracked the breeding of these birds, keeping a careful record of their lineage, so they could one day return home.

Meanwhile, down at Parininihi, equally dedicated volunteers were working hard to clear their forest of the predators which had brought the kokako close to extinction. Last year it was decided that Taranaki was ready to receive some of its birds back and in two translocations, in May and July, 20 birds were released.

Their release was a moving experience for both the locals, overjoyed that the haunting call of these beautiful birds would once again be heard in their bush, and the Tiritiri team, whose members were sad to lose feathered friends with such amazing personalities, but delighted to see them return home.

Saddleback/tieke Tieke were first brought to Tiritiri in 1984 from Cuvier Island at a time when their survival was seriously threatened.


Anatori and Tussie, are of high genetic value, so their offspring, of which there are two this year, will be incorporated into the breeding programme at Burwood in the South Island when they are old enough.

North Island robin/toutouwai

In the 25 years since toutouwai were introduced from the

Mamaku Range they have become one of the most popular and observed birds

on the Island. Early research established that it was safe

to regularly harvest them for translocation, a discovery which had implications for reintroduction programmes round the world, as well as for the toutouwai. Other research has shown juvenile male birds may delay adult plumage until they find a mate or territory so being sent elsewhere really does give them a chance to fulfil their potential.

Bellbird/korimako

Bellbirds have always been resident on Tiritiri and were the subject of one of the earliest published research papers to result from research on the Island.

They are not easy to translocate because they readily fly quite long distances and obviously have their own ideas about where they want to live.

For instance, korimako from Tiritiri were sent to Waiheke and Hamilton and promptly dispersed – at least one came back to the Island. However, they have successfully self-introduced to close mainland areas and islands.

During the winter when food can be in short supply the bellbird chorus round the sugar water feeding stations – which are really meant for the hihi – provides a glorious reminder of what the New Zealand bush used to sound like.

Diving petrel/kuakaThese small, chunky petrels

aren’t very visible to visitors but they can be

heard at night calling over their breeding grounds round the coastline of Tiritiri.

Although they are extremely vulnerable to introduced predators, kuaka have thrived in the safety of the Island and they may even be our most numerous bird species, making Tiritiri an ideal source for translocations to newly predator-free areas.

However, their translocations are difficult to monitor. For instance, diving petrels were sent to Motuora but we don’t know how successful this was because they didn’t use nestboxes and have tended to nest in inaccessible places.

Fortunately, they also self-introduce to places where predators are removed and it's quite likely birds from Tiritiri have spread on their own.

Little spotted kiwi/kiwi pukupukuThe little spotted kiwi has some ofthe lowest geneticdiversity of any New Zealand birdso their translocations are primarily aimed at improving their genes.

In 2017, birds from Tiritiri formed part of the founder population in Shakespear Regional Park, where they were joined by birds from Kapiti Island. Because Tiritiri provided the females and Kapiti the males, they will have no choice but to breed with each other, which should ensure greater genetic diversity than had the birds all come from Tiritiri.

Stitchbird/hihiExtinct on the mainland since 1883, our population came from Little Barrier Island/Hauturu in a series of translocations by

helicopter, beginning in 1995.

Despite the hihi’s notoriously promiscuous sexual behaviour, things got

off to a slow start with not many of the females released being seen again and just six chicks

recorded in the first breeding season. But a few top-ups from Hauturu and

an intensive management and research programme saw the population take off and within a decade it had reached the target of 70 adult females and around 160 adult birds in total.

As a result, in 2005 hihi returned to the mainland after a 122 year gap when birds from Tiritiri were successfully translocated to Zealandia/Karori Wildife Sanctuary.

Since then more have been sent to Ark in the Park, Maungatautari, Bushy Park and, most recently, Rotokare. Unfortunately they failed to establish in Ark in the Park but elsewhere the indications are promising.

From time to time translocation of hihi has been paused, after a less successful breeding season on the Island, but as numbers permit their return to the mainland continues.

Indeed, as Hihi Recovery Group co-chair Dr John Ewen points out, it is a source of pride to his team that so far all of the considerable numbers of hihi thriving around New Zealand have come from Tiritiri.

Moko skinkOf course Tiritiri isn’t only a sanctuary for endangered birds. In 2015 the first translocation of reptiles off the Island took place when 59 moko skinks caught by a team from Auckland Zoo were released on Rotoroa Island as part of its restoration programme.

The capture rate indicated a very healthy moko population on Tiritiri so the following year a further 61 were also translocated to Rotoroa where they are apparently thriving alongside some shore skinks translocated from Tawharanui Regional Park.

Future translocationsUndoubtedly translocations of birds will continue and who knows what may come in the future?

Other reptiles, such as the Duvaucel's geckos, which seem to be thriving on Tiritiri?

Or, given the way wetapunga are spreading through the bush, perhaps they could be the next species to spread from the Island back to predator-free areas.

Tiritiri has helped give back many lost native species to areas of Aotearoa and it will continue to do so in the years ahead.

Information was provided by Kay Milton, John Stewart, John Ewen and Kevin Parker.Photos by Martin Sanders, Kalib Patterson, Simon Fordham and the Department of Conservation.Clearcutting by Martin Sanders and Jim Eagles.


l’m a contractor, sometimes working on Tiritiri Matangi and other islands. I’m part of a team, minimum of two, for health and safety reasons.

Weeds are what we control. Mostly down and up the cliffs, attached to ropes and wearing a harness, in areas deemed unsafe to go on foot.

Rope Access is the new term for Abseil-ing, when at work. It may sound glamor-ous but in fact is demanding, physically and mentally. Physically, because of the effort involved in descending through scrub and bush, cutting, pasting and digging weeds, followed by ascending again with all your gear, with no formed tracks or wooden steps to walk up. Mentally, because you are try-ing to cover all the ground both in front and behind, locating weeds and trying to deter-mine a safe place for your next descent.

Occasionally rock and debris falls, some-times on us or nearby. The nature of the cliffs on Tiritiri is mainly shattered rock, which is loose and unpredictable. Rain and growing tree roots are the main cause of slips and rock movement.

The work we do is a continuation of what was done by others. Ian Price and his chainsaw, with assistance from various help-ers, really dealt to the boxthorn on coastal areas and Little Wooded Island. John Turner was abseiling on the Island before me and trusting enough to offer me his work. Helen Lindsay has been my manager on Tiritiri and other islands for over a decade. Donning her harness and associated kit, she is thorough, safe and knowledgeable.

Helen recently handed over the weed control programme to Garrick McCarthy who brings a variety of skills and enthusi-asm. George Page is my usual co-worker. He comes from a weed control background and has qualifications. His ability on the ropes is good and he’s also a thinker.

Others have helped me with this work, too, male and female. The job is equal parts strength and technique.

Most of the weeds on Tiritiri are in de-cline. On-going follow-up work is necessary to ensure this continues. Helen has amassed a detailed data base of historical weed sites. My knowledge is more on the ground.

New weeds do appear on Tiritiri. This year we found a flowering rhamnus with fruit located below the bach on the eastern side of the Island. Three days later, while

doing a coastal survey on foot on the north western side, a male rhamnus 5m tall was located and controlled. We suspect the seed was flown to Tiritiri by a bird from the mainland. Rhamnus is common on the east coast bays of Auckland and nearby islands.

l do this work because of the people in-volved. Sharing facilities and a meal at the bunkhouse is good, as is talking to others about their interests. I like seeing the prog-ress of the Island with less weeds and more native plant growth, as well as listening to the birds and the people involved. Historical structures on Tiritiri are of interest to me, in particular the Gun Cotton Store, its location and the effort involved in building it.

The weed control work takes us to many places on the Island: down to the historical dump sites, 90m drops to monitor and con-trol weeds, rediscovering unwanted items from the Island’s past, like bed ends, bottles, batteries, lamps, iron, wire and an old trac-tor too.

Some would say there’s no such thing as a weed, only a plant in the wrong place. Eventually l may work myself out of a job.

Weeding cliffs takes strength, technique and teamworkRope access contractor Richard Sharp talks about the effort that goes into controlling weeds on the steep cliffs that surround Tiritiri and why he enjoys the work.

AERIAL WEED CONTROL: (clockwise from top left); looking for unwanted plants halfway down a cliff; Richard Sharp; George Page.

Photos / Martin Sanders, Richard Sharp.


The breeding season is more than half over and it’s been a strange one in some ways, with hot, dry conditions starting a couple of months earlier than normal. As usual, the birds have had mixed fortunes, and some have been slow to breed. Two short spells of heavy rain in January gave the Island some re-lief, but it is possible that the hot, dry weather may force an early end to the season, since the invertebrates important in the diet of most chicks are harder to find when it is too dry.

TakaheFor the first time, Edge and Turutu, at the north end of the Island, made two nesting attempts this season. Unfortunately the eggs failed to hatch on both occasions. This is a bit puzzling, given that they were successful last year, and their daughter Arataki is still with them so we were hoping she would be able to help raise a younger sibling.

Anatori and Tussie have made up for this by producing two chicks, which by mid-January were well grown and showing colour in their plumage. The one which hatched second is slightly smaller, or perhaps the smaller one is female and the larger one male (we shall only find out after blood samples are taken when the chicks are banded). It is unusual for a pair to raise two successfully, especially without an older sibling to help, so we shouldn’t expect too much, but the signs are good so far.

Supporters will be sad to hear of the death of Montague at Auckland Zoo. He lived on

Tiritiri from August 2005 to September 2013 and was 18 years old when he died. He and his partner Ahikaea had seven offspring dur-ing their time on the Island, before being re-tired to the Zoo. Ahikaea, who is the daugh-ter of Greg and his first partner Pounamu, is now 20 years old, and has been moved to Zealandia, where she will have the company of a retired male, T2.

KokakoIt has been a very mixed breeding season so far (early February) with eight fledglings and no more nests currently active. The eight fledglings are from just six pairs; nine females attempted to nest, some more than once, but failed each time, and three others have not tried to nest this season.

The successful pairs so far include three highly experienced pairs, Te Rae and Chatters and Rehu and Noel, each with two fledglings, and Pureora and Crown with one. Two less experienced pairs, Tiara and Poutama, and Discovery and Sarang, both in their third breeding season, have one fledgling each.

Tiara and Poutama are already doing an excellent job of showing their new arrival off to visitors, as they have in the past two years. The eighth fledgling is from the new pairing of Royal and Miharo, both of whom became single when their partners were moved to Pa-rininihi last winter.

We are excited about two other new pair-ings this year: Slingshot and Melodie, and Rimu and Honey. Slingshot was with a male

partner, Tawa, who disappeared last winter, and Rimu had one unsuccessful nesting at-tempt last year before being abandoned by his first partner Royal. Melodie and Honey are both unbanded fledglings from 2015-16, and their gender was unknown until this sea-son. We still cannot be certain that Melodie is female, since she has not yet attempted to nest, but Honey has had two failed nesting attempts. Both these pairs, if they are eventu-ally successful, will introduce new blood into the population.

There have been continual updates from Parininihi, North Taranaki, where 20 of our birds were moved to last winter. Nine nests have been found so far with at least eight chicks among them. The most productive pair has been Mere and Tupoki, who have three fledglings from their first attempt to-gether. In total, 14 of the translocated birds have been seen since their release, and all but one of the females.

Rifleman/ TītipounamuEvery year we monitor the breeding season with much anticipation and have yet to be disappointed, each season surpassing the pre-vious one. This season, the ninth since rifle-men were first introduced to Tiritiri, has ex-ceeded our expectations considerably with 48 pairs identified and many others likely. This compares with 33 pairs last season and 23 the one before that.

By mid-January, 28 juveniles had been caught and banded, along with nine adults

PROUD PARENTS: Anatori (R) and Tussie (L) enjoy a public outing with their fast-growing twins. Photo / Martin Sanders

Fauna Notes

Takahe twins a highlight in a mixed season


Photo – Michael Richter Photo – Derek Tearne

Tiritiri Matangi 2018 Photographic Competition

We’re now looking for entries for our photographic competition (and photos for our 2019 Calendar). The categories are:

• Fauna • Flora

• Landscape/Seascape • People on Tiritiri Matangi

• Under 16 years old

All photos must have been taken on Tiritiri Matangi, and must be available to be used for promotion on the island. You can enter up to four photos in each category. Entries close April 30, 2018.

For entry details go to: www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz and click on the link in the banner.

that had eluded capture previously. By mark-ing individuals, it not only helps us to iden-tify pairs, it also gives us a better picture of longevity and dispersal of the Tiritiri birds.

Hihi/StitchbirdBy mid-January there had been 96 breeding attempts, 44 of which successfully fledged chicks. There was only one female laying early this year (22 September), everyone else waited another month and they all got started from 21 October.

A total of 394 eggs have been laid and

286 chicks have hatched; 147 (82 female, 65 male) of these have fledged to date. The dry weather may bring an early end to the breed-ing season for hihi but it has already been equally as successful as last year, which is very good news.

The hihi had a six-week break from the sugar feeders but they started visiting again when the pohutukawa finished flowering.

There is a new sugar feeder cage on the Wattle Track. This is a prototype that has been designed by the hihi recovery group and DOC. It will eventually be set up to re-

motely record the birds as they come and go, using radio frequency identification technol-ogy and microchips installed in the birds’ leg bands. This will be a useful monitoring tech-nique; who knows what they get up to when no one is watching!

Other wildlifeThe headless remains of a white-faced storm petrel/takahikare-moana were found near the track that takes visitors from the East Coast Track to North East Bay, possibly having been predated by a ruru/morepork.

WALKING ON WATER: The white-faced storm petrel shows why it is nick-named 'the Jesus bird'. Photo / Simon Fordham

I


Flora Notes

Plant treasures from other islandsOne of the aims of the Tiritiri Matangi Island Working Plan of 1982 was ‘to create an open sanctuary where people, particularly Aucklanders, can view some of the region’s rare or endangered animal and plant species in their natural habitat’. Warren Brewer looks at four plants introduced to Tiritiri from other islands.

Puka (Meryta sinclairii) is a Three Kings Is-lands endemic tree which may have also been introduced by early Maori to the Hen and Chickens. It has a lush tropical appearance with its large glossy-green undivided paddle-shaped leaves. Puka is dioecious, flowering in autumn. The small greenish flowers are insect pollinated and bundles of round fruits ma-ture on female trees in spring to late summer.

There are about 30 species in the genus Meryta, found in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and Pacific Islands. They belong in the ivy family, Araliaceae. Meryta means furled or tightly bound, describing the bundles of fruit. The species name honours Andrew Sinclair (1794-1861), British phy-sician, naturalist and New Zealand’s second Colonial Secretary.

Puka has become a popular specimen tree in parks, reserves and suburban gardens.

Elingamita (Elingamita johnsonii). In the wild elingamita is restricted to a small area on one rocky island, West Island, and two small rock islets, The Princes, in the Three Kings Group. It forms a spreading tree with leaves which look very like karaka.

Tiny yellowish green flowers appear in summer. Their petals are fused into a short tube. Small insects do the pollinating. The spherical shaped fruits ripen to a bright red over winter. Each fruit has white flesh which is said to be edible, tasting like an oily, salty

apple.Elingamita has just a solitary species and

belongs in the primrose family, Primulaceae. The trees were discovered in 1950 by

Magnus Earle Johnson (1885-1976), a World War One hero, awarded the Military Cross and bar. In his later years Johnson took his little keeler Rosemary on at least eight ex-peditions to the Three Kings with botanists and naturalists as crew. His seamanship al-lowed the natural history of the islands and their steep offshore stacks to be extensively explored.

Elingamita is named after the steamship Elingamite which struck West Island in dense fog on 9 November 1902. The ship sank within 20 minutes and 45 lives were lost.

Three Kings milk tree (Streblus smithii). This is another Three Kings endemic. It forms a small multi-trunked tree about 5m tall and can spread 4m. The large dark green wavy leaves give it an almost vine-like appearance.

It is dioecious and on male trees catkin-like pendulous spikes up to 12cm long have clusters of tiny flowers with pinkish anthers. On female trees the spikes which carry the flowers are shorter. Small round fruit ripens from green to brilliant red in June/July.

The bark exudes a thick, white, milk-like sap when cut. Early settlers called them milk trees as the sap was used as a milk substitute.

The Three Kings milk tree can be seen

This species is not known to breed on Tiritiri, the nearest colony being on the Nois-es, 12km south-east of the Island.

So far 16 tieke/saddleback chicks have been banded in nest boxes and one has fledged unbanded. Numbers are higher than this time last year, but still low when compared with previous years. On the other hand, there appear to be plenty of young tieke around, so maybe, as we thought last season, nest-box use is declining.

The Supporters have inherited the kakari-ki nest boxes left on the Island by Auckland Zoo after their project came to an end last year. The boxes have been checked regularly by a new team of volunteers and, apart from some wetapunga, that seem to like the large enclosed space, 19 or 20 kakariki chicks have hatched in the boxes so far.

Although tomtits/miromiro are among the few native birds to have rejected attempts to settle them on Tiritiri, we usually have a few visiting the Island during the spring and summer (such as this one photographed by Danielle Laury in 2016). This year was no ex-ception, with two or three sightings, includ-ing a male in Bush 22 on 15 November.

On Christmas Eve, Morag and Simon Fordham had a particularly entertaining en-counter. They were trying to catch riflemen on the boardwalk link between the Pa Track and the Kawerau Track when a tomtit was heard and then seen close by. At one stage, this cheeky individual chased riflemen away from a mist net, then landed on one of the net’s guy ropes.

One of the guided groups witnessed an unusual event on Hobbs Beach on 6 Janu-ary. They were watching tieke feeding on the ground when they noticed a tuatara nearby that appeared to be stalking them. It chased them without success, waited until they set-tled and then chased them again!

Compiled by Kay Milton with contribu-tions from Morag Fordham, Simon Ford-ham, Mhairi McCready, Karen O’Shea and John Stewart.


Flora Notes

Plant treasures from other islands opposite the labelled elingamita on Wattle Track.

There are about 41 species of Streblus and New Zealand has three endemic species. Turepo (Streblus heterophyllus) occurs natu-rally on Tiritiri. These plants belong in the fig family, Moraceae.

Streblus means ‘twisted’, describing the zigzag arrangement of the branches of many species. Smithii honours Stephenson Percy Smith (1840-1922), surveyor and ethnolo-gist, who accompanied the botanist Thom-as Cheeseman to the Three Kings in 1887 when the plant first was recorded.

Poor Knights lily (Xeronema callistemon).This is a tufted perennial herb endemic to the Poor Knights Islands and Taranga (Hen Island). It was first described in 1926.

There are two species of Xeronema. The other was discovered in the mountains of New Caledonia in 1866 by Charles Moore (1820-1905), Scottish-born director of Syd-ney Botanic Gardens, and named Xeronema moorei. Both have similar growth forms with stiff iris-like leaves forming a compact clump. They have bright red flowers arranged brush-like on a gently curving stalk. There are subtle differences in the flower structure of each species plus a difference in the size and shape of their seeds. The New Zealand species is named raupo taranga by Maori. Its flowering occurs in October with brushes of red flowers with long stamens. Seed forma-tion is from November to January.

The genus Xeronema with just two spe-cies has its own tiny family, Xeronemataceae. Xeronema means ‘dry threads’, describing the spindly tepals and stamens. Callistemon means ‘beautiful stamens’.

ISLANDERS: (clockwise from far left) Puka with ripening fruit; Elingamita flowers; Elingamita fruit; Three Kings milk tree with tiny male flowers on a spike; Poor Knights lily in flower. Photos / Warren Brewer.


R L L P K L H T K Y V T D Z R K SE K G E O I Y H H T A V R O C Q EG D R I R T H W H K B Q I A B O FT I K L A T Z I A B D B B G E G CS N O Y A L E H I Y M E H Z L R PU L G I I E E P U S L X C F L P BS N T O O S D R G D R Q T W B A JQ W K P H P F M D N A B I Y I L DB A H N G O V A A F I Y T U R J QK G J O A T S Q W I F V S V D H KC U W H I T E H E A D U I F E L NA C Y H F E E W I Z O Z J D W C DN I B O R D N A L S I H T R O N AX F I H X K C D K W I L A W H D IN O R T H I S L A N D K O K A K OW K K W I W D D E J O K W T A O FU B E J R I S P K Z U M J K V T P

Bellbird, North Island Kokako, Stitchbird, Diving Petrel, North Island Robin, Takahe, Little Spotted Kiwi, Saddleback, Whitehead.

Tirikids by Eilis Galuszewski

As you know Tiritiri Matangi is a safe, protected island where manyendangered and threatened native animals can live and breed happily. This has been happening for over 30 years thanks to thededication of many wonderful volunteers.

What you may not know is that over that time the birds on Tiritiri have successfully increased their numbers so much that from time to time we areable to send some of them off to populate other pest-free islands or mainland areas. More than 2000 birds from nine different species have beenfound new homes in this way. This has enabled many more people to enjoy hearing and

observing these enchanting birds that once they may have only dreamed of seeing.

Before any translocation a lot of work has to be done, both with the birds being moved and at the site of their new home. Some of these tasks are:•The birds have to be caught carefully so none of them are harmed in any way and they need thorough health checks.•The best and most comfortable transportation has to be organised for the birds, sometimes even a helicopter.•At their new home, they have to find suitable trees and shrubs for food and shelter and the new site must be predator free so the birds stay safe and healthy.

If you look carefully at the Wordfinder you'll find the names of all the different birds that we have translocated over the years (to make it easier I've also listed them at the bottom of the page). How many can you see?

Have fun.


Day trips: 360 Discovery runs a return ferry service every Wednesday through Sunday from Downtown Auckland and the Gulf Harbour Marina. Bookings are essential. Phone 0800 360 347 or visit www.360discovery.co.nz. Call 09 916 2241 after 7am on the day to confirm the vessel is running.

School and tertiary institution visits: The Tiritiri education programme covers from level 1 (5-year-olds), to level 13 (17-18-year-olds), to tertiary students. The focus in primary and secondary areas is on delivering the required Nature of Science and Living World objectives from the NZ Science Curriculum. At the senior biology level there are a number of NCEA Achievement Standards where support material and presentations are available. For senior students the Sustainability (EFS) Achievement Standards are available on the NZQA website. There is huge potential in that these standards relate directly to Tiritiri in various subject areas: science, economics, tourism, geography, religious education, marketing, health and physical education. The Island also provides a superb environment for creative writing, photography and art workshops. Tertiary students have

Supporters of Tiritiri MatangiDawn Chorus is the quarterly newsletter of the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi (SoTM). We are a volunteer incorporated society working closely with the Department of Conservation to make the most of the wonderful conservation restoration project that is Tiritiri Matangi. Every year volunteers put thousands of hours into the project and raise funds through membership, guiding and our Island-based gift shop.For further information see www.tiritirimatangi.org.nzor contact P O Box 90-814 Victoria St West, Auckland

SoTM CommitteeChairperson: Brian [email protected] 832 983 Secretary: Gloria [email protected]: Kevin VaughanCommittee: Helen Bucksey, Hester Cooper, Simon Fordham, Barry Fraser, Chris Hannent, Carl Hayson, Peter Lee, Kay Milton, Ray Walter

Guiding and shop manager: Mary-Ann Rowland, Assistant manager: Annette de [email protected] 476 0010

Membership: Annette and Malcolm de [email protected] 817 9964

Educator: Barbara Hughes-ClelandAssistant educator: Liz [email protected]

Fundraiser: Vincent [email protected]

Dawn Chorus editor: Jim [email protected]

Island rangers: Kata Tamaki and Vonny [email protected] 476 0920

the opportunity to learn about the history of Tiritiri and tools of conservation as well as to familiarise themselves with population genetics, evolution and speciation. Groups wishing to visit should go to www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/schoolvisits.htm or contact [email protected]. Bookings are essential.

Overnight visits: Camping is not permitted but there is limited bunkhouse accommodation at $15 a night for members and $30 for non-members. Bookings are essential. For further information go to www.doc.govt.nz/tiritiribunkhouse or phone the Department of Conservation on 09379 6476.

Supporters’ discount: Volunteers who are undertaking official SoTM work get free accommodation but this must be booked through the Guiding and Shop Manager at [email protected] or 09 4760010. SoTM members visiting privately can get a 50% discount but must first book and pay on line. Then email [email protected] giving the booking number and SoTM membership number. DOC will then refund the discount to your credit card.

Coming Events26 February

TiriTalk. 7.30pm at Unitec, Room 115-2017. See website for details. Researcher Vix Franks will give a summary of her

PhD research on the Island over the past three years, talking about the social lives of young hihi and what it means for their

behaviour and conservation.

3-4 MarchSupporters’ Hosted Weekend.

3 MarchTiritiri Concert. Classical music by some of the Auckland

Philharmonia Orchestra's Young Achievers groups, including the brass ensemble Le Chéile. A very special occasion.

19 MarchSupporters’ Social, 7.30pm, Epsom Community Centre. Ben

Goodwin of Auckland Zoo will talk about the wetapunga breeding programme which has seen the giant insects return to Tiritiri.

This is an open meeting so bring your friends.

30 March–2 AprilEaster Working Weekend

Supporters’ Hosted Weekends are led by guides who show off the Island's special places. Reduced price on the ferry and half price in the bunkhouse. Children welcome. Working Weekends are a chance for members to give the Island a hand. Travel is free, as is accommodation in the bunkhouse. Book through

[email protected]

Visiting Tiritiri Matangi Island for education or recreation

The brass ensemble Le Chéile, shown performing at the Auckland Live Summer in the Square, will star at this year's Tiritiri Concert.

Colourful 100% NZ tea towels in six bird designs

$17 each. Great gifts and easy to post

Good for you . . . and great for the planet

Our Island shop has an incredible array of gifts, including nature

books, ceramics, bags, puzzles, jewellery, soft toys, artwork,

natural beauty products, special t-shirts and much, much more.

So spend a day on Tiritiri, see the wonderful birdlife, enjoy free tea and coffee and buy treasures for yourself and gifts for loved ones,

But if you can't get to the Island ring 09 476 0010 and our cheerful

shop team will be happy to help.

Help the environment with re-usable coffee cups for $16

CaliWood re-usable strawsPackets of four

$20 for drinking straws

$21 for smoothie straws

Join the movement against single-use plastics. EcoFoodWraps offers a sustainable alternative to clingfilm with beeswax-infused cotton food wraps made from 100% cotton fabric and infused with locally-sourced beeswax. Wrap your dish of leftovers, cut fruit or veges, cheeses, celery, pumpkin... lots and lots of uses. Then just wash and use again.

$35 for a pack of three sizes

Documents

Dawn Chorus - tiritirimatangi.worldsecuresystems.com · 2 Dawn Chorus 112 February 2018 3 Farewell to our Poet Lorikeet Diana Dombroski, who set the record for Tiritiri’s oldest