An adult kiwi has been badly injured in a dog attack in the 309 Rd area and is now receiving specialised treatment at the Auckland Zoo. The kiwi, nicknamed Jo by FVC Thames vet staff, is lucky to be alive as kiwi usually die from dog attacks. A small fox terrier tagging along on a daytime hunting expedition attacked the …
Coromandel locals get behind Save Kiwi Week
Local children visit our Nocturnal Kiwi exhibit at the Coromandel BNZ to celebrate the first Save Kiwi Week. About 200 children from local early childhood centres and Coromandel Area school came through the Kiwi exhibit last week. They were taken into a darkened room, and given torches to spot taxidermied kiwi hidden amongst foliage. A fort-like tent was pitched in …
Tauranga students learn by doing in the Waikawau Bay wetlands
Every spring Bay of Plenty Polytechnic students visit Waikawau Bay to help Moehau Environment Group monitor wildlife. The data collected informs us on what lives in our wetland and whether we are winning the war against rodents. The Bay of Plenty Polytech students help to undertake fernbird, rodent & invertebrate monitoring within the Waikawau Wetland Project. The search for creepy …
Point View Primary helping to protect Coromandel Kiwi
A Howick primary school is doing its best to protect New Zealand’s national icon, the kiwi. On 10 August a bunch of students and parents from Point View School came up to Port Charles to deliver 250 rat boxes the pupils had made. Point View School’s year 3 and 4 students have been hard at work building more than 250 …
Sponsor a trap to help protect kiwi chicks
We are on a mission to raise funds for our Kiwi Sanctuary. By sponsoring a trap, you will help us win the fight against mustelids and keep our kiwi chicks safe. Our Kiwi Sanctuary has been in operation for 8 years and protects nearly 8000ha of kiwi habitat. Due to a shortfall in funding we urgently need to source more …
Another great planting effort by Colville School
Every year Colville School comes up to Waikawau Bay, to help plant trees in our Children’s forest. This winter the students planted 65 cabbage trees and flaxes donated by Waikato Regional Council. The group made fast work of the planting. “With the speed those trees got in the ground, I think we will have to up the number of trees …
Southern Coromandel Kiwi ‘hotspot’ disappears
A survey has found that a known kiwi “hotspot” in the Southern Coromandel appears to have all but disappeared. In the 1990’s an area behind Opoutere and Whangamata was considered a kiwi “hotspot”. The Department of Conservation is currently undertaking a survey in the area to determine kiwi presence. Sadly, the current search has not found any birds so far. …
Ngatea pupils visit the country
Town met country this week, as school children from Ngatea came to visit us in Waikawau Bay. Three children from Ngatea Primary came to visit us this week to learn about the world of ecology. They braved composting loos, disected cat poo, built stoat traps, listened for kiwi, and hopefully learnt some things along the way. The children have selected …
Making every bird count…
This years bird call-counts at Waikawau Bay have turned up a few surprises. We’ve just finished our annual five minute bird call counts in the Waikawau Bay Wetland project. The results show that numbers of both native and exotic birds have increased exponentially since Moehau Environment Group began predator control in the area in 2005. Over 500 birds were seen …
More kiwi make the move across the ditch
Another three Coromandel Kiwi have been released onto Motutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf during April. The translocation is part of a programme to help provide long term security for Coromandel Brown kiwi by increasing their number and mixing their genes. DOC is working with the Motutapu Restoration Trust, community groups on the Coromandel and iwi to establish a self …