COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER – Mahi tahi!!

Rangers’ Report – December 2019 – January 2020

Operational Summary...

Kiaora koutou katoa

Well it ain’t half hot mum, it is seriously dry and hot in the Whangarei Heads region and extremely dry in Bream Head

Scenic Reserve (BHSR) with many of the usual plant suspects already wilted, and some large mature trees also losing

canopy leaf cover too. Kiwi are being seen in the early daylight hours and out in boundary properties desperately looking

for food and moisture. We desperately need some good rain and very soon! Despite the hot weather the BHCT ranger and

volunteer team have continued their great mahi throughout the reserve, checking traps fastidiously and changing out the

rodent toxin stations. Unfortunately, we have lost the last two remaining grey faced petrel (GFP) chicks in the study area to

stoat predation again, this time it was all caught on video which I had posted to our Facebook page at the time in early

January. This comes after two breeding summers in which we saw 100% successful fledgling of all known study (GFP)

chicks, which was a result of our 1080 operation in the spring of 2017. As an adaptive management measure the trapping

team switched from salted rabbit baits to egg and mayonnaise in the DOC200 traps around mid-January, the new lure

having been used successfully in research projects elsewhere in Aotearoa. This switch up in the bait is a tool used to

change the lure attraction within the traps in order to attract stoats in the reserve who may have become shy or

complacent with salted rabbit within the reserve traps or from elsewhere. It also seems that birds other than kiwi are

struggling too, with our summer five minute bird counts returning far lower figures than the last two years. Birds seem to

have shifted into lower valley regions with many observed around the last water holes in some stream areas, or they may

have even gone elsewhere (hopefully only until the wet weather returns).

On a positive news front is the Trusts’ residual rodent tracking index (RTI) result for December 2019 which was again 0%

This helped lower the annual mean residual tracking index of rodents in BHSR to a new annual record low of just 0.47%

(+/-1%), the previous lowest RTI was 1.3%. This is truly an outstanding result for a mainland restoration project without a

predator proof fence!! The Trust has done a remarkable job over the last nine years, suppressing the rodents to very low

abundance and continuing to hold them down.

BHCT's RTI for rodents since 2010 - a positive trend!!

Over the summer months of December and January plenty of other operational tasks and events were conducted on and off

the reserve. New volunteers have joined the team, including some young families – some of these volunteers completing

new track and maintenance tasks that the Trust is managing for DOC. I had the pleasure of hosting 48 students from Parua

Bay School, and eight senior high school students from Rodney College in December. The ranger team joined local DOC

staff and revisited and further controlled the climbing asparagus weed sites in the north western and north eastern ends of

BHSR. The ranger team have also been busy controlling other high priority weeds such as mothplant on the northern side

of the reserve and dedicated volunteers were kept busy pricking out the manuka seedlings raised on the Newbold property

at Ocean Beach which are doing well despite the dry and heat, due mainly to Rupert Newbold’s continued watering efforts.

Read on about some of these projects in more detail.

Monthly predator control results: December 2019

Pest Total # caught this month

# caught this month previous year.

# of total rats caught Norway or Ship rats?

Total # caught inside res. this month (i.e. not on boundary/buffer).

Total # caught inside res. this month previous yr (i.e. not on boundary/buffer).

# caught 2019 YTD

# caught 2018 YTD.

Rat 5 17 2 Norway/3 Ship 1 of 5 4 of 17 150 169

Possum 0 0 - 0 0 38 15

Stoat 4 7 - 3 of 4 7 of 7 10 13

Weasel 2 3 - 0 0 42 47

Ferret 0 0 - 0 0 0 0

Feral cat 0 0 - 0 0 0 3

Mouse 7 8 - 1 of 7 0 227 202

Hedgehog 3 1 - 3 of 3 1 of 1 19 9

Totals 21 36 - 8 12 486 458

Analysis:

- Total number of predators caught for all of the 2019 calendar year (486) was 5.7% more than the annual catch

total for 2018 (458).

- Total numbers of individual species caught all down on December 2018, except for hedgehogs. Total number of

catches overall 58.3% less than December 2018.

- Number of predators caught inside reserve were 66.6% less than December 2018!

- No Norway rats were caught inside the reserve this month.

- So overall, very good predator trap catch rates, however stoats are causing all sorts of problems not going into

traps, rather they are targeting the plentiful food source we have created in and around the reserve as a preferred

food option.

Monthly monitoring results: December 2019

Species Method # ID Sex Location Status/comment

GFP Burrow monitor

n/a n/a GFP study site area & west PC hut.

All three GFP predated upon by stoat(s). Video footage of GFP chicks being dragged from their burrows and eaten. 0% fledging success of all known GFP chicks within and outside of study area in 2019/20 season. Not a happy ranger.

Monthly predator control results: January 2020

Pest Total # caught

this month

# caught this month

previous year.

# of total rats caught Norway

or Ship rats?

Total # caught inside res. this month (i.e. not

on boundary/buffer).

Total # caught inside res. this month previous yr (i.e.

not on boundary/buffer).

# caught 2020 YTD

# caught 2019

YTD.

Rat 10 11 4 Norway/6 Ship 2 of 10 2 of 11 10 11

Possum 2 5 - 0 0 2 5

Stoat 2 1 - 1 of 2 1 of 1 2 1

Weasel 3 2 - 0 0 3 2

Ferret 0 0 - 0 0 0 0

Feral cat 0 0 - 0 0 0 0

Mouse 11 10 - 4 of 11 0 11 10

Hedgehog 1 6 - 1 of 1 3 of 6 1 6

Totals 29 35 - 12 of 24 6 of 18 29 35

Analysis:

- Total numbers of individual species caught similar, except for stoats and hedgehogs which were both considerably

lower than that caught in January 2019. Total number of catches overall 10.15% less than January 2019.

- Numbers caught inside reserve in up from 33.3% in January 2019 to 50% in January 2020.

- Norway rat catches remain very low again within the reserve with only one out of the total 10 rats being caught

within the reserve interior. Four Norway rats were caught on the reserve boundary this month.

Monthly monitoring results: January 2020

Species Method # ID Sex Location Status/comment

Lizard Observation Pacific gecko

n/a SE reserve

A full and recently shed gecko skin was found in the SE corner of the reserve, no known records of pacific gecko observed in this part of the reserve by BHCT.

A pacific gecko skin

Fully wilted fern on Northside of reserve (24th Jan).

Stoat caught in trap lured with chicken egg

and dollop of mayonnaise on top.

Education is the key…

It was excellent to have two more schools visit the

reserve and join the ranger and education team for

more important environmental learning experiences at

BHSR in December 2019. This time the local Parua Bay

School junior section came along with 48 young students

who were fizzing to learn and play Adam’s restoration

game. This was the maximum number of students that

the game caters for so it was fun and intense. The

restoration game is an endemic species survival game

split into three stages, the first is pre human Aotearoa

and the children role play living as endemic species with

rules around who they can eat, who can eat them, how

they move and when are they awake. At the end of the

five mnute interactive part the children are asked how

do they feel life was like back then, with only a few

invertabrates in the ‘death zone’ and most agree it was

a good life. Stage two is when we introduce mammalian

predators and the children learn all about how differently

the new mammals hunt to our pre human endemic

hunters, that New Zealand had only one species of

mammal (two bats) and that their previously evolved defenses are no match for the nose and climbing ability of the new

predators. Within about 20-30 seconds all the endemic species are destroyed and sent to the death zone. The children are

asked again how they feel now, and its always an emphatic

“this sucks, this is unfair”. The third and final stage is set in

more recent times, all the endemic species are alive again

and we introduce a ranger and volunteer team who can tag

the mammals, effectively trapping or poisoning the

introduced predators. Once the pests are removed

expeditiously, all the remaining endemic species can tag a

ranger and get a free ticket to ‘nirvana’ – a predator free

island or mainland island, where life is back to how it was

before the humans brought new threats. Whilst the children

are all amped up I ask them how they feel now and they

jump and shout with great excitement that this is the best

stage. The intention is to introduce children to the reality of

what has happened, what is happening to our unique

species everyday in our country and to try and provoke that

feeling of unfairness and perhaps a bit of anger about it so

they will want to be more invloved as they get older. As you

can see from the photo here th children look awesome in

their hand made animal bibs expertly crafted by our own

local artists and volunteer group!

Track upgrades by DOC…

Over the summer months contractors for DOC have been busy upgrading the Te

Whara, Peach Cove and Busby Head tracks, with much needed new gravel in the

stairs. The stairs down to Peach Cove Hut were very unsafe prior to the upgrade,

with highly exposed front boards creating a real tripping risk. Thanks to the injection

of work by DOC the tracks are in better shape now and there should be more

upgrades as the “Great Day Walk’ status of the reserve kicks into gear.

Dad said the fish were this big before the humans came to NZ - lol!

Parua Bay School children receiving their endemic animal bibs and instructions.

Grow them and they will come…

I am super stoked at the effort being made by the Trust and some of its volunteers to raise our own native plant species

for restoration planting in the reserve going forward. Working alongside Wendy and Rupert Newbold, the Trust is

developing a small scale plant nursery for both parties to utilise to restore native forest. The first species being grown are

Manuka, mainly because this was the only seed source readily available in late spring and also because Manuka is an

excellent first generation restorative plant. Already the groups have managed to grow many thousand small seedlings to

approximately 5cm in height in seed raising trays built by the Trust volunteers and Rupert (who is also a Trust volunteer

trapper). Many hundreds of these small seedlings have be pricked out and potted into trays kindly supplied by Marilyn ???

of Urquhart Bay, then housed under mature Manuka to provide vital shade. Rupert has been very kindly hand watering the

seedlings which have struggled a bit in the dry, hot weather, but we should get some to take and grow well. I am not sure

they will be of good height come planting time in

June, nor am I sure there will be enough ground

water to conduct planting at that time either. We

will have to watch both closely and I think it is

likely that our planting of these seedlings will be

later than usual in mid-winter to early spring

instead, or we may have to carry them over to

winter 2021. The development of this nursery

project is being taken slowly and carefully

without too much capital investment until we

have a robust team of volunteers who can

routinely maintain the plants and facility. The

main vision is not only to provide the eco sourced

plants (plants from the same local environment)

for restorative planting, but just as importantly to

provide more opportunities for our local

community to be involved in the overall project

and to utlise the nursery as an educational

facility for students and locals interested in

natural ecosystems restoration. If this sounds

like an opportunity you would like to be involved

with please contact our volunteer coordinator

Jenny Lawrence jennmarc@gmail.com or by

calling 09 946 0726.

Stunning new sign…

A huge congratulations must go to Trustee

and communications committee chairperson

Claire Pearson for her mahi to develop and

deliver the stunning new sign at Urquhart

Bay Carpark! Claire has devoted a serious

amount of time and passion to have this

sign created and installed and is a real

credit to her skills. A massive thank you

must also be directed to Whangarei DOC

staff member John Donaldson for his drive

and focus to support the trust financially

and creatively with the sign. The new sign is

a collaboration between DOC and BHCT to

highlight the outstanding contribution of the

local community in the restoration of BHSR. I particularly like the funky shape and

illustrative design.

Volunteers, including BHCT volunteer

coordinator Jenny Lawrence (right front)

pricking out seedlings.

Rupert Newbold providing the all so

important water the plants need.

The beautiful new sign (right) at the Urquhart Bay entrance to the reserve.

Volunteers coming out of our ears…! It’s a fantastic problem to have, so many existing and new volunteers keen to

do their bit for their local conservation project! What is noticeable recently is

the increase in female volunteer participation, and the young families coming

along to help too. All this doesn’t just happen overnight or without a bucket

load of work. At the helm of the volunteer recruitment drive is our very own

super woman volunteer coordinator Jenny Lawrence, who is doing

outstanding service to this project and our entire Whangarei Heads

community through her volunteer coordination and fund raising mahi. We

have had new volunteers sign up for regular maintenance of the tracks and

the hut as part of a new contract with DOC. This helps raise funds ongoing for

the Trust to pump back directly into real restoration projects/equipment. We

have had new volunteers take on toxin/trapping lines to share the load and/or

fill gaps left by those who have had to move on. We have had volunteers cut

trap lines in the heat of summer and we have had volunteers including some

young families help prick out native seedlings into planting trays in our new

basic plant nursery. Of course, we could always do with more volunteers,

especially in the weed control part of our mahi. We are aiming to have regular

weed working bees in the more easily accessible parts of the reserve along

the boundary. There are always tasks that we need help with for those unable

to charge around the hills too, utilising people’s workplace experience and

expertise. If you or anyone you know thinks they would like to be involved

(some tasks are only a couple of hours a month) please do not hesitate to

contact our volunteer coordinator Jenny Lawrence jennmarc@gmail.com or by

calling 09 946 0726.

New trap/toxin check volunteers Erika and Andy Lashbrook

getting stuck right in!

The Ross family children Elliot and Victor after

their walk over to Peach Cove Hut to maintain

the track and the hut with their parents.

Awesome volunteer Floyd Howard tackles gorse for a

new trap line in the scorching heat!

Astra and Lucas Browning help out in the

nursery

Super volunteer of the month… The award for volunteer of the month goes to

(drum roll please)…Mr Bill Mallett – BHCT’s long

serving Trustee, events man, burner of bbq

sausages, fund raising guru, Trust bean counter,

trap/toxin station checking machine, rubbish man

and purveyor of fine jokes (somewhat fine). But in

all seriousness, Bill has been one of the main

stalwarts of the Trust since its early days, mainly

first in his vital role of Treasurer that he still holds,

and more recently he has become more and more

involved with mahi on the reserve. Bill is a very

hard working man who gets on with everyone and

does a lot of other work for many community

volunteer/charity groups in our area. He loves to

get out fishing and cycling when he can and, until

he busted his knee recently, he was often found

running over hills for very long distances

(apparently for the joy of it)! Bill has a

family bach at the heads and like many of us

wants to protect its intrinsic natural values

for generations to come. I can feel him

blushing now, so that’s enough

embarrassment – (don’t forget the beers you

owe me Bill for that incident recently mate –

he, he, he).

Bill Mallett (centre front) sharing a good joke with Kevin Parker in Tititiri Matangi Island.

That’s not a straight line Bill. Bill helping spray the grass for tree planting at Homebay.

BiIl Mallett with other BHCT Trustees chilling out in the new HQ facility.

Weed of the Month

(from the Whangarei Heads Weed Action website http://weedaction.org.nz/weed-of-the-month/)

Tree privet - Ligustrum lucidum (Also known as Japanese privet, broadleaf

privet)

What does it look like?

A small to large evergreen tree that can grow up to 15m high, but can also be a dense shrub less than 10m. Can have distinctive warty lumps on stems. Dark green oval leaves (5-13 x 3-6 cm) glossy on upper surface, with pointed tips and smooth edges. Arranged in opposite pairs on the stems.Produces long panicles or clusters of tiny cream-coloured, strongly scented flowers, from November to March, followed by bluish or purplish-black berry-l ike fruit (6 x 5 mm), coated with a powdery ‘bloom’.

Why is it a problem?

Fast-growing and very long lived (100+ years), with prolific, widely dispersed seed. Seedlings tolerant of both sun and shade means that it can invade both marginal land and intact forest. It replaces mid canopy trees (grows to the same height as species such as taraire, towai, pohutukawa) and completely dominates areas of

forest if unhindered, forming very dense, tall stands. Threatens coastal and lowland forest types (intact and

disturbed), shrublands, fernland, cliffs, and coastlines. How does it spread? Seed dispersed by birds, over long distances by Kereru. Vegetation dumping and soil movement also spreads seeds. How much of it do we have on the Whangarei Heads Peninsula? The core of the infestation at Solomon’s point and further north. South and east of this the infestations begin to reduce in frequency and density, to a point where there are only scattered individual trees and saplings, which occur less and less frequently. What can we DO about it at Whangarei Heads? Heaps! Privet is easy to kill with metsulfuron and if we approach it as a community,

seeking out and removing the outliers and pushing back the boundaries of the worst infestations we can protect the rest of the peninsula from becoming what will otherwise be privet forest. It is easiest to spot in peak flowering Jan-March so get in touch to get some advice and equipment to be ready and on the look out this summer. How do I control it?

• Pull or dig seedlings. Leave on site with roots in the air to die and rot down, or mulch.

• Cut stump application: Cut at ground level and immediately treat stump with (5g metsulfuron/1L water). Metsulfuron works best, however (200ml Tordon Brushkiller®/1L water) or undiluted glyphosate can also be used (extra care is required when working with undiluted herbicides). Picloram gel can also be

used, but is also less effective, especially for large trees). Cut stems can be left on site to rot down, or mulched.

• Frill and fil l: Make deep downward cuts into the sapwood around the base of the tree, taking care not to ring bark the plant, and immediately saturate the cuts with (20g metsulfuron/1L water) to the point of runoff. Wait until the liquid subsides/absorbs and then apply again. Metsulfuron works best, however undiluted glyphosate or undiluted Tordon Brushkiller® can also be used, but extra care is required when working with undiluted herbicides. Picloram gel can also be used (less effective, especially for larger

plants).

• Drill & fil l: Drill (c.12mm drill bit) sloping holes into the sapwood at 10cm intervals around the base trunk, & immediately fil l each hole with (20g metsulfuron/1 litre water). Metsulfuron works best, however undiluted glyphosate, or undiluted Tordon Brushkiller® can also be used but extra care is

required when working with undiluted herbicide.

• Spray, best in spring & autumn, with (5g metsulfuron+10ml penetrant/10L water), or (100mls glyphosate/10 litres water).

Ensure correct identification. Easy to kill with metsulfuron. Follow up 6 -monthly. Easiest to spot during spring flowering. Don’t replant until seedling regrowth ceases, as privet wil l grow through groundcover. If removing large adult trees and opening up an area to light, be prepared to treat the resulting seedlings that will germinate to prevent creating a thicket of sapl ings which are more labour intensive to control.

Coming up in February: HQ upgrades…Work will continue installing the guttering (if we ever get rain) and the water tank stand. Adam will

meet with Northpower engineers to plan an off-grid power system for the facility.

Ongoing predator Control…Rangers and volunteers will continue the routine predator control throughout the

reserve (trying to not overheat).

New volunteer training…Several new BHCT volunteers will be trained and begin work on the maintenance of tracks

and the Peach Cove Hut as part of the new contract with DOC.

Adam Willetts (Head Ranger/Project manager) M: 021 155 7380 h: 972 7996 (local Heads number) e: bhctrangers@gmail.com

Regular donations create real value, real results!

Kiaora my friends

By now you will already know that the Bream Head Conservation Trust gets real results, real successes through its amazing governance and on the ground volunteer teams. These guys give 5500 hours per annum to this project, all free of charge! The two rangers are the only people who get paid for all this mountain of work and their income is funded by large funding organisations which our volunteers work hard to bid for. The rest of the necessary funds to keep traps replaced, buy monitoring equipment, electronics, tools and other essential operational gear is funded through small grants and our donations. Therefore, a donation to BHCT is a direct, 100% fund to a very real piece of necessary equipment or conservation activity on the reserve. It does not get lost in unnecessary red tape, management or fund wages. To continue our mahi and increase our successes (like trying to save newly discovered nesting seabirds for example) we really need more Trust “friends” providing a regular donation, which makes it so much easier to budget in a smooth, confident way. If you or anyone you know can spare a $10 per month donation the endemic species of Bream Head Scenic Reserve will thank you for it (and all of us from the team). It’s also a great way to support a community group if you don't have the time or ability to get out on the hill.

Here is a link to the donation page on our website, please take a moment to visit it and/or share it with all your friends and relatives. This will be a regular donation that will make a very real and direct difference to your environment.

https://breamheadtrust.nz/…/donations-frie…/make-a-donation/

Many thanks

Adam Willetts BHCT Project manager/ranger