Supplementary feeders and trailcams

Kākāriki karaka released in the Sanctuary were raised in captivity. Part of their diet was sunflower seeds from auto-feeders. Use of these feeders continued in the soft-release aviaries for the two days before their release into the wild and freedom. Initially eight of these feeders were installed in the Sanctuary, four immediately around the aviaries, and four more somewhat further afield (within a few hundred metres). The reason was to ground the birds, to make them feel like their new home was a good place to be; that there was nothing to be gained by leaving the Sanctuary. Mostly it worked.

Sunflower seed drops up to four times daily, in controlled amounts. Standard drop times are 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. The engine runs for a few seconds each time. Food normally runs out between seed drops, but sunflower seed is not the most nutritious food and the birds are expected to live mostly off food they find naturally in the forest (seeds, buds, fruit, and scale insects). Some birds made regular use of the feeders, others quickly lost interest and preferred natural, wild food.

Some of the feeders had motion-detection cameras. Visiting birds were recorded for monitoring and subsequent population analysis. Initial plan was DOC personnel would go through the images, and note (from leg bands) which birds were visiting.

A water bath was also installed (for drinking and bathing), it also had a trailcam.

Tracking the birds

Over the next week or two, Department of Conservation staff from the Kākāriki karaka recovery programme (based in the DOC Rangiora Office) tracked the birds with radio trackers and trained Brook Waimārama Sanctuary volunteers and staff in the use of such equipment.

The birds spread out far and wide, as far west as Falcon Spur, down the valley to the north, east to the Upper Valley, and uphill to the south and over the fence (outside the sanctuary).

Transmitters are necessarily small (a few grams) and the batteries don't last longer than about six weeks. Over that six weeks the hope is that the birds will pair up and develop nesting instincts, and the birds will then lead us to some of their nests.

A DOC staff member with radio tracking device

Radio tracking involves selecting the frequency of a bird on the receiver, swinging the directional antenna side-to-side and looking for a signal, noting the direction, then moving on and picking it up again (or a few more times) and noting the changed direction. Triangulation is then used to narrow down a likely location. One then heads into the middle of the location (subject to geographical and vegetation hazards such as creeks, cliffs, bush-lawyer and onga-onga). Hopefully the signal strength increases and one can identify a tree that the bird is in. Full success comes from spotting the bird and confirming its identity from leg bands. Best possible scenario is it will have paired off and be showing interest in a potential nest hole.

Radio tracking can be a time-consuming business. One person finding two birds in a day would be considered a good outcome. Intent is to find every bird twice per week.

Reintroduction of kākāriki karaka to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary

On 2021-11-18, there were 20 kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeets / Cyanoramphus malherbi) captured from their captive breeding facilities at Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust and Orana Wildlife Park in Canterbury, legs were banded with coloured bands (to aid in later field identification), transmitters attached to back feathers, put into wooden boxes, driven to Christchurch airport, flown to Nelson, transferred to a helicopter, flown to Third House where they received a formal welcome, carried down to waiting 4x4s, driven to the appropriately-named Kākāriki Hatch, carried by foot about 800m downhill to the waiting temporary-release aviaries, then released one-by-one into the aviaries. Ten males in one, and ten females in the other.

A bird being banded at Isaac prior to shipping to Nelson.

Photograph by Isaac

Two days later (2021-11-20) early in the morning the aviary doors were opened, one-by-one (or sometimes in pairs) the birds flew from the aviaries to their first taste of freedom. They were also likely the first kākāriki karaka to fly through the Nelson beech forest for 100 years or more.