Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Home
  • About
    • The Society
  • Visitor Information
  • School & Guided tours
  • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Monthly catch data
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer
    • Support our work
    • Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
Let's talk!
14 Auckland Street, Picton
PO Box 186, Picton
info@kaipupupoint.co.nz
DONATE HERE
MENU
  • Home
  • About
    • The Society
  • Visitor Information
  • School & Guided tours
  • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Monthly catch data
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer
    • Support our work
    • Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact

Newest creche in town!

5/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary at the head of Picton harbour became the newest crèche for endangered rowi kiwi today.   The Department of Conservation, Kaipupu Point Mainland Island Society, Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio and Te Ātiawa invited the public to join the celebration and blessing ceremony which was held at Waikawa Marae and provided a great opportunity to see the young rowi chicks.
 Two four-month-old rowi were part of the blessing ceremony and afterwards were released onto Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary.  A total of nine juvenile rowi are  the first to be sheltered at the sanctuary.
 Predator-free Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds has been the main crèche location for juvenile rowi kiwi until this point.
 DOC South Westland Operations Manager Jo Macpherson says more space is needed for juvenile rowi due to the success of the DOC and Kiwis for kiwi rowi programme in increasing the numbers of New Zealand’s rarest kiwi from below 200 to more than 400.
 “An increasing number of rowi are being hatched from eggs collected in Ōkarito Forest and Motuara can’t accommodate them all.”
 “We are capping the number of juvenile rowi on Motuara at 50 birds to ensure they can all get enough food to eat which for kiwi includes insects, grubs, and worms. Having another crèche site at the Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary also provides insurance should anything such as disease threaten the kiwi on Motuara.”
 Kaipupu Point Mainland Island Society Chairman Barry Maister said to become a rowi crèche was a significant milestone for the Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary.
 “This is incredibly exciting and a testament to the many thousands of volunteer hours trapping and pest monitoring on the sanctuary over the last 11 years. From day one of the project we have looked forward to the time we could welcome kiwi onto Kaipupu Point.
 “Our ongoing commitment to predator control means we can offer a safe crèche scenario for juvenile rowi.”
 Through the Kiwis for kiwi Operation Nest Egg programme, rowi eggs are taken out of Ōkarito Forest and hatched at the West Coast Wildlife Centre. The chicks are then moved to Christchurch’s Willowbank Wildlife Centre where they begin to learn to care for themselves while being monitored by carers. Then the juvenile kiwi are kept in predator-free sanctuaries until about a year old and 1 – 1.5 kilogrammes in size when they are better able to defend themselves from stoats. 
0 Comments

Spot the difference...

5/22/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Chatham Island Black Robin
Commonly confused but with quite different histories, the South Island Robin and Chatham Island Black Robin belong to the Petroicidae family which also includes Tomtits.  As the name suggests Chatham Island Black Robin are endemic to the Chatham Islands and are restricted to two islands, Rangatira and Mangere Islands. In contrast, South Island Robin are found in South Island forests north of Arthurs Pass, in Fiordland and on Stewart Island, more commonly where Stoats and Rats are controlled. 
Physically these two Robin species are very similar in size, with South Island Robin slightly heavier than their Chatham Island counterpart.  South Island Robin are a sooty black with a cream breast and the Black Robin is entirely brownish-black.  While the Black Robin has a tidy cup-like nest made from bark, moss and spiderwebs lined with feathers the South Island Robin’s nest is a scruffy collection of twigs, branches, leaves and moss surrounding a small cup-like nest built by the female. 
The Robin’s habit of feeding amongst leaf litter collecting larvae, insects, worms and spiders puts them at risk of predation by mammalian predators.  This predation is thought to be the reason for the decline, almost to the point of extinction, of the Chatham Island Black Robin.  A huge effort began in the 1980’s to bring this small songbird back from the brink of extinction when only seven birds remained. 
Old Blue, the only surviving female plus six males were transferred from Little Mangere to Mangere Island to aid conservation efforts.  Eggs laid by Old Blue were placed in Tomtits nests to boost egg production and by 2013, the Black Robin population was estimated at 250 birds.  Due to their limited genetic diversity Black Robin are vulnerable to diseases and are classified as critically endangered.
Although South Island Robin are classified as not threatened, this trusting bird is still at risk of predation by rats, stoats, possums and feral cats.  Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary is now home to the South Island Robin with 24 birds transferred on the 1st of March 2016.

Above Left: South Island Robin, image by Heather Smithers
Above Right: Chatham Island Robin, image by Dianne John
1 Comment

How important is my garden?

4/16/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Often we think of conserving NZ’s natural heritage by using large national parks or predator-free islands and sanctuaries like Kaipupu Point. These are places to enjoy, admire and sometimes be able to visit. Yet for most us, our gardens are our closest connections with the natural environment and, for many, our gardens can provide much valued pleasures of the world of plants and animals.
Kaipupu Point’s Good Neighbours project aims to help local homeowners create native wildlife-friendly gardens by appropriate plantings and predator control and in this way become Good Neighbours to Kaipupu Point.  Wellingtonians have initiated a halo concept around Zealandia Sanctuary and consequently seen an increase in native birds to the suburbs. Local gardeners might be doing this already and want to increase their garden’s biodiversity; the richness of plant and animal species.
So we were very interested in the fascinating findings from a study of how Dunedin urban householders related to their gardens, their approach to planting, use of the garden etc. (However, Dunedin is not Picton-Waikawa, so we do wonder whether these findings fit with our smaller population and proximity to surrounding bush).
In urban Dunedin at least, home owner’s relationships with their gardens turns out to have many facets. There was a theme expressed succinctly by one homeowner who put it as “My garden is an expression of me“.
This philosophy fits with a more widely emerging view that native plants are a part of national identity. Indeed, more than three-quarters of Dunedin homeowners said they appreciated and preferred native plants over exotics, but native plant species were actually in the minority in their gardens. Is this a reflection of an earlier, more colonial perception of gardens and would that apply to our local areas?
The authors of this report wondered if gardeners would use more native plants if they knew more about what natives would fit their needs. Good Neighbours will be holding bird-friendly plant sales again this autumn and spring, so look out for what’s available and at low prices too!
An encouraging finding was that small gardens had the same biodiversity potential as large gardens. That is, small gardens can have the same richness of plant and animal life as large gardens. It is not a matter of size; it is how you use it. Some larger gardens were taken up by patios, decks, paving and large lawns which obviously limits what wildlife can live there.
Contributed by Andrew John. 


​
1 Comment

Thanks for your support...

4/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Movie Night Fundraiser, we sold out!  With support from New Zealand King Salmon, Mud House and Picton Cinemas we managed to raise $590 which supports our work at Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

The best way to keep up to date...

3/28/2016

1 Comment

 
Here at the Sanctuary exciting things happen all the time, and we want to keep you up to date with everything.  So stay tuned and find out what is happening this week at Kaipupu Point!

31st March - "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" @ Picton Cinemas
This week we have our fundraiser movie night, you can get your ticket from our Information Shop in Mariners Mall on Wednesday and Thursday.  Tickets are $20 for KP members or $25 for non-members.
WHERE: Picton Cinemas
WHEN: 31st March @ 7.30pm
Nibbles provided by New Zealand King Salmon

See you there!
Picture
1 Comment

Robin Translocation - 1st March 2016

3/1/2016

6 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Kaipupu Point Mainland Island Society Committee were thrilled to welcome 24 South Island Robin to the Sanctuary on March the 1st this year. The release of these charming birds onto Kaipupu Point marks a significant juncture in our story.  The planning and execution of translocating wildlife is a collaborative effort between Kaipupu Point Committee members and the Department of Conservation.  We were pleased to have the knowledgeable Bill Cash leading the capture teams on Long Island.
 
Translocations are crucial in the management of New Zealand's threatened bird species and as part of restoration projects like Kaipupu Point.  The success of these transfers is down to a number of factors including pest management.  On Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary we have a dedicated pest management team who also happen to be volunteers.  These volunteers work hard to maintain, monitor and trap any invading species.

Check us out on Seven Sharp here:
http://tvnz.co.nz/seven-sharp/south-island-robins-arrive-precious-new-home-video-6450926_

To keep up to date with all the exciting things happening, visit our Facebook page.
6 Comments
Forward

    About the Sanctuary

    Established in 2005, Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary is the closest sanctuary to Picton.  Protected by a pest resistant fence, Kaipupu Point is a safe haven to many native plant and animal species.

    Archives

    December 2020
    March 2019
    June 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    Kaipupu Point
    NZ Wildlife
    South Island Robin
    Translocation

    RSS Feed

FOUNDATION PARTNERS

Picture
Picture

RIMU SPONSORS

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

KOHEKOHE SPONSORS

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

HONORARY SPONSORS
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture