Mātātā/ fernbird calling and displaying on Tiritiri Matangi
Mātātā/ fernbird calling and displaying on Tiritiri MatangiTaken from the SoTM archives, Dawn Chorus 46. The original article was written by Carl Hayson.Date: November 2023Photo credit: Sarah WellsThirteen mātātā were translocated in June 2001 to rescue them from the path of the new Northern Motorway. Although a transfer was scheduled later that year, scrub clearance for the motorway began suddenly in June. Kevin Parker, a graduate of Auckland University, organized the rescue transfer. The Department of Conservation promptly processed the transfer permit, and Ngati Poa Kaumatua granted their blessing. Handling stress is a significant concern when transferring any new species, and it was unknown how mātātā would respond. Therefore, it was decided that helicopters should be used to transfer birds when the ferry was unavailable. The mātātā is a fascinating bird that can be found in areas of scrub and swamp. Its long tail feathers, which get worn and frayed like the leaves of a fern, have earned it the nickname “fernbird”. With longitudinal brown streaks on its upper body and a white underbelly with brownish-black spots, the mātātā is a beautiful bird to behold. Interestingly, the mātātā is not a strong flyer and has a labored flight with rapid wing beats and a trailing tail. However, it thrives in dense vegetation, which can be found in…
A day in the life of the hihi team (October Edition)
A day in the life of the hihi team (October Edition)Author: Emma GrayDate: 2nd November 2023Photos and video taken by Emma GrayOur hihi team has settled into its semi-permanent form as our hihi intern Maude joins us for 2 months from Switzerland. Other hihi sites often have students from the UK, USA and across Europe conducting research or interning for fieldwork experience. Hihi continue to influence and inspire people across the globe as a model species for conservation and adaptive management. Adaptive management is the process of changing species management according to their needs based on both monitoring and research to increase species’ condition and survival. One example of adaptive management for hihi on Tiri is the provision of sugar water. Other supplementary foods have been trialled, however, those trial food diets paled in comparison to the provision of sugar water. Sugar water acts as supplementary nectar when natural food is not available, and has also been found to boost reproductive success and help our hihi babies grow big and strong. Speaking of hihi babies, our first wave of hihi babies has started to hatch. The females seem to be incubating the eggs a little longer than the expected 14 days, likely due to the ambient temperature. As long as the eggs hatch at all, that’s all I ask for. The rest of the females seem to…
The largest centipede in New Zealand
The largest centipede in New ZealandAuthor: Jonathan MowerDate: 17th October 2023
Staying overnight in the Tiritiri Matangi bunkhouse is guaranteed to give you unexpected moments but finding a large (15-20cm) hura/giant centipede (Cormalocephalus rubriceps) in the tea towel drawer, as Jackson Frost recently did, is elevating unexpected to another level.
Native to New Zealand and Australia, this is the largest centipede in New Zealand. Present in North Island and smaller offshore islands, they are usually found beneath rotting logs, stones, and decaying vegetation.
The giant centipede belongs to an order known as Scolopendrida, a group that includes the largest and most fearsome centipede species, all of whom have 21 pairs of legs (1 pair per body segment). Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, and despite their name, none of the centipede orders actually have 100 legs.
The very first stint back on the island is a new level of busy
The very first stint back on the island is a new level of busyAuthor: Emma GrayDate: 28th September 2023Header image: John SibleyThe very first stint back on the island is a new level of busy. I always think I’m ready with my island feet until I fall over for the first time and bring myself back down to earth. The hihi team is very small at the moment as we perform our pre-breeding season tasks including the survey, sugar feeding handover from the rangers, and a lot of cleaning. The pre-breeding survey entails 40 hours spent walking all the tracks and bush patches on the island, including spending time at the sugar feeders in both the morning and afternoon to see which adults are still alive and which juveniles from the previous season have made it through their first winter. Hihi juveniles have a 40% survival rate through the first winter, which we know due to our annual mark-recapture surveys. Mark recapture in the case of the hihi means banding all individuals with a unique band combination, most likely banded as chicks in the nest, and recording the individuals, their sex (in case we got it wrong) and their location/potential territory for the upcoming season. The sugar water consumption is highest on Tiritiri Matangi Island during the winter (thank you to the island rangers who keep these hungry birds fed daily) unlike other hihi sites. This is due…
From planting some of the first trees to using them for shade from the sun
From planting some of the first trees to using them for shade from the sunAuthors: Students from St Cuthbert's Year 7Date: Thursday 21st September 2023Header image credit: Martin Sanders“Today St Cuthberts Year 7 visited Tiritiri Matangi. When we arrived, we admired the crystal clear water and the beautiful greenery that surrounded the island. As we were guided around the Island by the kind guides, we experienced all the beautiful songs of the birds. We learnt so much about all the different kinds and species of birds, trees, plants and so much about the history of the Island. It was very inspiring to know that our school was part of restoring this beautiful Island. We had so much fun learning about all the cool facts our guide taught us. Our favourite fact was that some wētās, if they land on your hand, it feels the same as when your fingernails dig into your palm. Thank you so much for having us, we loved the experience.” Chloe and Lucy “Our trip to Tiritiri Matangi was spectacular! We learnt various facts about the wildlife there, all sorts of birds and most importantly we learnt about the inspiring history of the Island. Many people used to come to Tiritiri Matangi to plant trees and help make it the beautiful Island you see today. If you do something good, people will remember you! The Island of Tiritiri Matangi is invasive…
Two men and a baby
Two men and a babyAuthor: Story shared by Vic Hunter and text taken from SoTM Dawn Chorus Bulletin No.10 May 1992Date: August 2023In January 1992, Stormy and Mr. Blue, two male takahē, successfully raised a chick. It was not unusual for male takahē to share in nest building and incubation, so it was no surprise when they showed a desire to incubate a ‘dummy egg’. Their readiness to incubate prompted DOC to find a real egg for them. A ‘spare egg’ became available when a pair on Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds produced a clutch of two eggs. The DOC staff ferried the takahē egg by boat off Maud Island while Ray Walter was flying to Blenheim by chartered aircraft. The incubator was exchanged in a brief encounter on the tarmac at Blenheim airport, and the precious cargo was soon on its way north to another airport. Tony Monk was waiting at Ardmore with his helicopter to complete the final leg of the journey, and by mid-afternoon, the egg was safely transplanted snugly under its foster parents. It was a successful operation. It’s amazing to think that Matangi is the first takehē to hatch in this part of the country in centuries! Four days after the egg was transplanted, Matangi emerged from its shell. Ray, Barbara Walter and Vic Hunter were so diligent in caring for the chick that it even survived a potentially deadly…
Tīeke mystery
Tīeke mysteryAuthor: Kay MiltonDate: August 2023Header Photo Credit: Lucas MugierSomething off has been happening in two of the tīeke nest boxes on Tiritiri Matangi. It was shared in our Tiritiri Matangi magazine, Dawn Chorus 124 (February 2021), that when Barbara Walter checked a box in early December 2020, two birds left as she approached. She found it contained six eggs (the normal number on Tiritiri Matangi would be two or three), and one of them was white (tīeke eggs are normally pale fawn with darker speckles)!
When the box was checked again on 16 December there were just three eggs. The white one and two of the others were missing. When we looked back at the photo of the six eggs we realised that the other two eggs were also unusual – they had a mixture of dark and light patches rather than speckles.
Left image: The six eggs that were found and one of them is white!Right image: On 16 December the nest only showed three eggs when checked.What…
Pioneering restoration of Tiritiri Matangi
The pioneering restoration of Tiritiri Matangi'Saving Britain's Island' is a short film about island conservation, by ZSL PhD student, Joshua Powell. Produced by Matt Jarvis with the assistance of camera operators Benjamin Harris (UK) and Ben Sarten (NZ)Funded by the British Ecological SocietyIn early 2021 a film crew from the UK visited Tiritiri Matangi to produce a short documentary. The film would target audiences in the UK as an introduction to island conservation. Tiritiri Matangi was chosen because the pioneering restoration project has inspired similar projects around the world. The film explores how these techniques can be used to help protect biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. Click to watch the short film 'Saving Britain's Islands' on YouTube
How to attract native birds to your garden
How to attract native birds to your gardenAuthor: Toni AshtonDate: July 2023Photo credit: Andrea TrittonIts been wet, windy and chilly on Tiritiri Matangi lately and so the nectar-feeding birds – i.e. tūī, hihi/ stitchbirds and korimako/ bellbirds – have been busy at the feeding stations, providing great entertainment for visitors. Providing food is just one way of attracting native birds to your garden. You can also plant native trees and shrubs. And providing patches of leaf litter or mulch will help to attract insect-eating birds such as the pīwakawaka/ fantail and tauhou/ silvereye. In summer, a shallow bird bath provides water for drinking as well as a nice cool bath for the birds. And of course the birds need to feel safe and so trapping predators such as rats and mice, and keeping cats away from your garden will also help to attract the birds. The websites of the Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird provide excellent information about which birds eat what, which trees and shrubs to plant, how to keep the birds safe and many other useful tips. Attract birds to your garden Visit How to feed native birds in your garden Visit To find a local predator…
Kōkako Banding on Tiritiri Matangi
Kōkako Banding on Tiritiri MatangiAuthor: John StewartDate: 30/06/23Photo Credit: John SibleyThe kōkako population on the island has been closely monitored since the first birds were brought here in 1997. Ten years later, the island received the captive-bred descendants of the last wild birds living in Taranaki. It was hoped that they would survive and breed on Tiritiri and eventually their descendants would be returned to their ancestral home. The birds were banded so that it would be possible to record their family trees and keep track of their relationships. That hope was fulfilled in 2017 and 2018 when birds were returned to Parininihi and Pirongia.
We have built on that initial work, continuing to band and to record details of the individual birds and their lives on the island resulting in a unique long-term data set which we hope will be used to better understand and to protect and sustain them.
Trained banders give each bird a unique combination of one numbered metal band and up to three plastic colour bands allowing observers to recognise each individual. Most of the birds are banded as chicks before they leave their nest.
