Great to see the warm settled weather over the last few weeks, after an often miserable and wet early January.

The Matarangi reserve faired quite well luckily, in the Jan. 21st. deluge, with the slip at the Matarangi entrance the only serious damage incurred. Many thanks to DOC for carrying out the remedial work and for some pampas control work subsequently. There were of course some other minor problems caused by windfall and waterflow throughout the reserve, but these were cleared relatively easily and quickly.

Towards the end of last year, RBWG completed two new trapping lines and installed traps along those routes. A further line is partially completed and that when finished, along with the two completed lines, will provide access to areas previously difficult to navigate. These three new lines are designed to give better coverage for predator control as well as give access to enable on-going wilding pine and other weed removal.

This work, and much of our operations generally is made possible with funds provided by WRC grants, by generous private donations, and from a large donation from Kauri 2000.

RBWG would also like to acknowledge the Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel Community Trust’s  field support team, who carried out much of the track cutting and pine removal work over the last months and who will be returning later this year to continue their fine work!

Predator numbers caught, especially rats have been increasing in the last couple of weeks as is usual around this time and will likely continue to rise heading into autumn. 

I have been encouraged by the bird life this spring and summer and managed to get a couple of pics of Mātātā - Fernbird, which visited me whilst having smoko one morning in January! Also seen Matuku-hūrepo – Bittern, on two occasions in the southern-side estuarine wetlands.

Good numbers of the usual suspects - Koromako, Tui, Riroriro, Piwakawaka, Pīpīwharauroa- Shining cuckoo, and also Kākā which are around in good numbers from time to time. Caught a number of images of Kiwi on trail cameras in recent months also. 

The Kiwi call surveys are coming up again in May/June, both the regional one (PFHCCT) and the local Project Kiwi Trust, facilitated one. These surveys take place over three consecutive nights, at two sites within the reserve. One site is high up on the central ridge in the main part of the reserve and the other on the southern side looking east and south in that space. The Kiwi calls heard are recorded over a two-hour period 6 till 8pm, noting direction of the call, sex of the bird and conditions on the night. This provides great data enabling us to monitor the numbers of birds and their locations with-in the reserve. Many thanks to PKT and PFHCCT for facilitating these surveys.

Mā te wā