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Rare Bits 53, June 2004 Number 53 June 2004 This newsletter is produced RARE BITS primarily as a vehicle for THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT THREATENED SPECIES WORK information exchange between departmental staff As a consequence of this (and many involved in threatened species FEATURE ATRICLE other trips in remote areas), I tried recovery and ecological to fathom just how and why our restoration programmes. In native wildlife (especially the recognition of wider interest, From Don Merton, BRU however, “Rare Bits” is also endemics) were in such a provided to non-departmental predicament on the mainland. groups on request. The Forty years on… the legacy Although habitat destruction and newsletter’s informal style fragmentation was well advanced, we may occasionally lead to of Big South Cape misunderstandings for some still had hundreds of thousands of of those readers. Views hectares of seemingly intact native expressed by the authors are Exactly 40 years ago an event forest and other habitats, yet massive not necessarily those of the occurred on an island near Stewart Department of Conservation. extinctions and retractions in range Island that was to change forever had occurred and our forests were the way we perceive, manage and largely silent. Contents protect our precious off-shore Conservancy News islands and their living heritage – Some leading biologists (educated in Auckland our taonga: a disaster occurred that Europe or North America) were Waikato would have far-reaching and adamant that the ecological collapse Bay of Plenty enduring implications not only for and extinctions we’d experienced Tongariro/Taupo New Zealand, but for island nations were not a consequence of East Coast/Hawke’s Bay around the world! predation. Predators they explained Wanganui were a natural part of the scheme of Wellington In 1961, as a junior Wildlife Officer, I things, and that endangerment and Nelson/Marlborough spent a month on Big South Cape extinction within New Zealand’s Canterbury Island (~900 ha), off the south endemics was primarily due to West Coast western coast of Stewart Island. At habitat destruction, fragmentation Otago that time, Big South Cape and two and degradation. My colleagues and I Southland tiny adjacent islands (Solomon and were not convinced. Then, soon MCU Pukaweka) were the final refuge for after, an event occurred that BRU a number of native animals that had clinched our argument. become extinct on the mainland and Stewart Island following European In March 1964 muttonbirders colonisation. Although Big South returning to Big South Cape reported Cape was inhabited by ~300 that a ship rat plague was causing muttonbirders for three months each immense damage to property and year and relatively modified, no wildlife on their island. This was the mammal had been introduced and final and only refuge for such rarities the island had retained its full quota as the South Island saddleback, of indigenous wildlife. Rare Bits No. 53 June 2004 Page 1 of 22 Stead’s bush wren, Stewart Island Refined over the decades, predator snipe and greater short-tailed bat. mitigation, eradication and control has now reached a level where, with Some of the most knowledgeable and ongoing vigilance, it is practicable respected biologists at that time to: maintain the rat-free status of genuinely believed the rats did not biologically-important islands; pose a significant threat to resident eradicate rats, stoats and other wildlife, and vigorously opposed any invasive aliens from very large suggestion to intervene. They islands so as to restore ecological maintained that, “if we intervene we values and processes, and; even will change the ecology in a way that reinstate predator-sensitive species we cannot predict: We should such as kaka, kokako and kiwi within intervene only after research has non predator-fenced mainland demonstrated that there is in fact a habitats! problem!” NB: Planning is currently underway In spite of this, we eventually to eradicate rats from Big South Cape succeeded in getting permission to Island. mount a rescue mission, but by the time we reached Big South Cape (five months after the first reports) many land bird populations had CONSERVANCY NEWS already been almost totally destroyed. We successfully saved the saddleback through transferring the AUCKLAND remnants to neighbouring pest-free islands (Kaimohu and Big Stage). Sadly, we were too late to save the bush wren, snipe and bat, all of From Thelma Wilson, Bec which were quickly exterminated Stanley & Richard Griffiths along with an unknown number of invertebrate taxa. Antipodean albatross The tragedy of Big South Cape was a timely and valuable lesson for this, An Antipodean albatross recently and other aspiring conservation decided a cow paddock in the rural workers and served to convince even town of Wellsford was a suitable the most sceptical that, unaided, rats stop-over point. Thelma Wilson are capable of inducing ecological skilfully subdued the bird with collapse and extinction within naïve insulating tape, transported it in her island faunas. The Big South Cape camper van and released it into the disaster also had a massive, enduring marine reserve at Leigh. The bird impact in shaping future ("Albert") was a very popular conservation policy and practice passenger on the public glass-bottom both within New Zealand, and on boat! islands around the world. Rare Bits No. 53 June 2004 Page 2 of 22 Parapara tree Pisonia on 1 November 2003 led to further brunoniana sightings. A group of 10–20 birds were observed, photographed and The parapara tree Pisonia video-taped on 18 November 2003 to brunoniana is a Nationally the north of Little Barrier Island. Threatened tree which has been Since then, consistent sightings have vilified in the Auckland press been made in the outer Hauraki Gulf recently for killing small birds. This through regular weekly pelagic bird- species has seeds which are adapted watching tours run by Karen Baird to be carried by seabirds (boobies, and Chris Gaskin (Warkworth). gannets, petrels, mollymawks and shearwaters) by attaching onto their Karen and Chris organised a trip feathers. Although most birds are not (13/2/04) with two vessels and a trapped by the sticky seeds some range of seabird ecologists, birds (mainly exotic birds unfamiliar ornithologists, a geneticist from with the tree) can be caught. Massey University and DOC staff on board (Mike Imber, Grant Johnson The public was reminded that there and Richard Griffiths). One of the are bigger threats to birds in the objectives of the trip was to locate urban environment (rats, cats and and gain additional information on habitat destruction) and that New Zealand storm petrels and parapara seed is eaten by rats and is hopefully capture some birds so that now almost totally reduced to rat- a DNA sample could be taken, and free offshore islands. the necessary taxonomic work done in order to clarify the status of this The rediscovery of the species. extinct New Zealand storm petrel The first day was spent searching and chumming (burleying) between Little On 25th January 2003 a possible Barrier Island and the Mokohinau sighting of the supposedly extinct islands. One New Zealand storm New Zealand storm-petrel (Oceanites petrel was spotted late in the day maorianus) was made by Brent winging its way toward the Stephenson, Sav Saville and other Mokohinau islands. That night was birders, during a pelagic bird- spent playing calls of other closely watching tour out of Whitianga. related species and spotlighting Photos and reports of the sighting around the Mokohinau group. created a lot of excitement. This However, no New Zealand storm species had previously been known petrels were observed in the beam of from only three inadequately the lights. described museum specimens, and has not been seen since the The next day brought a strong collection of the last specimen over northerly and much better conditions 150 years ago. for locating seabirds. Within an hour we caught up with our first New A sighting of a small black and white Zealand storm petrel and over the storm petrel by Chris Gaskin in the course of the next four hours we Hauraki Gulf north of Little Barrier spotted between 5–10 individuals. Rare Bits No. 53 June 2004 Page 3 of 22 WAIKATO From our observations we can confirm that this storm petrel is definitely a distinct species and is From Pim de Monchy & Leigh likely to be the ‘extinct’ New Marshall Zealand storm petrel. The bird’s size, appearance and style of flight distinguish it from other closely Kiwi related species. Birds did not come close enough to the boat to be The 2003/04 breeding season is caught in a hand net, and catching drawing to a close with the last eggs birds at sea is considered to be an hatching in April. We have found a unlikely method of capture even in total of 32 chicks this season, which the best conditions. is our highest number by far for the three years of monitoring. From the distribution of sightings Unfortunately some of the kiwi and the possibility that bird numbers chicks’ transmitters failed this have increased recently, the most season. Of the 25 kiwi chicks that likely breeding site(s) is one of the did not suffer from transmitter Mokohinau islands, where rodents problems, 15 are still alive. That have been removed. Consequently gives us roughly 60% survival, but the Mokohinau islands would be a does not take into account the fact good site to carry out a first attempt that some of these birds were not at catching birds. Any catching trip monitored from birth (dog finds) and should also coincide with the likely that two are still in the safety of peak in breeding in October through Rainbow Springs. Ten chicks have to December 2005.
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