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Newsletter Number 55 September-November 2013

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Newsletter Number 55 September-November 2013 Newsletter Number 55 September-November 2013 Autumn Typically changeable spring weather has brought a mix of northeasterly and southwesterly winds. The level of the 'Blueskin Blanket' has often been low, leaving the Ecosanctuary in golden morning sunshine above the clouds. The orchids certainly know that it is spring, with Corybas, Pterostylis, and Simpliglottis all flowering in profusion. So too are the robins aware, with many successful breeding attempts already. We are looking forward to a bumper summer for the biodiversity of the Ecosanctuary. Think of us over the summer and bring any friends who are visiting. Bear in mind that many of the biodiversity features of the Ecosanctuary are subtle, so consider a guided tour to get extra value from your visit. From the Trust It’s been a spectacular year for the Ecosanctuary. A few highlights by the month: January – our two young Southland Museum tuatara strut their stuff at the new viewing pen; February – work intensifies to upgrade culverts and seal off suspected mice intrusion; March – Orokonui Foundation takes shape; April – a community-led project (‘Beyond Orokonui’) is proposed to enhance the halo effect of the Ecosanctuary through trapping in the surrounding areas; May – female takahe Paku from Kapiti Island is released as a mate for Quammen and a new Memorandum of Understanding is signed with the City Council; June – a Haast tokoeka chick sighting confirms the first kiwi breeding in the Dunedin area for at least 140 years and Matariki events are well supported again; July – generous donations ensure the construction of a new two-bay shed for the workshop complex; August – a $50,000 donation from the Harry J. Wilson Trust is a gift from heaven for the project, and volunteer effort continues at high levels; September – 50 South Island saddlebacks helicopter in from Breaksea Island, and a second visit by Sir Occo, knight of the parrots of the night, brings hundreds of new faces to the Ecosanctuary; October – takahe have a nest and one egg incubating (unsuccessfully) for a month, and the project’s 10th anniversary (more or less) coincides with the launching of Diane Campbell-Hunt’s book and the launching of the Orokonui Foundation endowment fund; November – 31 Otago skinks are welcomed into their new sub-enclosure and our rangers report no mice detection for six months; December – visitors have an opportunity to see three endangered species (tuatara, takahe and Otago skink) within a couple of minutes’ walk from Orokonui’s main gate. A top year. Neville Peat, ONHT Chair. 1 Ecosanctuary Report It’s been another big year of achievements on all counts; biodiversity outcomes, visitor attraction development, equipment and facilities development and increasing financial viability. Helping our highly committed staff, volunteers and partners (particularly the Zoology Department) to protect our biodiversity in the last three months were primarily Biodiversity Funds and the Community Environment Fund with specific support for the saddleback transfer from the Mohua Charitable Trust and the Zoology Department of the University of Otago and for our revegetation Survey from the JS Watson Trust. Due to the success of our education programme its future is looking secure with funding from the Ministry of Education likely for another three years. We look forward to inspiring more budding conservationists. We’re slowly climbing towards self-sufficiency. Sirocco was a welcome boost to our visitor income this year and our gift shop and venue hire revenue has doubled over the past year. The café is making changes for this summer, increasing its range of pre-prepared food while adhering to its ethos of free-range, organic and locally sourced ingredients. Behind the scenes we have been putting effort into our sponsors and volunteers and our systems and processes. Good communications ensure the Orokonui team operates effectively, efficiently and happily! Chris Baillie, General Manager. Introducing Anne Schnurpfeil For everyone who has not met me yet I would like to give a short introduction to myself and also point out why I came all the way from Berlin to Orokonui. Since my first visit to New Zealand, I have been fascinated by what volunteers contribute to organisations in New Zealand. They run play centres, local fire brigades, visitor information centres … and they also volunteer in terms of ecological restoration and nature conservation. I have travelled around many countries and have never seen such an involvement of volunteers in different projects. That might be due a very unique attitude which makes New Zealanders differ from other nationalities. As I am studying forest ecosystem management in Germany my particular interest is in forest and ecological restoration and how volunteers at Orokonui contribute to it. I am aiming to investigate this topic and gather data for my final thesis. I have already met many volunteers who amaze me by contributing an incredibly large amount of their time and skills to sustain the Orokonui Ecosanctuary and make it such a special place. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to have a good start in New Zealand and at Orokonui. Special thanks to Kelvin, Beatrice, Robert and Fergus who offered so much to me and make me feel like part of their family every day. Many thanks also to Valerie who helped me a lot to get involved in volunteering at Orokonui including lifts from Waitati up to the Ecosanctuary, advice, lists, general information and much more. So far I have gained a good insight into the planting and weeding mornings, environmental education programme and 2 bird surveys. I am really impressed by the huge variety of bird species already abundant at Orokonui and one of the South Island robins (Petroica australis) even tried to befriend me straightaway. I am really looking forward to meeting more people (and birds :-)) involved in Orokonui Ecosanctuary! Biodiversity News Fauna Tuatara The tuatara in the Tuatara viewing pen have been encouraged by the warmer weather and are emerging from their burrows on fine days. Creature Feature: Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus): myths, misconceptions and common questions A juvenile tuatara - photo: Scott Jarvie Myths, misconceptions and questions about tuatara are common. Here are a few that I often hear from colleagues, friends and family: Are tuatara ‘living fossils’? Tuatara are the sole living member of Rhynchocephalia, the sister group to Squamata (lizards and snakes), which diverged about 250 million years ago. They are not, however, ‘living fossils’ as often mistakenly described. Fossil evidence indicates that rhynchocephalians were diverse in their morphology, diet and lifestyle, and some aspects of tuatara anatomy previously thought to be ‘primitive’ are now known not to be. Tuatara should therefore be considered a modern reptile. How many species of tuatara are there? There is currently one recognised species of 3 tuatara: Sphenodon punctatus. Recent taxonomic work indicates that there are geographically distinct and genetic variants, however. It remains uncertain whether there were additional species of tuatara in the recent past. Where are tuatara found in the wild? Tuatara are now found naturally on about 31 offshore islands, having disappeared from the mainland after the arrival of humans and introduced predatory mammals. Recent translocations of tuatara have been to 10 islands and free-release within at least five mainland sites. The reintroduction to Orokonui Ecosanctuary in 2012 is the first-time tuatara will have roamed freely on the south-eastern South Island in a few hundred years, a milestone in the ecological restoration of the Ecosanctuary and tuatara conservation in general. Has the translocation of tuatara to Orokonui Ecosanctuary been successful? There are a number of definitions to describe the success of a translocation. My preferred definition is that a translocation is successful when a self-sustaining population establishes and persists at the release site. Because tuatara are long-lived (~100 years), late-maturing reptiles (at age ~13-20 years) with slow recruitment, success of a translocation according to the above definition will take decades to confirm. Early signs however, are positive with at least two nests laid in the first year and high survival rates of animals over winter. I hope this helps to debunk myths and misconceptions about tuatara and also answer some common questions about the translocation to the Ecosanctuary. Scott Jarvie, PhD student, Department of Zoology, University of Otago Takahe Paku and Quammen became more than just friends, with Paku soon sitting on an egg. The first takahe nest in the Dunedin area for a very long time! Unfortunately these two hopeful parents have a history of producing infertile eggs, and we suspect the same was true on this occasion. Paku ultimately destroyed the egg after it failed to hatch on time, but she has recently re-nested. This takahe nesting is a very good sign for the Ecosanctuary, and perhaps one day we will be given a more productive breeding pair and thus raise some Orokonui takahe chicks. Robin As predicted, the robin population at the Ecosanctuary is booming - so far this spring 41 robin breeding pairs have been detected, and they have fledged at least 50 chicks. Robins are reliably seen in the lower valley and are likely to move up-valley as their population increases. Saddleback Initial results of the second saddleback translocation give hope that the saddleback population will follow the robins and successfully establish. Initial surveys have identified nine pairs, but the male of one of these pairs has unfortunately lured a female over the Xcluder fence at the bottom of the valley. Of the eight known pairs, it appears that six are nesting. As one pair was only found recently, it is possible that more will be detected with playback surveys. Nest-finding has begun, but this is not easy with saddlebacks.
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