Trapping news

• Congratulations are due to our possum trapping threesome Wal Louden, Phil Benge and Colin Dalziel who have recently caught their 700th possum. These three have been trapping since it first started in the Park in 1995/6. They do admit however, it is going to be very hard to reach their target of 1000 as possums now are so hard to find. These stalwarts believe in enjoying themselves while they are out trapping as you will see from the photograph. The ‘stuffed’ possum is to assist with identification, so rarely do they see possums now!
• Mustelid traps will soon be added to the possum trap lines in and around the Mainland Island in response to more evidence of mustelid tracking in the quarterly rodent/mustelid monitors.

Wal, Phil and Colin

Beech Masting

Rat and mice numbers in the Mainland Island have been high in times of beech mast, most recently following the summer of 2009. To reduce rodent levels under these circumstances, MIRO has explored with Greater Wellington Regional Council improvements to the Mainland Island. Starting this month, the Mainland Island will be widened at the northern end, and bait stations will be doubled (to every 50m) along the lines on the northern half of the Island. Monitoring using photo points will be trialled to signal the start of beech mast and the extra bait stations will be filled with rat bait in times of high beech mast only.

Birds

• A photograph taken by volunteer Colin Ross confirmed that Red-crowned kakariki (probably from Matiu) are visiting the Park. While there has not been any evidence that they are breeding in the Park – it can surely only be a matter of time before they do.
• Two falcon nests were observed in the Park last summer with 2 chicks fledged from each nest. Breeding has now been occurring in the Park for well over 10 years, but what happens to the juveniles is unknown. A young falcon observed visiting Matiu for a few days may well have been one of the East Harbour juveniles.
• A second juvenile North Island robin was observed in the mid-Gollans area, near where one was previously seen in 2009. We are hopeful that this augurs well for other robins in the Park. MIRO is currently discussing with the Department of Conservation the possibility of introducing more robins this winter.

Red-crowned kakariki

Forest Ringlet Butterfly: a very special find

An interesting and exciting find has been made by Owen Spearpoint (GW Environmental Technician) in the Gollans catchment of a forest ringlet butterfly. According to George Gibbs it is the only one reported in the last 30 years. It is the only ringlet that lives in the North Island but it has been disappearing from former areas close to urban settlements, especially Eastbourne, the Hutt Valley and the Waitakere’s. It does however remain at other locations deep in native vegetation such as Tongariro National Park, the Coromandel and parts of the South Island.
George reports that annual monitoring in the Park for the caterpillars (which are easier to find than adults) indicates they are surviving only around the summit area of Hawtrey, but in ever decreasing numbers. Gahnia, food for the caterpillars, remains abundant so it is generally assumed that the decline of this butterfly might be due to some kind of introduced predator or parasite such as the vespular wasp. In the absence of any real data about what is causing the decline, it is impossible to know how to begin to remedy the situation. We can only hope that the individual seen by Owen was a female and that she was doing her best to restore the local population.

Winter Plantings coming up at Parangarahu (Lakes Block)

Establishing the Nursery at its new GNS site has not affected production and the Nursery has over 2000 trees ready for planting this winter. A visit in May to the 3 plots already planted, showed a healthy number of trees underway in all three plots. Growth has been much more rapid in Plots 2 and 3 which are more sheltered and less steep than the first. The wet summer this year has without a doubt been a big plus for the trees. Plantings this season will take place around July/August in a new plot, along with topping up of Plots 1, 2 and 3 as well.

Subscriptions

At the MIRO Committee Meeting on 25 May, the Committee resolved to set annual subscriptions for MIRO members as follows:
Individuals $10
Family (two or more persons at one address) $15
The intention of the Subscription is not to raise a large amount of revenue. It is to define our membership which is often a requirement when seeking funding from many institutions. The revenue raised from our modest subscriptions however will help to fund occasions such as the AGM. We hope that you will support MIRO by becoming a financial member.

Annual General Meeting

Don’t forget to come along to our very first AGM on:
Friday 25 June
6.00pm
East Harbour Women’s Club Rooms
145 Muritai Rd
Eastbourne (opposite Rimu St)
We expect that the formal part of the AGM will be brief, and it will be followed by a supper of fish & chips or pizza. It is a great opportunity to meet with others involved in MIRO since we so rarely get together as a group.
RSVP to: info@miro.org.nz or 5627023, stating your food choice