May has been a quiet(ish) month at Glenfern with a lull in visitor numbers after the busy Easter holidays. Sanctuary work however has not stopped, and we have managed to pack a lot into the second month of Autumn.

This is our favourite time of year, with mushrooms popping up in the understory and the first native orchids beginning to flower. The days are cooling down, but the weather is generally quite settled at this time of the year. Long, still days lend themselves to the great outdoors – Autumn is the perfect time of year to get out and explore your own back yard.

Outside the fence came back at 45% with 13% detection inside, down from 16.6% from the same monitor this time last year. A full peninsula monitor is scheduled for June, as well as a full reset of all our rat traps, this will give us an even clearer indication of rodent population numbers.

Cats have been a big issue for us this year and sadly this month is the worst on record. A sighting of a cat on the northern side of Kotuku peninsula put us on guard at the beginning of the month, with further cat presence confirmed by motion sensor cameras and cat scat indicated by Max and Tui. Additional traps were set to support our existing network and five cats have since been trapped.

Feral cats get into the sanctuary at low tide, when they can walk around the fence at either end. It is important that we monitor for and respond to any cat incursions as soon as possible to protect the native species and their breeding habitat. If you have a pet cat, we urge you to put a collar with a bell on it and keep it inside at night. Feral cats can eat up to six birds a day and though they do not live as long as pet cats, they can grow much larger if conditions are right. They have a major impact on native birds, bats, lizards, mice, wētā and other insects.

Birding Paradise

Another Aotea favourite is also in the headlines this month as we see the fledging of the takoketai (black petrel). We have several takoketai burrows within the sanctuary and final burrow checks in May found seven healthy chicks ready to fledge. We were lucky to get the help of Nikki McArthur and Samantha Ray (pictured) from Wildlife Management International who helped band the young birds.

The maiden flight for these birds is 12,000-13,000km, so they have a long way to travel before they reach their destination. Protecting the breeding habitat of these birds is just a small part of the battle, fisheries by-catch, climate change and pollution are all increasing threats. Auckland Council has a great online resources if you are interesting in learning more.

Eagle technology Internship 2019

We are happy to announce exciting developments to our internship opportunity. Applications for the 2019 internship are open now to anyone with a proven interest in conservation and ecology, an interest in GIS technology would be useful but experience is not essential. Eagle Technology are funding the internship and offering a space in their GALoP-X 6 Programme held in Wellington from 1st July. The intensive six-week GALoP-X programme is designed to close the skills gap; developed to quickly bring emerging geospatial professionals up to speed with the use and application of the latest geospatial technology. It aims to grow and develop the participant’s skills to a level where they can make significant contributions to their organisations.

This amazing opportunity will be followed be 3 months practical experience on site at Glenfern Sanctuary from 1st September. This is an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in gaining genuine field experience in conservation and GIS technology field applications

Applications close on the 15th of June so please share this opportunity with your contacts. For more information please feel free to call us or email us for the full application form and FAQS.

This could be someone who attends planting days, collects seeds, volunteers their time or simply supports others through sharing their passion. We will be pulling the lucky winner from a hat on the 20th of June so spread the word and send us your nominations!

Protecting Our Kauri

Our tracks will be getting an upgrade in the coming weeks as part the awesome work being completed by across the Auckland region, including Aotea, to prevent the spread of Kauri Dieback. There will be some restrictions to vehicle access, but the park will remain open daily. Please feel free to ring and check before heading for a walk along our loop track.

It is incredibly important that we do what we can to save these gentle giants as well as the ecosystems that are created by their forests. If we lose Kauri we are not just losing one tree, Kauri grass is commonly found covering the ground beneath Kauri and a range of orchids and epiphytic plants are also often found perching amongst the branches of mature trees. The plants, animals and ecosystems that kauri create and support are indirectly under threat from Kauri dieback disease.

Coming Up

We have a busy month planned again for June, with Toi-Ohomai polytech returning to Glenfern Sanctuary as part of their practical component. During their week with us they will be learning about biosecurity control and monitoring, as well as conservation restoration and looking at habitat restoration.

We will remain open daily, with reduced winter hours of 10am-4pm. As mentioned above it is a great time of year to get out and about in nature. We have noticed some of our kaka have left for the winter, we know some travel as far as Tauranga before returning to us in spring. We can also expect to see pāteke chicks hatching at this time of year. 

Pictured below is a sprig of native Mairehau 'Leionema nudum'. The leaves of this plant are high in essential oils. The Māori used the crushed leaves as a perfume, it can be used with care to add spice to your back country hut mulled wine. 

Wishing you all a warm and nature filled June.

Ngā mihi nui,

The Glenfern team.