Never before seen in our lifetimes !
Kakariki, the New Zealand native red crowned parakeet,
breeding on Motutapu for the first time in 100 years
We would like to acknowledge the NZ Herald, the Department of Conservation (Amy Cameron, Media Officer
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) and Luis Ortiz-Catedral, parakeet specialist and Massey University PhD student for allowing us to use their astonishing content on our site.
This is absolutely HUGE news for the Motutapu Restoration Trust, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, DOC and all conservation and restoration minded New Zealanders !
Our Trust chair and former Auckland mayor Chris Fletcher said the sighting is the best Christmas present she could have hoped for.
The trust has planted nearly half a million trees on the island and Chris said the presence of Kakariki will provide the 1000 regular volunteers with a "beacon". She said it's only the beginning when you think of other species that will make Motutapu their home now the pests have been eradicated.
Chris said that when Auckland artist Emily Karaka and her daughter planted the very first of the now 500,000 trees on Motutapu, they dreamed this might happen one day. "What better present for all the thousands of volunteers involved to have these kakariki breed on Motutapu just before Christmas."
A happy Luis Ortiz-Catedral, Mike Graham (OSNZ) and Trustee Bridget Winstone on the Fullers ferry heading home - Sunday 29th November (breeding Kakariki discovery day)
Ornithological Society (OSNZ) bird surveyors first to discover Kakariki on island
The Ornitholgical Society (OSNZ) has been undertaking annual bird surveys on the island for a number of years. It was during their 3rd annual survey in September 2009 that the birders first sighted kakariki in flight above Bush Remant 5 near Home Bay. A pair was recorded twice on a Saturday and again the following day in the same general location.
These sightings and the behaviour of the birds strongly suggested that they had taken up residence on Motutapu. Mike Graham, leader of the group and his wife Sharen decided that they would return before Christmas and spend time observing the birds to see whether they were nesting and whether there were any fledglings.
On Sunday 29th November, together with kakariki expert Luis Ortiz-Catedral, and long time Trust volunteer, Neil Lorimer, the Grahams were suitably rewarded.
They confirmed the presence of the red crowned parakeets including a family group of 5 with a very young recently fledged juvenile still being fed by its parents. This was exciting news indeed as it confirmed that red crowned parakeets were breeding on Motutapu. Only one of the adult birds was banded (identified as a male that had been released on Motutihe back in March 2009)
'...As a result of the recent pest eradication, these parakeets now have a 3000+ hectare (Motutapu plus Rangitoto) safe haven to breed and become an icon for conservation in the Hauraki Gulf..' Luis Ortiz-Catedral, Monday 30th November 2009
We thank Luis Ortiz-Catedral for his brilliant Kakariki pics.
Press release from the Department of Conservation dated Thursday 3 December 2009
They've been gone for more than 100 years, but last week, a family of red-crowned parakeets was spotted flying down from the trees in a peaceful gully on Motutapu.
Luis Ortiz-Catedral, parakeet specialist and Massey University PhD student, says one of the birds was clearly a recently fledged juvenile that must have hatched on the island. "I estimate it fledged about two weeks ago considering the size of the tail, the colouration of the beak and also because it was still being fed by its parents," he says.
Red-crowned parakeets - one of five main species of kakariki - were recorded on Motutapu in September by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (OSNZ). The OSNZ conducts bird surveys for the Motutapu Restoration Trust every year. Mr Ortiz-Catedral joined them last week to look for signs of breeding parakeets. Only the male of the pair was banded, and had been released on nearby pest-free Motuihe eight months ago.
Motutapu and Rangitoto are on their way to becoming pest-free after the Department of Conservation began a two-year campaign to rid the islands of seven remaining mammalian pests in June this year. Richard Griffiths, project manager for the Rangitoto and Motutapu restoration project, says it's exciting to see kakariki back so soon - but says we must look after them. "Now that native birds are nesting on the islands, it's more important than ever before for visitors to ensure they don't accidentally bring any pests with them," he says.
While parakeets like to forage in open areas with bush close by to provide cover, the one factor that influences their survival the most is the presence or absence of predators, says Mr Ortiz-Catedral. He says the fact that parakeets have made their own way to Motutapu so quickly after most of the pests were removed will attract international attention. "Natural colonisations of islands by parrots are not common. The Hauraki Gulf is becoming a worldwide example of how restoring key sites can help surrounding islands too - it happens so often here that we tend to lose perspective."
ENDS
Background information
The red-crowned parakeet was widespread on the mainland last century, but today is very rare on the mainland and only common on pest-free islands. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently classified parakeets as a species vulnerable to extinction.
In the Auckland region, red-crowned parakeets are found on Tiritiri Matangi, Little Barrier, Great Barrier, Motuihe, Tawharanui Regional Park and now Motutapu. They are also found on the Mercury Islands, the Hen and Chickens Islands and the Poor Knights Islands.
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