Project News

Whitehead Project at Bream Head = Success

September 27, 2018

Last May we translocated a flock of 100 whitehead into the Bream Head Scenic Reserve.  A couple of weeks ago a team of enthusiastic volunteers, under the guidance of Mike Butcher and Adam Willetts, carried out a survey to see how they have been establishing themselves. Click on the title to find out more.

The map below shows what they found.

It’s a great result as the day they surveyed was quite windy so possibly some birds may have been missed. The vast majority of birds found were unbanded progeny of the last breeding season (our survey during the first breeding season did not pick up this many unbanded fledglings so our breeding rates for last season were higher than previously thought). It was like looking for needles in a very large haystack, but we are very happy with the results.

What a great example of community conservation this was!  Volunteers came from as far away as the South Island, Kerikeri, and Project Island Song in the Bay of Islands.  A total of 210 hours went into the survey – volunteer and ranger hours and administrative work.

If you like the sound of what we do, please contact Adam Willetts 021 155 7380 to get involved.

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