Missouri Valley Birds to New Zealand

American Wild Birds for Auckland

May 11, 1876. Marshall County Republican, new series 1(48): 4. From the San Francisco Bulletin.

A novel shipment will soon be made to New Zealand. Sontag & Co., of this city, recently sent an order to
a firm in Council Bluffs, to ship, as early as practicable, one pair of prairie chickens, ten pairs of wild turkeys and ten pairs of wild geese to a house in Auckland for breeding purposes. Arrangements have been made to capture the birds, which is done by trapping the chickens and turkeys. The mode of capturing the prairie chicken is thus described: A pit is dug in the ground, say three feet deep and five or six feet long, near where grain is stored, and the opening is covered by a light board, resting only by the center. It is held in position by means of weights suspended underneath. Grain is then scattered on this trap, which is disguised by corn husks, straw or brush. The unsuspecting chicken steps upon the treacherous board and is precipitated into the pit. The manner of catching wild turkeys is more simple. It is well known that a turkey will not seek to escape from an inclosure by crawling under anything, but it strut around with head erect, looking for an opening above. A pen is constructed of rails placed far enough apart to permit the head of the turkey to pass through, but not its body. The pen is usually placed on the slope of a hill, and in the lower side an opening is left large enough for a turkey to pass through freely. Grain is then scattered in a train leading to the hole. The turkey will follow the grain unsuspectingly until it walks into the trap. Once within the inclosure, the simple bird walks to the upper side and looks in vain for a chance to escape until taken out by the trapper. Wild geese are usually wounded in the wing by a skillful hunter, and it is not a difficult matter then to bag them.

Island Birds to Thrive Following Removal of Invasive Stoats

Several species of native birds on wild Resolution Island, are expected to thrive following the removal of stoats to restore conditions more suitable for native flora and fauna.

"Small bush birds such as the New Zealand Bellbird, Tomtits and the kaka (a parrot), as well as the Kiwi, seabirds (Sooty Shearwaters) and the New Zealand Robin," said Murray Willans of the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Once the predatory stoats - an invasive species present for more than a century - are removed, "birds will recover very quickly," said Willans. "Bellbird numbers should double within 12 months."

Annual bird counts will be undertaken on the island to monitor recovery of bird species once an initial trapping project is completed.

Traps to be used to remove stoats from Resolution Island. Picture courtesy of the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The trapping will get started in July, with the positioning of 2500 traps, and "will be completed by mid-August, after which about 90% of all the stoats should be removed," Willans said. "A team of approximately 14 people will be involved in the trapping checks, and all the stoats will be kept for analysis."

Resolution Island, comprising ca. 21,000 hectares is part of Fiordland National Park, and within the 2.6 million hectare Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Area that was established in December 1990.

Stoats have already been trapped and removed from nearby Secretary Island, encompassing 8000 ha., also part of the park.

Both removal projects are financed by $7 million allocated in 2004 by the New Zealand government.

"The work was funded due to our growing confidence in the outcome and the work will provide a substantial island for threatened species management in the future," Willans said.

Following the trapping program on Resolution Island, traps will be "maintained on the island to stop re-establishment of stoats," Willans said, and will also be "maintained on the adjacent mainland to at least slow re-invasion."

Endemic New Zealand species such as the Kakapoo, a flightless parrot, and the Yellowhead are benefiting from other conservation efforts by the government in the Fiordland National Park environs.