Winter Surveys of kea

Surveys of wild kea during July in alpine areas inclusive of ski field and tourist areas, tramping huts, field stations and high country farms will provide a minimum estimate of the Kea population as well as an indication of trends across time. This will also help to establish whether populations are stable, increasing or decreasing.

This page will provide information on the following:

2010 winter survey
2009 winter survey
Our 2009 volunteers
2009 photos and results
Past results and photos.

2010 Winter Survey

(Sponsored by Hubbards Foods)

The 2010 winter survey has now be completed. Thank you to all those individuals and groups who took the time to look out for kea during July!

2010 Winter survey report

We will be loading on more information and pictures from our volunteers over the next few weeks as well as information on our talks and presentations which were run during the week leading up to the survey and were hosted by the following groups:

Environment Canterbury - Christchurch
Geraldine High School - Geraldine
Department of Conservation - Twizel
Queenstown Kiwi and Birdlife Park - Queenstown
Whare Kea - Wanaka
Forest and Bird - Wanaka St Johns
National Kiwi Centre - Hokitika

Thank you to all those people and groups who hosted us at these locations. Thank you also to all those people who attended the talks and who have helped spread the word around.

Tamsin and Lorne talking at Queenstowns Kiwi and Birdlife Park.

Photo Credit Jo Carroll (Otago Daily Times)

Thank you to our Winter Volunteers!

Thank you to the following individuals and groups who have sent in kea sightings during our July winter survey!

John Turnbull - Makarora
Cedric Trounsan - Arthurs Pass
Tamsin Orr-Walker/ Lorne Roberts - Bealey Spur
Andrew Fidler - Mt Robert
Honora Renwick -East Hawdon Bivy; Arthurs Pass
Tessa White - Arthurs Pass village
Maree Goldring - Porters Ski Field; Arthurs Pass village; Viaduct Lookout
Brenda Avery - Klondyke Cnr, Arthurs Pass
Penny Slade - Temple Basin Ski Lodge
David Gainsford - Arthurs Pass Carpark
Susan Mary Piercey - Mt Binser
Hilary Isles - Veil Bivy
Don Neale - Avalanche Peak
Andre Hartlief - Remarkables Ski Area
Marius Adrion - Peak Hill, Lake Coleridge
T.J Irvin - Rob Roy Glacier; Whakapohi; Mt Olympus ski field
Trevor Brunton - Mt Hutt Ski Area
Josh Hill - Hunts Crk Hut, Otira
James Pettengell - Toaroha River
Kelvin Williams - Darnley Crk, Waitangitaona River
Hamish Osbourne - Wild Mans Brothers Range
Amuri Ski Club Inc - Hamner Springs Ski Area
Mike Neilson - Ohau Lodge and Snow Area
Laura Young, Ren Bishop, Carol Frost, Jane Gosden, Simon Litchwark - Hawdon Hut - Walkers Pass
Sue Webb - Treble Cone
Rowan Buxton - Olympus Ski Area
Nic Dussex - Treble Cone Ski Area
Ruth Garland - Rainbow Ski Area
Hazel Stone - Arthurs Pass
Anne Pearson and Sue Kritbosch - Aoraki/Mt Hutt
Erika Libaidua - Hooker Valley/Aoraki
Mike Lawson - Mt Peel, Kahurangi NP

Kea on Mt Peel Range, Kahurangi National Park, July 2010.

Photo credit: Mike Lawson

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2009 Winter Survey

Thank you to all those who returned survey forms!

Photo: Bush and Beyond Guided Walks 2008 Winter Survey

This was the second year of this annual winter survey of kea throughout the South Island. This survey relied on a large volunteer pool to record numbers of kea throughout their natural range and was a great fun community event.

Thank you to all those who took part in the surveys, recording kea while out in kea country and/or helping out organising volunteers in your area. Your help is much appreciated!

2009 Winter Survey Report

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The following persons and/or organisations took part in the 2009 July survey.

Volunteer Name	Area Surveyed
Karen Banwell	Broken River turnoff
Kathy Hogarth	Hawdon Hut
Paul Elwell-Sutton	Haast and surrounds (Smoothwater Bay to Stafford River, Teer Creek and Snapshot Creek)
Melanie White	Coordinator Christchurch Area. Temple Basin and Porters Ski area, Hawdon Valley
Frances Wilson	Bealey Spur and Porters Pass, AP
Canterbury Mountaineering Club	Cass Saddle
Lucy Bellerby	Mt Olympus ski area (Top Hut, Ryton Valley, Bottom hut)
Graeme Glass	Coronet Peak Ski Area
Viv Eyers	Treble Cone ski field
Jen Ritsen	Mt Cheesman, Ohau and Porters Ski Areas
Pru Galloway and Rob MacIntosh	Cardrona ski area
Honora Renwick	Woolshed Creek Hut; Mt Thomas to Pinchgut track
Andrew Fidler	Rainbow ski field
Zuni Steer	Mt Oxford, Christchurch; Asburton Lakes
Renny Bishop and Laura Young	Cass River Valley near long valley stream confluence
Tamsin Orr-Walker and Lorne Roberts	Alex Knob, Franz Josef Area, West Coast
Ray and Maree Goldring	Coordinators Arthurs Pass, Canterbury. Arthurs Pass and Porters ski area
David Cantwell	Remarkables ski area and mountains (Lake Alta), Mt Judah, Bonnie Jean Hut, Glenorchy
Marilyn Somerville	Rainbow Skifield, Nelson Lakes
The Remarkables Ski Area	The Remarkables Ski Area
Jed Cappellazzi and Margot Mercer	Dunn Mountain, Nelson
John Allan	Porters Pass
Erik Forsyth	Hawdon Valley
Sally Widdowson and Paul Corwin	Craigeburn Ski field
Tracey Grose	Robert Ridge, Angelus and Speargrass Valley Nelson Lakes
Jan Zuckerman	Punchball Falls, Arthurs Pass
Fox Glacier Guides	Fox Valley,West Coast
Sandra Wotherspoon	Beebys Knob, Mt Richmond
Mt Potts Ski Area	Mt Potts
Wilderness Lodge	Lake Moeraki,West Coast

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2009 Photos and updates

We will post pictures from the kea observers on this page as we receive them.

Dr Lorne Roberts and Tamsin Orr-Walkers observed two kea during the first weekend at Franz Josef on the West Coast of the South Island.

Lorne Roberts (Unitec) catches sight of 2 kea at Franz Josef Glacier terminal face

....And ended up snowed in (and had to wait it out in front of a great open fire!) in Makarora.

Snowbound at Makarora!

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Past Results - 2008 Winter Results

We would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have come forward to take part in this first kea survey. Thank you! Your contribution has been very much appreciated.