references
2012 Nest monitoring – Nelson Lakes, Arthur’s Pass, Kiwi Saddle and Borland)
Photo: Corey Mosen
Tamsin Orr-Walker and Corey Mosen Funded by Wellington Zoo Conservation Fund (WZCF) and the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
The Kea Conservation Trust has been monitoring kea nests at 4 survey locations for the past 1- 4 years. During 2012 a total of 26 possible nest cavities were monitored over all sites; however only 8 of these nests were found to be active (breeding pairs will often have 1-3 nest cavities within their territory to choose from). Out of these 8 nests, only 4 successfully fledged any chicks; one at Kiwi Saddle, another at Nelson Lakes and the final two in the Hawdon Valley in Arthur’s Pass. Each of these nests fledged 1 or 2 chicks resulting in a total of 7 chicks produced in an area covering approximately 26,000 ha. As in past years, the main reason for nest failure was seen to be the presence of stoats and possums. Cameras set up at one of the nest cavities in Nelson Lakes showed an almost fully fledged female named Bravo, killed by a stoat after an attack which lasted several hours. The parents were seen to rush the stoat outside the nest entrance in an attempt to drive it off, however they were unsuccessful and the chick was killed in the early hours of 16 December. A possum was also observed outside the nest cavity during the attack, possibly attracted by the noise. More welcome visitors recorded on camera at the monitored nest cavities over the years have been tom tits, robin, rock wren, kiwi and a weka (which unfortunately predated a nest in Kahurangi this year) as well as the ever present mouse and the odd chamois, proving that a kea nest is a very interesting spot to visit!
Individual site results for the 2012 season are as follows: Nelson Lakes: This location has been surveyed annually since 2009 and covers an area of 14,000 ha. A total of 10 nest cavities were monitored during the 2012 breeding season to ascertain which nests were being used by the 4 breeding pairs in the area. Although 3 nests were found to be active across the breeding season only one fledged 2 chicks. Darwined and Rutherford, Rachel’s chicks, were successfully raised at nest 5 in the Six Mile. This nest was protected by a network of stoat traps deployed by Department of Conservation (DOC) for the duration of the breeding season. Ceejay (nest 3 and 17) who has successfully nested each year since 2009 did not nest this season. It is important to note that CeeJay’s mate died late in the nesting season last year and although a number of males were sighted attending to her and the chicks last year, she may not yet have successfully re-paired. Alternatively it may be a non-breeding year for her (a trend that Josh Kemp (DOC) found during his studies in the 1990s where the 6th year of his research turned up no nesting activity in the area followed by a normal breeding year the following year). Arthur’s Pass: This 4,000 ha site in the Hawdon Valley has had resident females followed and nests monitored since 2010. This year 8 nests were monitored for signs of breeding activity 12
with 3 pairs exhibiting nesting activity. Queen Pow Pow’s nest successfully fledged 2 chicks, as did How’s with 1 chick. However Beryl’s nests failed, most probably through a predation event. Kiwi Saddle – Kahurangi National Park: This is the second year of nest monitoring at this site which is of similar size to the Hawdon Valley site. This breeding season 2 active nests were found out of the 5 monitored. Helen Clark’s nest was found to have been predated (most probably by a weka), while Maiden successfully fledged 2 chicks. Borland, Fiordland: This site, also approximately 4,000 ha has been surveyed and checked for nest survivorship for 3 years. There are only 3 known nest cavities, however none were found to be active this season.