references
2014 Kea Conservation Trust Summer Survey
Tamsin Orr-Walker and Corey Mosen
Kahurangi National Park and the Kaikoura Mountains
and any sign of significant activity followed up on. Sound recorders funded by CREW – Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, were set up at survey sites to record kea calls electronically. The data collected from these will be analysed and compared to field survey data collected by each team, to assess whether they can be used to reliably survey kea populations remotely in the future. Two kea were caught during the period, one new adult female and an already known adult male. Both were fitted with radio transmitters and will be monitored throughout the next breeding season. The status of known birds previously fitted with radio transmitters was also checked as time allowed. Attempts were made to catch as many kea as possible with teams devoting quite some time to this task. There was a slight problem at the start of the trip when it was discovered that the entire allocation of back country food for the survey team had been stolen from the Wangapeka base hut. This was remedied by using the food set aside for the Kaikoura kea survey and then purchasing more while the survey was underway. Rain put a damper on activities throughout the period, with many surveys cancelled at the last minute and some started at 4am to avoid camping out in the rain. Thanks to the wonderful Kahurangi team for all their hard work: Corey Mosen (Survey Leader), experienced bird handlers Liam Bolitho and Tom Goodman and volunteers Phoebe van der Pol, James Sippo, Donald van der Westhuizen, Bevan White, Leigh
Photos: Liam Bolitho
The sixth year of the KCT’s kea population surveys was carried out in Kahurangi National Park and the Kaikoura Mountains from 4 to 23 January 2014. Two teams, made up of 21 experienced bird handlers and volunteers, braved the sometimes freezing conditions to survey an area of over 10,000 ha (27 survey points at two sites in Kaikoura and 14 survey points in Kahurangi). KAHURANGI NATIONAL PARK The Kahurangi kea census was carried out between 4 and 12 January by a group of 10 people between Mt Luna, Mt Patriarch
and Mt Baldy in the Wangapeka area. The census involved treeline surveys carried out by pairs between the hours of 6am to 9am and 6pm to 9pm. All kea activity was recorded, the majority of sites were surveyed twice, and follow-up visits to sites were conducted if significant sign of kea was noted. As it was the end of the breeding season, known nest cavities were visited and their motion sensitive cameras collected. Notes were also taken on kea activity outside of survey hours in designated ‘transfer’ notebooks 14