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Friends of Flora - Community helping Conservation |
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Hole in 1 A big thanks to Motueka Rotary for donating the proceeds of their annual "Hole in 1" golf day, held at Kaiteriteri at New Year. Hundreds of hopefuls tried to hoick a golfball as near as possible to the pin 160m away on an island in the Kaiteriteri Estuary. Some came very close. At $5 for 6 balls, 83c a swing went to our great spotted kiwi re-establishment project. FoF had a information tent close by and let the happy hopefuls know where their money was going.
pic by Kim McGlashen Des's Trek Last heard of (25 Jan) at the Waiau Pass, Des Lehndorf is making great progress on his trek south. Starting at the Brown Hut on the Heaphy track on the 7th, Des's travels can be followed on http://fof.org.nz/walk4kiwis/index.html and http://triptracker.net/trip/6576/. Des is doing it all for FoF's great spotted kiwi project. FoF's Chris Potter is joining him on the Waiau Pass leg. . Des and friend at the Heaphy Track's "boot pole"(incidentally a pair of great spotted kiwi live in the bush just behind the pole) Ducks redux Great news from the Flora last month in the annual blue duck walk-through survey. FoF volunteers and DOC ranger Chris Golding counted 16 whio between the Flora Hut and Balloon Creek. This includes 2 pairs with gaggles of 5 and 6 each. Whio have now bred each year for three years after nearly dying out in the Flora in the previous decade. Both the whio survey and Des Lehndorf's walk were reported in the Jan 20 Motueka Guardian. Here's a bird with attitude!
Snapped by Denise Raymond while monitoring A line this month.
Pest Parade - Stoats explode! The December 2009 trap catch was: Stoats –31 (total 586 since Feb 2002) Rats – 32 – (total 1925) Mice – 18 (total 891) Possums – 3 (total 455 since June 2004) Plus some less usual catches - 2 more weasels and our first hedgehog, near the car park. A common pest of riverbeds and pasture where they gobble up lizards and the eggs of ground nesting birds, hedgehogs are almost unknown in high altitude beech forest. Stoat and rat kills are well up (11 stoats, 16 rats) on the same month last year, but some were old kills from previous months, as this Spring's bad weather has disrupted many regular line monitorings. "Hope the influx is quietening" mused FoF's Bill Rooke.
Hedgehog pic courtesy of teara.govt.nz That’s it for this edition. Be safe in the mountains, particularly in high winds. If it's blowing at 90km/hr or more you won't be able to stand up in it. So get out of there! That’s it for this edition Ivan Rogers, FoF committee |
