Welcome to issue 50 of the Friends of Flora (FoF) newsletter, bringing you again news of our efforts to bring the birdsong, the whio, the kiwi and all the rest of the biodiversity – mistletoe, Powelliphanta snails, and so on back to the Flora.

How many Kneehighs make a Mast? Ponders FoF committee member Chris Potter:
"Eight black conical objects recently appeared on the steep slopes of Lodestone. They are not from outer space or part of some obscure ritual, but they have been put there to collect whatever drops out of the beech canopy above, particularly beech seeds. They will be there until May, when the seeding should be over. Each funnel has a nylon “sock” (called a Kneehigh on the packet) held on the narrow end by a rubber band. The Kneehighs can be removed from time to time for the beech seeds inside to be counted. The object is to give us advance warning of a heavy seeding event called a “mast”. Some other parts of the country are reporting a mast this year and since the consequences for a project such as ours could be disastrous it is vital that we are forewarned so that we can take appropriate action. What happens is that there is an explosion of mice taking advantage of this rich food source, and they are soon followed by rats and then stoats. All the good work of the last 7 years could be undone. The Kneehighs were replaced at the time of the March monitoring but it’s too soon to draw any conclusions yet. You can be sure we’ll keep you informed."

FoF Editor - Ivan Because it’s our 50th edition, FoF Chairperson Maryann Ewers insisted that I include this:
"We have been having Ivan's viewpoint on the 'happenings in the Flora' for the past 5-years, so in this special 5oth issue, I'm going to turn the tables and tell you all a little about him! We first met Ivan back in August 2002, when he turned up at our stand at 'Ecofest' in Nelson, a very keen man wanting to work in conservation. Within 9 months he joined our committee, to help steer our project on the 'hill'. As a part of the Certificate in Environmental Science he was then studying, Ivan took on the job of examining the stomach contents of any fresh stoat kills we had. This study gave us an insight into what it was these 'killing machines' were eating. Interestingly, we found over the winter months they were eating their way through our weta population. After printing and posting the first couple of FoF newsletters, it was decided it would be better to do it in E format, to reach far more people easily. So Ivan put himself forward for this task, and the first 'e-newsletter' went out on January 2004. Information is derived from our monthly committee meetings. Ivan lives with his wife Fi in the Moutere, and works out of DOC's Motueka Area Office in the biodiversity section, mostly on blue duck but with a special passion for lizards."

Skinks found on Winter Peak. This chap below, found during DOC fieldwork below Winter Peak on the Mt Arthur massif in March constitutes the first formal record for a skink in this vicinity. Fairly large (70mm snout to vent) with a distinct yellow belly and an overall metallic greenish tinge – the photo doesn’t quite do it justice – it is nevertheless a common skink, Oligosoma nigriplantare polychroma. Other skinks have been sighted from time to time near the Flora – on Lodestone and the Salisbury Open. Please report any lizard sightings to Chris Golding or Ivan at DOC, noting where and when and providing a photo if possible. Other than the black eyed geckos and Mt Arthur geckos that occur above the bushline, the Flora end of Kahurangi has been thin on lizard records with a single sighting of a forest gecko near Balloon Hut in the 1990s and a Nelson green gecko recorded from Mt Arthur way back in 1870!

Reminder. A reminder to attach the magnetic Friends of Flora signs to your vehicle if you are proceeding beyond the locked gate. The signs show that we are at work, which defuses any ill-humour that may be encountered from time to time from the odd tramper.

Birds of the Flora – the ruru The morepork/ruru (Ninox novaeseelandiae) is another of those birds we share with Australia but also New Guinea, Timor, and Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. It has proved to be adaptable and is still found throughout the country, although largely absent from Canterbury and Otago, in a range of natural and altered environments. Common in the Flora, ruru can almost always be heard by those overnighting at the Flora Hut. Diet is mainly larger insects such as weta and huhu, rodents, small birds and, unfortunately, bats. Nesting commences in September with the female doing the incubating, being fed by her mate. As well as the familiar “more pork” call, ruru also screech, which can be confused with the calls of various kiwi species.

AGM. This year’s AGM is scheduled for Thursday 21 May at 7.30pm at the familiar venue of Parklands School, Motueka. We are pleased to announce that Debs Martin of Forest and Bird will be our guest speaker and will speak on the threatened Mokihinui River. All volunteers are welcome and refreshments will be provided.

Charity Registered Friends of Flora Inc. is now registered as a NZ charity – quote our official Registration Number is CC3917 if anyone is pressing a donation on you or you wish to make one yourself. All donations made to FOF can be claimed against income tax (refer to the IRD for details).

Pest Parade March 2009’s trap catch was:
Stoats – 9 (total 524 since Feb 2002)
Rats – 23 – rather a lot! (total 1783)
Mice – 3 (total 846)
Possums – 5 (total 410 since June 2004)
For the same period last year, we got 6 stoats, just 4 rats, 5 mice and 10 possums.

That’s it for this 50th edition. Remember, monitoring is the last two weekends of each month. Keep your wits about you in the bush and on the tops and make sure you take enough warm and waterproof clothing.

Ivan Rogers, FoF committee