Welcome again to the Friends of Flora (FoF) newsletter which brings you the latest news on our efforts to bring the birdsong back to the Flora.

Ermin’ vermin. Chris Potter writes on the exotic but deadly ermine:

Ermine. In another world it’s a highly prized clothing accessory signifying authority and nobility and sometimes purity and virginity. Monarchs wore robes of it, judges’ gowns were trimmed with it, barons and earls always had some in the wardrobe for special occasions. (Actually lesser persons such as judges had to make do with miniver, an inferior product made of rabbit skins suitably touched up with black spots.)

What has all this to do with FoF? The clue is in the formal name of the stoat: Mustela erminea. Ermine is a material made of the white winter fur of stoats. It seems that after living in snow for long enough – tradition says an inch or more for 40 days or more – the stoat’s fur may turn white, except for the black tip of the tail. They are then said to be “in ermine”. Of the 414 stoats trapped in the Flora project only about 1% have been “in ermine”. After the persistent snow of June and July it’s not too surprising that the A Line team found a fine ermine in a trap near the Mt Arthur hut in August. So did they appreciate it for its beauty, purity and friends in high places? I don’t think so... It’s a classic case of being in the wrong place and the wrong time

Sorry. My apologies for the last newsletter (for July/August) which was mistakenly produced with a monster file size that inevitably created problems with email. Some of you ended up getting multiple copies and some of you didn’t get it at all. Luckily FoF’s Peter Adams did get it and put it on our website www.fof.org.nz where it can be viewed. Let’s hope there’s no problems with this one.

Naming request. In response to our last newsletter, Linda Wadsworth wrote: Hi there - was just wondering if you guys would consider naming the next two whio males after my father and my son. Both had Te Whio Whio as their second names. My dad was Moki (pronounced Mook-key) Te Whio Whio White, and my son, who died at Riwaka nearly two years ago, was Jamie Te Whio Whio White. In this instance, Te Whio Whio was a Te Atiawa 'scout' who used to whistle, imitating the blue duck, information back to the main group, e.g.the location and number of the enemy. Our tribe is Te Atiawa, our hapu is Manukorihi and our marae is Owae.

Linda’s request was forwarded to DOC’s Abby McCall, who replied… I have been forwarded your email below and find it a very interesting story about the history of the name Te Whio Whio in your family.

I am part of the Whio Recovery team based in the Motueka Area Office and am pleased to let you know that we can name a male 'Moki' after your father. However, we already have a male whio named 'James' and the likeness with 'Jamie' would unfortunately lead to some confusion.

The next attempt at catching any unbanded/unnamed birds will be July 2008. I can let you know when we have successfully named 'Moki' and pass on some of his details (i.e. catchment and colour bands) if you would like them.

To which Linda replied… Thank you, that would be lovely. I have an idea for Jamie, his family name was 'Hemi'. Would that fit with things? Take care and good luck to all the whio

Flora whio thriving. A walking survey of the Flora Stream this month revealed more good news on whio. As well as the new pair around the Balloon confluence (reported last newsletter) a third pair, juveniles but still male and female, have established themselves in the Flora around Horseshoe Creek. To add to this a lone male sighted between Horseshoe and Holmwood Creek was identified as ‘Barney’. This bird gets around – first banded in the Wangapeka River, he took off to the Matiri R near Murchison and has now made his way to the Flora. Recent close management of whio has revealed much that was previously unknown, including their ability to disperse much more widely than was previously thought. In all, 8 birds were spotted in the Flora, a reflection of the pest trapping effort over the past 5 years.

Monthly pest parade The August monitoring gave us a fairly high numbers, but due to the winter weather some lines had not been monitored for two months.

Stoats: 14 (total 414 since Feb 2002)
Rats: 38 (total 1404)
Mice : only 3 (total 809)
Possums: 6 (total 296 since June 2004)

In the same period DOC took 4 stoats and 8 rats off D, H, E and upper I line. The catch for the same period last year was just 1 stoat but 42 rats, 8 mice and 7 possums.

Health and Safety – Hygiene. Remember, there are risks attached to handling dead animals and baits. Latex gloves and antiseptic wipes are provided by team leaders so please use them. Soap is provided too, so remember to wash up before lunch and keep your hands away from your face after handling cadavers. Rat and mouse corpses can carry leptospirosis, stoats are tuberculosis vectors and old eggs can lead to salmonella food poisoning.

That’s all for this month. Remember, monitoring weekends are the last two weekends of each month

Ivan Rogers,
FoF Committee