Welcome again to the Friends of Flora (FoF) newsletter with more news of our efforts to bring the birdsong back to the Flora. Central to this newsletter is Cherie Fenemor’s article on her Flora case study – please note that responses to the questions posed in this item are due by 5 October.

Cherie’s Flora Project Ecology student and ardent FoF-er Cherie Fenemor writes…
"As part of my ecology degree at Massey University in Palmerston North I am taking a paper – New Zealand’s Natural Heritage. 50% of this paper is based around a case study of an area. This study involves choosing an area of the country and studying it in detail; animals, plants, history, geology, management, legal aspects and philosophy. For my study I have chosen the Flora Hut area including the section of bush heading back up towards Mt Arthur. I obtained a permit from DOC to allow me to undertake field work including transects of forest, bird counts, stream kick samples and soil profiles. Spent a lovely couple of days in the bush with fellow ‘rat trappers’ and FoFers Brooke and David. We were accompanied at the hut by a friendly weka we named Wally and also found Bill Bob’s twin on the Flora backtrack.

We had the privilege of sleeping the night in the chilly Flora Hut, which is thankfully still standing, so we could enjoy the wilderness in front of the fire, as our ancestors have done in decades gone by. Now I have to compile and analyse the data and incorporate it with the other aspects (history, management etc.) to produce a 10,000 word report. As part of my philosophy section it would be helpful to have your feedback on your personal affiliation with the area.

• Why do you use the area?
• How often?
• How do you perceive the area as you use it?
• Do you value the area? If so, why?
• Have these values changed during the time you have been using the area?

Also any other information you consider to be relevant, quirky stories or historical facts would be much appreciated. You can email me at cheriefenemor@yahoo.com Feedback needs to be received by October 5."

Pest Parade. Pest kills for August 2008 were:

Stoats: 2 (total 489 since Feb 2002),
Rats: 16 (total 1690),
Mice: 2 (total 832)
Possums 3 (total 379)
and, surprisingly, 2 weasels – a rare catch, we have only bagged 10 of these killers since we began trapping.

These low totals may reflect that there was some difficulty in getting to all our traps and but are well down on those of the same period last year

Radios arrive. FoF have made a major purchase of five Vertex handheld radios. Radio communication will allow us to operate safely in the bush and co-ordinate vehicle movements. To date we have been dependent on DOC loaning us their radios, but sometimes this has not been possible. The new radios are very compact and offer far superior battery life to the ones we have been using so far. Full training in their use will be provided by DOC to all team leaders.

Happy birthday, welcome swallow. 2008 is the 50th anniversary of this now ubiquitous bird’s establishment in New Zealand. Arriving from Australia, Hirundo neoxena has spread from north to south and it has now established itself in all habitats provided there is proximity to water.

photo by Dick Veitch, supplied by DOC

Typically it nests on man-made structures such as under bridges and wharves, on the side of water tanks and under verandahs. The nests are distinctively cup-shaped mud structures and are often used by the same pairs over consecutive years. These birds are well-established around the Flora Stream and are even nesting under the verandah of the Salisbury DOC staff hut. They share the fantail’s habit of catching small flying insects on the wing at dusk, and seem to fill a very similar ecological niche.

That’s all for this issue. Think Safety and remember, monitoring takes place on the last two weekends of each month.

Ivan Rogers, FoF committee