Dear Friends of Flora (FoF) and supporters. This is our email newsletter No. 4, sent to keep you informed of our efforts to bring back the birdlife to the Flora.

Whio Release. The long-awaited whio release on March 27 was a tremendous occasion with a big turnout, a very moving ceremony from the tangata whenua and a great speech from FoF's Chris Potter. It was a bit wet, but the sun broke through at the appropriate moment just as the ten ducklings were released into the Flora Stream. The event was covered by radio and print media, with Maryann Ewers making it into the paper clasping a duckling.

Four weeks have now passed and at least six of the birds are thriving and have been located by their transmitter signals and visually within the sanctuary area. Analysis of their droppings indicates they are finding the right food (aquatic insect larvae). Two others have not been picked up over the past week but are thought to still be within the area.

FoF are assisting DoC by reporting all sightings and identifying individual birds through their coloured leg bands. DoC is training some of us in the use of telemetry equipment to pick up transmitter signals.

Unfortunately, two have died. Kim Turner found one whio dead on 14 April of natural causes. It is thought that she starved. Another, a male, was found this week by Tim Shaw, dead of causes unknown, but its carcass had been eaten out by predators, possibly rats.

Bad egg Let's get all the bad news out of the way. Some low-lifes have stolen 10 of our Fenn traps from tunnels by the Flora Stream. Not only does this unnecessarily endanger the whio, and all the other birdlife, but at $15 each this is an unwanted expense for us. Police have been informed and media (Nelson Mail, Fresh FM) have taken an interest. The traps have, of course, been replaced and steps will be taken to make them more 'theft-proof.'

Good egg Back to the good news. A big thanks to Ewings Poultry who have taken an interest in our work and will supply us with the eggs required to bait our traps.

Predator progress And more good news, unless you're a pest, the March monitoring netted 16 stoats, 33 rats and 12 mice. This brings out total kills since Feb 2002 to:

Stoats: 154 Rats: 249 Mice 440

Plus a handful of odds and sods - weasels, cats and possums.

Do's and don’t's of monitoring A few notes on our monitoring methods:

Please resist the urge to open tunnels, remove dead pests etc outside of formally notified monitoring sessions. If you are needed to help with checking traps, you will be contacted by a FoF committee member. As well as burying old bait eggs we have now decided to remove pest carcasses from the Park. Ivan Rogers has more stoats for dissection (gut analyses) than he has room for in his freezer - please no more until further notice!

AGM Our annual general meeting will be held at Community House, Motueka (in the carpark where the market is held) at 7.30 pm Wednesday 26 May. You are, of course, all welcome.

That's all the news, good and bad, for April. You will hear from us again in May.

Ivan Rogers, FoF committee