Welcome to the Friends of Flora (FoF) newsletter with more news on our efforts to bring the birdsong back to the Flora. Put a circle around 20 May on your calendar, because…

FoF AGM The FoF Annual General meeting will take place on Tuesday 20th May, 7:30 pm at the Parklands Schools Motec rooms, Pah St, Motueka. After the Chairperson’s report, financial report and election of officers we will introduce guest speaker Kerry Marshall, chairman of the New Zealand Conservation Authority, Chairman of the Tasman Environmental Trust and former president of Local Government New Zealand. All are welcome and please do come. Light refreshments after, of course.

Kerry in his natural setting

Final Flora twitch Following extensive feedback from the January newsletter the Flora birdlist – defined as all birds, even those only rarely encountered, on or around all our traplines now reads:

Whio, grey duck, paradise duck, black-backed gull, New Zealand pipit, fernbird, grey warbler, fantail, silvereye, chaffinch, New Zealand falcon, Australasian harrier, weka, kaka, kea, yellow-crowned kakariki, long-tailed cuckoo, shining cuckoo, morepork, rifleman, brown creeper, South Island tit, robin, bellbird, tui, kereru, blackbird, song thrush, skylark, redpoll, yellowhammer, California quail, welcome swallow, dunnock.

Flora Hut reprieve Martin Rodd, DOC Motueka Area manager writes:
“Dear Interested Parties, in recognition of the strong community support and feedback from the Federated Mountain Clubs meeting on 26 March, subsequent comments received throughout April and those people who have personally visited us in Motueka, I am very pleased to advise that Flora Hut is to be retained. As you have told us, Flora Hut provides an opportunity to introduce people of all ages, but particularly young people, to New Zealand backcountry recreation. Recent correspondence has identified that people wish the hut to be retained rather than being replaced with a shelter. With community support and careful planning we can maintain Flora Hut for the long term. I would like to take up the offers of support whether it be providing firewood or helping with painting. You can email Mark Townsend, who manages all huts and tracks in the Motueka Area directly at the following email address mtownsend@doc.govt.nz if you wish to be involved. I am thrilled to have such strong support for back country facilities and look forward to seeing visitors enjoying this accessible, family-oriented back country hut for many years to come. Thanks once again for your comments, suggestions and support”.

The much-loved Flora Hut (a few years back by the look of the paintwork!)

Thanks A big thank-you to The North Shore Tramping Club who donated $50 saying: “We had the pleasure of tramping in the Kahurangi National Park over Easter and really enjoyed the Flora area. We saw the traps you had put out and we appreciated hearing all the birds now able to survive there – it was a real pleasure to hear them. Congratulations on all your hard work…. long may it continue!”

Hats off for Elsa Eighty years young, Elsa Laing came to live in Richmond from Auckland 3 years ago, after spending almost a decade tramping with Bush and Beyond and falling in love with Kahurangi National Park. A former guide on Tiri Tiri Matangi, Elsa has not only been an active member of FoF since she shifted here, but is also a volunteer for the Friends of Rotoiti, and the Cobb trapping program.

Elsa at work in the Flora.

Trouble on you Line? Just a reminder about missing or broken traps and other problems on your lines: if you are unable to repair or replace on the day, make sure the problem is reported to your team leader and/or committee member so the problem is resolved and doesn’t go unaddressed for months on end.

Monthly pest parade Totals for April 2008:

Stoats: 3 (total 466 since Feb 2002)
Rats: 30 (total 1580)
Mice : 2 (total 822)
Possums: 3 (total 358 since June 2004)

That’s over 3,200 egg-munching, mistletoe-devouring, gecko-scragging, nest-raiding dirty pests we’ve got rid of.

All down on the totals for the same month last year when we removed 7 stoats, 31 rats, 9 mice and 9 possums.

Kea Count Climbs April was a great month for kea sightings on Wharepapa/Mt Arthur. Eleven were seen on the Mt Arthur summit by Andrew and Rosemary Norfield. FOF were asked to help with a pilot survey of kea numbers on 26 April for the Kea Conservation Trust, so Janet and Jonathan Lesser volunteered and spent three hours on that Saturday looking for kea on Mount Arthur. “We first saw them flying when we were near the Gordon’s Pyramid turnoff and followed them to where they were feeding on the first rock slope of the ascent. We were extremely lucky and for 30 minutes watched at close range a group of 5 sub-adults and 1 adult feeding. They were eating seeds, stalks and pulling up stones and lichen and hunting through the soil. Work is also being carried out on the feeding habits of kea and detailed information is being collected if you have any. The main survey of kea numbers will be carried out in July, when kea tend to congregate around skifields!”

Kea feeding on Wharepapa. Pic by the Lessers.

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

Ivan Rogers, FoF committee