Although its a blunt instrument, monitoring kiwi calls is our only way to get a measure of the birds present in our area.
Presently we have 7 listening points between Ngunguru and Sandy Bay. These have been monitored for over 10 years and show an increasing population over this same period, thanks to the predator control. Young birds are surviving in the wild and moving out to establish new territories.
The listening procedure involves counting the kiwi calls at a designated site, for 2 hours from 6pm to 8pm, on 4 nights within the listening dates indicated below.
Volunteers are welcome to join in, and if interested establish new listening posts to help give us a better idea of the spread of kiwi round our coast.
Training to recognise the calls and the recording method come with the task.
2017 Kiwi listening dates
- 1st window 14th may to 2nd june
- 2nd window 13th june to 1st july
These periods coincide with no or very little moon and therefor darker nights, when kiwi appear more likely to call.
If you are interested in helping with kiwi listening, please email Mike…
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