This report covers October and November 2024. Key points:
During October, following a two-month toxin break, volunteers and rangers began to put ratabate back into stations. Over November, stations were checked and topped up where necessary.
The 2024 stoat catch numbers are down by more than half compared to 2023, despite having more traps activated. The lower catch rates suggest that this year’s 1080 operation has had some effect on stoat numbers.
In October, we hosted Shaun Ryan from the Cacophony Project at our community tech talk event. We now have one of their High Interaction Rate Traps set up at the ōi/grey-faced petrel site.
Ōi/grey-faced petrel breeding continues to be affected by stoats, highlighting that the impact of stoat predation cannot be underestimated.
In October, alongside NorthTec students/tutors and with guidance from DOC, we surveyed pūpūharakeke/flax snails at two sites.
Click the Rangers Report button on this page to see the full report.
A mixture of juvenile and adult pūpūharakeke/flax snails (Placostylus hongii) found under one nīkau frond.
