Trust Projects

Department of Conservation chick translocation project

The translocation project was carried out before the Trust was formed. Between 2005 and 2008, a DoC coordinated project involving the Kaikoura community moved nearly 300 Hutton’s shearwater chicks from the mountain colonies to artificial burrows at a Kaikoura Peninsula site owned by the Kaikoura Charitable Trust. There, the chicks imprinted on the new site before migrating to the ocean off Western Australia.  After 2-4 years away, about 10% of these birds will come back to the Peninsula site rather than the mountain colonies. The chicks were hand-reared with a cocktail of sardines and water until they were ready leave. Despite intensive trapping and low-level predator-proofing at the colony, some chicks were lost, mainly to cats, before they could leave.

In 2008-2009, the first birds returned to the Peninsula proving that this project to create a third colony will work.

Peninsula colony predator-proof fence

Experience during the translocation process and since has emphasised the importance of having a suitable predator-proof fence around the colony. Without the fence the colony may not survive. and the effort put into the translocation project will have been futile.  With a successful fundraising campaign completed, fence construction began in November 2009 and was completed in February 2010.

Peninsula site management

Since the predator fence was finished in February 2010, the Trust has embarked on a number of site management issues that had to be addressed.  Rabbits were major problem interfering with the nestboxes and stoats were also thought to be present having killed and eaten rabbits.  Having built a fence that was mouse proof meant that is made sense to eradicate all critters from mice up.  An eradication programme was commenced in May and at late June there is little sign of any predators present.  Tracking tunnels have been set and these will be monitored regularly so we know if anything small is present.  Larger traps will be kept inside until August but will be removed before any of the birds return from Australia

A deer fence has been constructed 5 m outside our fence so that any cattle in adjacent paddocks will not damage the fence by rubbing or trampling on the buried skirt which could lead to exposure and potentially provide a means of entry.

Plantings for habitat inprovement and grass managment along the fenceline are also being undertaken.