JUAN ZARAMA PERINI/Stuff
The Capital Kiwi Project has seen 63 kiwi released into the Mākara hills surrounding Wellington, with some birds now venturing further out. (File photo)
Kiwi have truly made the hills of Wellington home and there’s a growing chance you might just stumble upon signs of one as they spread out.
Sixty-three kiwi have been released into the vast hill country south-west of Wellington city, around Mākara, since November last year as part of the Capital Kiwi Project.
The project’s founder and self-confessed “bird nerd”, Paul Ward, said the “rewilding” had seen kiwi moving further out from where they were originally released.
“Kiwi have come home to the hills and, as expected, they are starting to disperse.”
He said they had been monitoring male kiwi to understand nesting habits and how the population, and hopefully the next generation of kiwi, was settling in.
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Of the 15 kiwi being monitored, most had “stayed put” around where they had been released near Terawhiti Station.
“A couple of them have gone adventuring further afield ... One of those birds was located not far from the skyline track behind Karori about a week or two ago.”
Supplied
Capital Kiwi Project founder and self-confessed “bird nerd†Paul Ward with a kiwi found near The Skyline Walkway, above Karori.
It was exciting that people heading out for a night ride or a walk along the skyline had the prospect of seeing footprints and hearing kiwi, he said.
With birds now likely to be in areas closer to people, the local community also needed to take responsibility to help ensure their safety.
“It’s about laying out the welcome mat for them on their return,” Ward said.
Of particular concern was people out with their dogs, with those out in the western reserves – Mākara Peak mountain bike park, Karori and Mākara Cemeteries, and The Skyline track – asked to keep them on a lead.
“The vision really is based on people and looking after this taonga species. Wellingtonians have shown they are incredibly up for that to date and this is the next step, managing our dogs responsibly.”
Capital Kiwi Project
Taina and Whiro are the youngest pair in a cohort of birds released into the wild in Wellington last November by the Capital Kiwi Project.
In the Bay of Islands, conservation groups are hunting kiwi-killing dogs who have wiped out half the population, killing 11 kiwi at the Opua Conservation Area in just three months.
Ward said they were heading into nesting season and hoping to have more exciting news in the near future.
The culmination of more than five years of work, the Capital Kiwi Project aims to bring 250 birds over the next six years to the 24,000 hectare area considered larger than the Abel Tasman National Park
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