A very busy period this month. Half of it was spent cutting tracks throughout the island to enable easier access to bait stations. We also had our AGM last month where I presented our highlights of the last seven months. Tracking tunnels were completed to monitor any rodent activity. Traps were cleared and we had a couple groups over to visit. The weather has been a mixed bag with an amazing week last week, incredibly calm clear water with no rain, while today I am listening to heavy rain fall on the roof as I write this. All part of the fun. 

Tramping Group 

We had 18 fit trampers come over as part of a tramping group to visit the island. I spent the day with them as we toured visiting most of the sites. My normal walk had to be extended as the group are a fit bunch meaning we got to locations much quicker than usual! Luckily for us, that meant we could visit some of the other sites that a lot of the other groups don’t visit such as the Edge House and the sandspit. 

Pest Control 

Lower pest numbers caught this month as expected. We had one rat caught on Matakohe in a Fenn trap (the same one that caught the stoat late last year) on the sandspit, one rat caught on Knight Island and another caught on Rabbit Island. I will also mention that “Pest Free Mangapai”, more specifically the Hewlett Road component, caught two stoats last month right on the edge of their peninsula which leads out to Knight Island and Matakohe. Awesome work by them as those two stoats could have easily made the journey out and across to our kiwi. Great to catch winter stoats as well, as they are harder to catch than the juvenile Summer/Spring stoats. 

We did our three-monthly rodent monitoring this month using tracking tunnels. This is done by inserting inked cards into the tunnels and leaving overnight. We also leave them for four nights just out of interest to increase our odds of tracking a rat or mouse. These cards are baited with peanut butter (crunchy or smooth is up to you) on either end. We had zero hits of both rats and mice but plenty of insects which is a great result. 

Volunteer Day 

14 volunteers came over this month to help on the island. They stained the handles of the tools and spades, weeded Mexican Devil, Nightshade and Moth plant, cut new bait stations out of drainpipe and stakes from fencing wire, and cut bait station lines on the north-western side of the island. This now completes the northern side’s bait station lines as they have all been cut and triangled, enabling quick access to future bait-fillers. Thanks again to the volunteers for all the hard work they do on the island. 

Bait Station Lines 

Friends Of Matakohe-Limestone Island agreed to fund the future installation of new bait station lines that follow the contour of the island on the southern (bush) side. This work commenced last week and as of today 9 out of 11 lines have been completed. The previous network had lines running from the top of the ridge to the bottom of the slope at the coast. The installation occurred many years ago now resulting in missing stations, overgrown tracks, little to no markings and old GPS points which are often metres off the mark. The old lines can be very steep and cliffy which can be both be dangerous and slow to navigate. The new work consists of finding the existing station, clearing a track through the bush to the station, and marking the track with pink triangles. We have also updated the names of the lines to be more consistent and clearer, using the naming system of SA to SK (South A-K). This means you can enter the SC line for example, and they will be numbered SC1, SC2 etc. 

This work provides several benefits, namely quicker and safer access to bait stations. The bait fills can now be done without the use of a GPS and the lines have a variety of fitness levels. Navigation is now not needed as the triangles are consistent and abundant, leading the way through the bush. The tracks now offer easier access to weedy sites, which we have come across several times while installing the tracks. Spray packs can now safely be walked in to deal with these patches. 

I am still considering how we will manage these lines in the future. When I was a part of Parihaka Landcare they used an ownership model where you were allocated a single line to look after and maintain. This worked well as you became very familiar with the line and any fixes that needed doing. I was thinking of a similar model here with allocating volunteers to a single line which can align with their fitness level. They will be able to maintain it over time with regular walking and secateurs on any growth. Otherwise, we can just allocate random lines on bait fill days. Interested to hear your thoughts on this so feel free to let me know.  

We are hoping to complete the last two lines this week and any touch-ups, weather dependent. 

Other goings on 

We have had a new addition to the island with a fur seal taking up ownership of the track by the wharf. He has also been sighted on the wharf and occasionally on the beach on the south-western side of the island. Cool to see and he doesn’t seem bothered at all by us. 

“Muddy Feet” is a fishing Youtuber who organized a fishing day for kids on the Onerahi wharf. Businesses sponsored this event with a BBQ and prizes for catches. We sponsored a day trip for a family as a prize. We had a bit of a nosey when the day was underway and the wharf was absolutely packed, including the walkway all the way to the shore. 

Our Oi/Petrel adult has returned and is, I assume sitting on a nest. I did not want to hassle it too much as it did not look impressed. I will keep an eye on the box and update any future goings on. 

Tracey from Sea Cleaners came over and took our accumulated coastal rubbish. Great to meet Tracey and her team and greatly appreciate their hard work! 

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading and I we will see you again next month. 

P.S. If you have any spare rope could you please get in touch. 

Bevan and Courtney