Endangered North Island robin release increases population in Egmont National Park

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Taranaki Mounga volunteers help release 21 robins into Egmont National Park.

More endangered North Island robin have taken flight in Egmont National Park - adding to the 50 released there a year ago.

Twenty one robin, or toutouwai, were captured in Pureora Forest, 180km east of Taranaki, and released the following day in a 1000ha, predator-free block inside the park boundary this week.

A silent procession of around 60 people, including a Taranaki Mounga project team, Department of Conservation staff, Taranaki iwi and volunteers, carefully helped carry the 21 boxes, each containing a single bird, to the release site, about 1km from the North Egmont Road.

Taranaki Mounga and Department of Conservation staff helped carry in 21 North Island Robin, or toutouwai, for release in Egmont National Park.

The event followed on from last year's successful release of 50 robin in the same area.

**READ MORE:

Taranaki Mounga and Department of Conservation staff helped release 21 North Island Robin, or toutouwai, in Egmont National Park.

* North Island robin released on Mt Taranaki as part of conservation project**

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An intensive rat and small rodent trapping program meant the tiny inquisitive birds should be able to successfully survive and breed in the wet, cold environment, Taranaki Mounga project manager Sean Zieltjes said.

Intensive predator control using gas traps has helped cut rat numbers

'We hammer rats, stoats and ferrets in the block to support the robins when they are nesting during the spring.'

The block has 2160 self-releasing A24 gas traps, which use a peanut butter-based lure to deal with predators.

The robins will use the winter to stake out a territory within the park and find a mate to breed.

'They do not like flying open farmland so the dispersal is within the park boundaries.'

Native bird translocation specialist Kevin Parker co-ordinated both the birds' capture in Pureora Forest and their release in the national park on Thursday.

'Yesterday these birds were enjoying their territory in Pureora and are now ready to explore Egmont National Park,' he said.

The tiny birds - weighing as little as 27-30gms - were 'amazingly tough', he said, but every care was needed to carry the boxes across streams and through the native forest.

'It is like carrying a newborn baby,' Taranaki Mounga spokeswoman Tui MacDonald said.

The birds were let go two at a time - with some flying away immediately once the boxes were opened, while others took up to a minute to adapt to their new surroundings.

Conservation Department senior biodiversity ranger Emily King said recent monitoring indicated toutouwai pairs were breeding on Mt Taranaki after being extinct from the area for 112 years.

'Having new toutouwai in the area is exciting,' King said.

'The release of more birds will add to the existing population and we are looking forward to seeing more breeding pairs in the future.'

During the summer 25 volunteers helped on pre-feed trips at Pureora Forest Park where there are over 200 toutouwai,' Macdonald said.

Pre-feeding helped familiarise the birds with humans and gave them a taste for mealworms - used to lure the birds safely to capture.

Volunteer Pat Murphy was part of the monitoring, pre-feed and catching teams at Pureora Forest Park.

'It's wonderful to see more released on the mounga and a real privilege and learning experience to be part of the translocation.'

A second release of 29 robin is scheduled in the national park next week.