Rowi Project Blog

This week, 10 young chicks, hatched in Willowbank Wildlife Reserve over the past three weeks, are being whisked off to Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. They will spend the next 6-10 months on the predator-free island, growing up away from the threat of stoats.

Motuora Island

Chick being released

Duncan, Anna, and Lucy collected the young chicks from Willowbank early on Tuesday morning. They prepared the birds for their trip by giving fluids to prevent dehydration, along with worming medication to prevent any parasites being transferred to the island. Each chick will also have a small transmitter fitted to its leg to allow rangers to find it and perform health checks throughout the year.

There is an abundance of life on Motuara, including high levels of invertebrates (bugs) which give the young chicks a good start on the island. Other bird species include bellbirds/koromiko, saddlebacks/tieke, red-fronted parakeet/kakariki, blue penguins/korara, sooty shearwater/titi, shining cuckoo/pipiwharauroa, and plenty of cheeky bush robins/toutouwai.

Saddleback

As you could imagine, the dawn chorus on this island is amazing and I would recommend a visit to the island if you are ever in Picton with a day to spare. There are great eco-tours available to the island with plenty of interpretation and local history along the way. If you’re really lucky you may share the trip with a number of young rowi making their way out to the island as well.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 4:08 pm by Rowi Ranger and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.