Record season for fairy tern

A regular pest trapping programme by the New Zealand Fairy Tern Charitable Trust is being seen as the reason for such a successful current breeding period.

Twelve New Zealand fairy tern chicks have fledged this season, a record number since the protection programme began in the 1980s.

For the first time in many years Mangawhai had six breeding pairs hatching nine chicks.

The Trust’s Heather Rogan is adamant about the difference the pest eradication has made.

“Obviously, the efforts of the warden and the volunteers contribute to the birds’ success, but what has made all the difference since the beginning of last season has been the outstanding trapping effort undertaken by chief trapper Reg Whale (pictured with his two ‘cat dogs’) assisted from time to time by Colin Stitt.”

Ms Rogan says the trapping totals have been astonishing.

From September 2012 to January 2014 trapping totals add up to 168 rats, 175 hedgehogs, 33 stoats, 37 cats, 19 rabbits, 14 possums, 2 ferrets and 4 pigs

“Catching this number of predators must have had a beneficial effect on the breeding success of the fairy tern, as has the good weather and the support of the Mangawhai community.

The NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust received funding for trapping from the ASB Trust for the 2012-13 breeding season and again for 2013-14, though Reg continued trapping throughout the winter on a voluntary basis.

Some new traps and bait were funded by a grant from the Mangawhai Endowment Fund.