Forest & Bird’s Alina Huff gasps with pleasure as a titipounamu flies, with her pleasure shared by Nicola Toki, Mandy Brooke, Lincoln Paul and Tania Te Huna. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui’s predator-free sanctuary Bushy Park Tarapuruhi has actually been inviting brand-new groups of little feathered homeowners for several years, and today they’ve been stating haere mai to our tiniest types.
The titipounamu, likewise called
the rifleman, is Aotearoa’s tiniest bird, and around 60 of the types are being recorded in Taranaki Mounga and transferred to Bushy Park for assimilation.
Bushy Park Tarapuruhi supervisor Mandy Brooke said the return of the birds to a location that was their ancient homeland had actually been set up thanks to the kindness of Taranaki Mounga regional hapū Puketapu, Pukerangiora and Ngāti Tawhirikura, all of Te Atiawa.
Brooke said the translocation of the birds was a hapū-to-hapū exchange that had actually been thoroughly prepared.
“The translocation is part of the centennial celebrations for Forest & Bird New Zealand,” she said.
“Bushy Park Tarapuruhi would like to acknowledge and thank Horizons Regional Council and WWF New Zealand for providing the funding for this translocation.”
The sanctuary is a collaboration in between Forest & Bird, Bushy Park Trust and members of regional iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi and hapū Tamahereroto, Ngati Pukeko and Ngati Maika.
Kura Niwa, of Pukerangiora hapū, said it was the 2nd time titipounamu had actually been moved from the maunga in recent years to help develop a population somewhere else.
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“A decade ago, we would never have thought we’d be leading a process of taurima [adoption] for manu [birds], so we are thrilled our titipounamu population is doing so well that we are able to undertake this tikanga,” Niwa said.
“We look forward to connecting more with our whānau, Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, and seeing how the manu go in their new kāinga [home].”
Danny Broughton, of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, said the relationship in between Bushy Park Tarapuruhi and Ngaa Haapu o Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi was among promoting and comprehending.
“Kaupapa such as manu translocations give us a common purpose to work together and achieve,” he said.
“A kaupapa that requires respect of culture, processes and, above all, the best for the manu and, ultimately, our ngaahere.”
Forest & Bird president Nicola Toki was at Bushy Park to invite the brand-new arrivals.
“It’s my first visit to Bushy Park and my first-year anniversary in the job,” she said.
“We celebrated 100 years of Forest & Bird New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, so there’s been a lot of cake.”
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Toki said the Bushy Park sanctuary offered a terrific example of the number of parts of New Zealand might be if forests were permitted to regrow.
She applauded the insight of Forest & Bird’s creators and the efforts of all the staff and volunteers working to take care of the environments that supported native birds.
Toki said it was a pleasure to see the titipounamu sweeping through the canopy at Bushy Park.
“Providing a home for these wee birds has required a careful and concerted effort by many partners and experts,” she said.
“We’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received to make this hapū-to-hapū project a reality as we welcome these special ambassadors from Taranaki to their new home.”
The birds were transferred by Parker Conservation, a 12-person professional group which worked around climate condition and made certain not to unduly worry the little birds.
Mhairi McCready and Kerrigan Jacques got to Bushy Park in a quiet electrical car with a temperature-controlled interior, carrying 11 of the small birds each housed in its own wood cage.
The cages were thoroughly brought down a path into the bush, where each was opened by a designated individual.
Caelyn Hossack, 9, got to open the very first one and said it was an unforeseen enjoyment, despite the fact that her bird took a while to leave the safety of the cage.
Visiting Whanganui from Napier, Caelyn said she enjoyed native birds and offered at the independently owned Cape Sanctuary.
“I have worked with kākā there and I love that, but I loved seeing these tiny birds,” she said.
Caelyn’s bro Riley, 5, was used the chance to open a dog crate however decreased.
“I’m shy, and I think shy people might make birds shy, but I loved seeing them,” he said.
The titipounamu sign up with populations of toutouwai (South Island robin), tīeke (saddleback) and hihi (stitchbird) that have actually been effectively translocated to Bushy Park formerly and the pōpokotea (whitehead) population that got here simply in 2015.
As of Thursday afternoon, 35 titipounamu had actually been launched at Bushy Park, and Brooke said there was optimism another 25 birds would be effectively translocated over the next couple of days.
