KAPITI

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 116, 12 November 1931, Page 11

KAPITI

IDEAL BIRD SANCTUAEY

BUSH COMING BACK

NOW GOATS GONE

Describing a visit paid by niembers of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, accompanied by Mr. E. Page, S.M., to Kapiti, Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp, president of the society, said at its meeting last night that there was plenty of evidence that the bush was coming back now that the goats and sheep were killed off, and urged that more of the rare native birds should be" released on the island, where there are no vermin except wild cats. TAME WILD DUCK. "It rained hard on the. Sunday," paid Mr. Tripp, "but in spite of weather conditions we had a very interesting time on Saturday. Mr. Webber has a very pretty homestead and garden, surrounded by native and other trees, and through his garden runs a small stream. We were very interested to find on the stream a number of grey duck and three teal which were quite tame. Mr. Webber, who takes a very keen interest in the ducks in his garden, feeds them regularly, and this accounts for their being so tame. On ' "Mr. Webber's property, at some distance from the house, there is a large lagoon. Unfortunately there', is no cover near this lagoon,'and it is l a pity, it had not been, planted-with flax and, raupo to provide cover for the birds. I understand; that from time to time, numbers of ducks fly over to this lagoon from the mainland, but as there is not a large quantity of • feed there they do not stop any length of time, Prom what Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Webber told us it would appear that quite a number of ducks nest in different parts of the Island. There wete very few ducks on the lagoon when we were there, but we saw three little ones lately hatched which Mr. Wilkinson thought were teal. There are no'stoats and weasels on the. Island,,so that the only enemy would appear to be the •water-rat. From what I saw, the Island seemed to be an ideal sanctuary for breeding purposes, as the ducks are not interfered with. In. some cases, where the ducks breed inland, tho wekas would get a certain number of the eggs and young birds. NESTING BIRDS. "Bound Mi-. Webber's house we saw tellbirds, tuis, whiteheads, and tomtits. We wero also sfiown the nest of a whitehead^and of a bellbird in a cabbage tree.. Near tho lagoon where there were a large number of pied stilts Mr. Wilkinson showed us several nests. In one case the young had just hatched cut. We also saw some banded dotterels, but did not see their nests.1 On our way to the homestead Mr. Wilkinson also pointed out the nests of gulls, the white-fronted, tern, and also the nest of the blue heron.' He saw a blue penguin's n.est and heard many penguins calling out in the evening. THE MORNING CHORUS. '' On, Sunday morning we got up at iday break, and were well rewarded by. hearing the chorus of bellbirds and tuis. '.While listening to'these birds we also saw a kaka, and-some parakeets and pigeons. Mr. Wilkinson informed us that both the red-fronted parakeet and the yellow-fronted parakeet were on the .Island. The robin seemed quite plentiful, and we saw several in the bush. . They were also nesting, and Mr. Wil- , kinson showed us how we could attract a robin by tapping with a piece of wood. Very soon a robin appeared and . took bread almost out of our hands. He : ate some crumbs himself and then flew • away to his mate who was sitting on her nest some little distance away. He repeated this several times, each time taking some food to his mate. Whiteheads were seen everywhere. The wekas are very plentiful; we saw several, and '. could hear, them calling frequently, [ which shows how the ground birds will increase whore there are no natural - enemies. . BRINGING BACK NATIVE BIRDS. "After visiting Kapiti, where there are no stoats, weasels, and hedgehogs, r and few cats, and the birds are protected, I am more than ever convinced . that if it is possible to keep the vermin .'■ in check in our forest areas, that the . birds would increase and be as plentiful ' as they used to' be" in the old days, and , we would.be able:>to re-establish the ground birds. I understand that on Kapiti the kakapOj' saddleback, and kiwi, which have been turned out there are believed to be holding their own, although they have not been seen lately. I think that an. effort should be

. made to have more of the rare birds 'put on the'island sanctuaries. If this were done practieaily all the species of .. our birds that are not now extinct will | be preserved and later on, if the vermin can be reduced in our forest areas; - some of the birds could bo transferred from the island sanctuaries to the mainJand. ■ Some of the birds fly to and from the mainland, so these island sanctuaries are very valuable as breed- ' ing grounds for these birds. I think that it is most important that a serious attempt as soon as possible should be made to obtain some of the New Zealand crows, which still exist in certain parts of the mainland, but which are very rare, and that these birds should be put on -Kapiti and other island sanctuaries. More of the saddlebacks and the.kakapo could also be captured and placed on the Island. I understand from Mr. AVilkinson that there are no , wrens on the Island. It should not be a difficult'thing to place somo of these interesting little birds there. FOREST RECOVERING. "I visited Kapiti a great many years ago, before it was made a sanctuary, when the sheep and goats were running everywhere, and it is wonderful how the trees are growing now that the portion of the Island which is a sanctuary is fenced in and the sheep and goats killed off. The young trees are growing up everywhere, and Mr. Wilkinson has had trees presented to him, and has also been able to do extensive planting with the grant made by our society for the purpose of supplying native trees as a food supply for the birds. As times goes on, whenever more money is available, more planting should be done, but at the same time I think it will be found that .Through the birds dropping the seeds, "■§bnsidcrable areas which arc now grasslands will become covered with trees. I cannot speak too highly of the good work Mr.' Wilkinson is doing. The Dominion is exceedingly lucky in having on the Island Mr. Wilkinson, who is not only an ornithologist, but also a keen botanist and an expert photographer. The lovers of rock gardens would be charmed to see Mr. Wilkinson's rock garden. Mrs. Wilkinson and her family also lake as keen an interest, in the bird life as Mr. Wilkinson, and has secured somo very clever studies of bird and plant life with her camera. "I am quite satisfied that as far as the birds are concerned wo could not have a better man in charge of the northern end of the Island than Mr. Webber. He also is a keen lover of the birds, and will not allow any shooting on his property, so that as long aa Mr. Webber is there his property will also be kept as a sanctuary."