Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends

Autumn truly has arrived and is almost at its end. Not much snow on top of Mt. Hutt. There was more back in April! For the birds it is probably the most difficult month of the year for food. The kereru feed on kowhai leaves, the bellbirds go for the berries still left on the wineberry trees and the fantails hunt the insects. But the kowhai will soon flower providing a feast of nectar for bellbirds. And a few days ago I heard the first song thrush. They seem to disappear for a while at the end of summer.

What a month it has been weather wise! Day after day blue skies, frosts almost every morning and no wind. Ideal for trapping. Ideal for maintaining the trap lines. No mud. Hardly any slippery slopes. Good for working on the newest trap line: Jubilee Line. I call it Jubilee because it might be the last of the major lines. There might be some branch lines, but they will only be small and easy. Unless, unless I decide that the area adjoining the walkway further up the river needs trapping as well. And it does because it is a lovely pristine piece of forest.

Anyway, the results of this month of trapping have come in. It is not as good reading as I would like. Too many possums. We caught on 20 outings, which is a fair amount of outings for a month, 18 possums, then we caught 23 rats, 2 stoats, 1 hedgehog, 2 mice, 1 weasel and 1 ferret!

The possum number is almost a record for May which is 26 possums. But that was early days and with not as many traps. So, in a way it is good news that with five times as many traps we still get less catches. The rat number is good too because it is half from what it was last month. The mustelids are pleasing too. We have no idea how many might be out there so every one is good news. The ferret was a bit of a surprise. We only ever caught seven of them so far.

We also did some trap maintenance. Jon and Sue helped with that. It is mainly the DOC150 traps which need looking after. We take out the mechanism, the kill trap inside the box, give it a good clean and get rid of any accumulation of leaves and other dirt inside the box. Then everything gets put back again and fresh eggs and peanut butter are put into the trap box. It makes a difference, and we are sure that the traps work properly, and we have an influx of catches for a while.

Then Marcel did a fantastic job checking traps along District and Waterloo lines getting most of the possums in our statistics. Thank you Marcel. Thanks also to Anthony who came out with his hunting dogs to flush out some pigs that wreaked havoc along the new Fairway lines. They are such a nuisance churning up the forest floor and disturbing the traps like overturning them or wrench them off the trees. I think he got three of the pigs!
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The shop was less busy in May. It is reflected in the visitor’s book also. Not so many entries and comments. Also, not so many postcards to send away. But I did meet some walkers who were interested in the traps and the birds. There was Sharron and Elizabeth from Montreal and there was Meggie from Vietnam. It is always nice to chat to people on the walkway and explain to them what we are doing and what the outcome is. 

The outcome is of course less predators and more birds! It is an easy calculation, and it is one that is done all over the country and even the world. While the goal of predator free status is unique to New Zealand and cannot be replicated in other places the awareness towards nature and biodiversity gains traction almost everywhere.

To that end, to increase awareness of the importance of diversity of life on this planet and with it the health of the planet and the survival of humanity, the United Nation  runs a day of biodiversity, The International Day of Biodiversity, which was on the 22nd May this year. The theme for this year was ‘Acting locally for global impact’. It is to celebrate the variety of life on Earth and raises awareness about the importance of protecting it. The IDB is tied to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which sets global targets for protecting ecosystems, reducing species loss, and ensuring the benefits of biodiversity are shared equitably.

I quote from the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) website:

“Biodiversity is the foundation of all life on Earth. But around the world, it is being lost at an unprecedented rate. 

The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) 2026, “Acting locally for global impact”, is a call for us all to take action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Protecting biodiversity includes action close to home with positive ripple effects that can reach far beyond”.
 https://www.cbd.int/

The Convention is a document signed by 150 governments in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit. It is dedicated to sustainable development but also recognizes the importance of biological diversity. It is not only about plants, animals and ecostystems but also about food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. 

​How lucky we are in New Zealand! And while I say that we are lucky it is not all that rosy here either. Work needs to be done as we face the same problems of loss of biodiversity as well. Like loss of species and loss of habitat, loss of fresh air and water, loss of fauna and flora that can never be retrieved again.
Sadly, in New Zealand about 4000 native species are threatened or at risk of extinction. That is the highest ratio of threatened species per person in the world! Statistics New Zealand highlights this piece of information on their website:

“More than 75 percent of indigenous species in reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened”.

 https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-indigenous-species/
 
Now, why should I or should we care that 18 species of hornworts and liverworts are threatened with extinction? What are they doing for us? Why is it important? This is what Statistics New Zealand says:
“Many indigenous species in Aotearoa New Zealand are endemic – found nowhere else in the world – and are our national taonga (treasure). Aotearoa New Zealand species make a significant contribution to global biodiversity, which is important for ecosystem processes and resilience, culture, and recreation. Indigenous species have particular importance to Māori, whose mātauranga (knowledge systems), tikanga (cultural practice), and mahinga kai (traditional food resources) are dependent on the wellbeing of indigenous species. Understanding the conservation status of indigenous species provides vital information for conservation and kaitiaki decision-making in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Indigenous marine and freshwater taonga species (species of cultural significance) hold considerable meaning to Māori identity through whakapapa (kinship), which obligates and guides kaitiakitanga (responsibility to nurture the life essence of taonga) priorities. They perform an important role for Māori in understanding the mauri (life essence) of an ecosystem. The presence, or lack, of indigenous species provides insight into biodiversity and the state of mahinga kai (traditional food resources)”.
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It is a statement heavily flavoured with Māori language and concepts. Some of them are specific to Māori and some do apply to us non Māori as well. I particularly like the idea of kaitiakitanga or the responsibility we have to all life on earth because all is taonga, all is precious and to me, personally, all is of equal value. And that is why it matters. 

I could of course say that extinctions have happened all the time throughout the natural history of earth. The difference in today’s world is that many of the extinctions occurring now are due to our carelessness and our ignorance and our disregard for forms of life we might think are not important. But a healthy  biodiverse environment is important for the very survival of humanity.

There are also specific examples of the importance of plants for say medicinal purposes. Many of these plants might not even have been discovered yet! Anyway, I give you two species growing in the Rakaia Gorge.
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The Māori have over almost a thousand years accumulated a lot of knowledge about the healing properties of plants and also of where they grow and how they position themselves within the larger ecosystem of the forest, how they even heal the forest itself by providing links to other plants and species that make use of them or need them to develop and grow. Essentially it is the knowledge that all flora and fauna live together in a system of mutual growth, development and survival.

One of these specific plants is Tutu. It is a kind of symbolic plant, a symbol for the workings of nature. On the one hand it is highly poisonous and on the other it has healing properties such as reducing inflammation and mending broken bones by stimulating the blood flow around the injury. It is called the ‘bone-knitter’ for obvious reasons.
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It is also highly toxic as said above so much so that sometimes when the passion vine hopper feeds on the Tutu plant and then secretes honey dew which the bees collect, then the honey they produce contains tutin, the poisonous compound in Tutu, and is dangerous to humans. There are quite a few plants along the walkway!

​The other plant is Koromiko. It has been used by the Māori for medicinal purposes for a long time. They treated dysentery, ulcers, kidney and bladder diseases. The efficacy of the plant is beyond doubt. In World War II Koromiko leaves were sent overseas to treat troops for dysentery when the Western type of medicine ran out. Traditionally only the unopened leaf bud and the tender top leaves were gathered to ensure the survival of the shrub. Koromiko is found all over the forest in the Rakaia Gorge but the easiest spot to see them is around the coalmine where the track crosses a stream. Silvereyes can often be seen feeding among the flowers.

​Another good news story is from down south, Rakiura Island, or Stewart Island where one of the most threatened birds of New Zealand lives: the Southern Dotterel or Pukunui. There are 160 birds estimated to be alive in 2026. That is up from 105 last year which is an increase of 52 percent! The main reason for such a large increase was an intensive predator control programme involving an aerial drop of poison 1080, always a bit of a controversial tool. But maybe in this case the means justify the result. 

Interestingly the Southern Dotterel feed for most of the year on the beaches and estuaries of the Southland coast but then to breed they fly up to the highest mountain tops of Stewart Island and stay up there until the chicks can fly back down to the coast and the beaches. On top of these mountains, they are exposed to the predation by feral cats. Have a look at the video below. It shows better than any words why we do what we do and why we have to do it.

https://nznaturefund.org/projects/southern-dotterel-pukunui/

A last quote before I go, by Robert McGowan: “We need to see people as being ‘a part’ of the environment, not ‘apart’ from it. As the land colonises us, we become a different people because of our encounters with our environment. The more this happens, the safer the environment will be, because we will realise that we can only be well if the land we live on is well”. All lovely words no doubt. The problem is that we need to have the will to be part of the environment, we have to want to be part of it, we have to put in the effort and the energy to be part of it. We cannot just stand there and think it is going to happen. It surely is not going to happen on Facebook and Instagram!

So, thank you again, dear trappers, and all friends of the Fantail Trust, for caring and for your interest and help.
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Fantailistic greetings!
Robbie and Christine 

Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends
 
April is here and the middle of autumn. The invasive trees down in the gorge, like sycamores, cherry trees and elderberry all change their colours to red and gold. They look beautiful and really, I like it, but they do not belong here and in fact are a great nuisance as when they grow taller, they shadow the native plants which consequently die. 

Now would be the time to get to them as they stick out like a sore thumb among the native greenery. Too hard for me to get to them all. Some I have cut down and Ecan indicated that they want to come back and remove more of them. It is very hard to control sycamores in such an environment. They just grow up again. A bit like the rats. They just produce again.

And that brings us to the results for this month. A very good month it was too. First of all, the low number of possums is pleasing. Ten possums only! What a relief from the shock of last month when we had 23. We are in the ‘cleaning’ up phase now.

That does not seem to be the case with the rats. We got a record number of 55 rats in April and also reached the astonishing number of 2000 rats removed from the forest. That surely must have an impact too on the bird  numbers we will get next spring! Then we had six stoats and five weasels. Also, a good number but as stoats are notoriously hard to catch it might only be the tip of an iceberg. Still, a stoat less is a stoat less and good news for the birds. All in all, we had 18 outings between Marcel, Paul and Jo, Jon and Sue and myself.

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​More good news for the birds is that we opened two more lines. They are called Top Fairway and Lower Fairway and are just below the golf course near holes 14 and 16 just over the edge where there is a strip of native forest full of broadleaf, fuchsia, ferns and mature lancewoods. There are fantails in there too and bellbirds. This area used to be the rubbish dump of the former farm of Terrace Downs. All sorts of things turn up and also a lot of golf balls! They are useful to put into the traps as they attract rodents and stoats! They must think that it is an egg!

The lower fairway is equipped with six AT220 traps and ten DOC150 traps which Marcel helped me transporting and setting up. They have already taken out a fair amount of rats and a possum.

The top fairway has three AT220 traps installed and needs more DOC150 traps which we still have to order. Then I am working on yet another line more down towards the river and I have deployed twelve A24 traps from Goodnature. They are the automatic gas powered rat and stoat traps. The track itself needs a bit more work and sign posting but otherwise it is all go.
























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The fantail shop has been doing exceptionally well this April. Lots of post cards were posted so much so that Juliana had to print another edition! And we had to order another set of our fantail stamps!
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So, what’s not to like about it all. More traps, less predators, more birds, more plants. Good news altogether. Which is what this newsletter is all about. Good news about nature, the birds and the environment.

Other regions and other people are doing the same and much more. But every little thing helps and improves life on our planet. Recently I walked the Caples/Routeburn track and saw loads of stoat and rat traps along the walkway. They were fairly new I noticed and might not have had much impact so far. I did not hear many birds apart from an occasional bellbird or fantail. Once I saw a tomtit and twice, I got ‘attacked’ by a black South Island Robin. They forage on the forest floor and are quite fearless even stepping onto my boots and picking whatever they found on it. Kind of forest shoe cleaners. Similar to those little fish that cling to the big whales and clean the skin of the whales. 
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​There were supposed to be Takahe as well in the Greenstone but I saw none of them. There are many traps all along the valley floor. They are maintained by Ngai Tahu, DOC and the ‘Takahe Recovery Group’ and with support from Fulton Hogan. Eighteen Takahe were released in 2023 and now between twenty and thirty live in the Greenstone Valley. Which is good progress but sadly enough, in 2025 four Takahe were found dead, killed by a stoat. More traps are put in place now and are checked more often.
Checking the traps is of great importance. Because once a predator is caught in there, say a rat or even a mouse, then that trap is ineffective and will not catch anything else. The more ready traps out there the more predators are caught! This is part of our success as we check the traps fairly regularly. As you can read above on 18 days in April!

Another good news story, at least in my opinion, is that recently a Swedish citizen scientist, on a bird watching tour to New Zealand, took a photo of a moth and posted it on iNaturalist, and guess what, the iNaturalist community identified it as the mythical Frosted Phoenix Moth! This moth was thought to have been extinct with only ten specimens ever been found and the last one in 1959. And now it was found again on Stewart Island! 
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Now why does it matter that a single moth, the Frosted Phoenix Moth has been found again? Dr Robert Hoare, a New Zealand moth expert, got excited about the find and said that ‘no other living soul has seen this moth, the Holy Grail of NZ moths’.  It is exciting and significant because the moth was seen again. It is not extinct. It is still part of the fabric of life on our planet. It is still part of us! Because everything that lives and thrives on this earth is also part of us. We belong together. There is no escape from it and the more we destroy, the more we ignore, the more goes extinct, the poorer our earth becomes. And the poorer we become.

It is a sentiment that David Attenborough has told us over many years, and in many books and television shows. Did you know that Attenborough turns one hundred this year?! In fact, on the 8th May 2026. He would be one of my heroes, one of my teachers. Alas, I fear that his most profound teaching has been lost, the teaching that we have to tread more gently, more softly and more considerate on this earth because it is so precious and so amazing. That is the only reason why we should do so, go a bit easier, and it is a reason more than enough.

We could say in a fatalistic view that extinctions have always happened on earth, and new forms of live developed but there was never before a human factor, a human idea that we rule the world, like the Book of Genesis teaches. Infinite growth on earth is not possible, not for humans and not for any other creature. It is still a dilemma for me. Because science tells us that in a few billion years, give or take, the sun will burn up, and all will be gone anyway,

Happy Birthday David Attenborough!

David Attenborough is actually quite positive in humanity’s ability to turn the tide. It is a sentiment I do not share to the same level. As he says we do have the tools to remedy the problems but do we collectively have the will to do so?

I quote from his book A life on our planet where he writes: ‘We often talk of saving the planet, but the truth is that we must do these things to save ourselves’. The world will be turning on its merry way quite happily without us. We must not only use our intelligence, but we must use wisdom. That is hard to find. I remember the story of Diogenes, a Greek philosopher, who walked the streets of Athens with a lantern even in daylight trying to find a wise man! Again, David Attenborough writes: ‘We must not give up hope’. And so, we continue.

We have now removed almost 1300 possums from the forest along the walkway in the Rakaia Gorge. And it shows. We observe what the Predator Free Dunedin, who declared the Otago Peninsula possum free just recently, tells us. Mainly that the forest and native habitat is greatly improving and with it the bird life in the forest. It is a landmark result for Dunedin, and the birds are returning in large numbers. Especially the kereru, or New Zealand pigeons, are observed much more often. Because the possums devasted the population of kereru by eating the eggs and chicks and they are also competing for food such as kowhai leaves and flowers.
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Along the walkway we notice the same. Many more kererus can be heard clumsily flying in and out of the trees or just sitting silently on a tree branch overlooking their little kingdom. What a sight to be seen. And I think this is one of the most obvious proofs we have that our trapping is in fact working!
This month of April was also Conservation Week. A kind of feel good campaign to go ‘naturing’, to bond with nature, to do something. How convincing it all is I am not sure. What foundation it all has is not certain. It is good that people go out there and collect rubbish on the beaches in Wellington. But it would be better if there was no rubbish in the first place!

The New Zealand Nature Fund seems to concentrate its efforts on a subantarctic island way down in the Southern Ocean. Auckland Island or Maukahuka Island. An extremely beautiful place on earth, remote and wild and magic. Yet it is devasted by feral cats, pigs and mice. You would think that at least a place like this would not be affected by human interference. But no, we have to clean it up to enable the native flora and fauna to survive and flourish. You would think that the mice have little impact. Well, in large numbers they attack the fledglings of albatrosses and other birds. What a disaster those few boats that ever landed on these shores have wrecked on Auckland Island.

It will cost a few million dollars to make these islands predator free and to remove all pests introduced by early explorers and settlers. There was a colony of goats, there were cattle and rabbits, all eradicated in the 90s. But pigs remain, cats and mice. Strangely enough no rats are on the islands.

Did you know that New Zealand has joined the international Island-Ocean Connection Challenge? The project aims to make the Auckland Islands, the Chatham Islands, Pitt Island and Stewart Island predator free by 2030. That is in addition to other islands which are part of the challenge.

The Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is an international conservation initiative which aims to restore and rewild 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030. The addition of our three islands brings the total number of committed island-ocean ecosystems to 20. At a cost of 137 million dollars.
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https://nznaturefund.org/news/why-we-must-embark-on-nzs-largest-island-pest-eradication-project-as-soon-as-possible/
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And while the Nature Fund tells us that we are lucky to live in such a place as New Zealand, and I certainly believe so, we still have to do our most to keep it a lucky place. It is what I often hear from people, tourists on the walkway, that we live in an astonishing beautiful country, and I know that all of us together, with a little effort, can keep it that way. Thank you all again for helping with the Fantail Trust project.
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Fantailistic greetings from Robert and Christine