Diary with Maureen

Glorious day today. Very cold and frosty. But after the two horrendous storms it just had to get better. So I went 10am down to Central Station. Could not do much with those traps around Central as there are still bulls in the paddock.
 
I was given a big pail of peanut butter on Saturday. So I had lots of peanut butter with me to put into all the D traps, the wooden boxes. It was slow going because I have to open them with a number 8 key. Then I have to be very careful indeed to put the peanut butter in exactly the right spot. Not to trigger the trap. Very hurtful that could be. I used old milk bottle tops and filled them with peanut butter. Then I smeared some of it at the entrance of the trap. To lure them in.
 
So that went on and on right down to the coalmine. Nothing was caught at all. But then upstream from the coalmine I had installed a new possum trap a few days ago. I did not expect much, actually nothing. And when coming up to the trap behind the tree I did not see anything at first. But then hey around the corner three possums! All dead. What a bonus.
 
Then onto to Circle Line and check traps. Nothing. Then down to Embankment Line. First trap 63 had a possum! Good news. Then along river and checked 64 and 65 and 66. Nothing. Disappointing. So now up again back to Circle Line and passed 15, 17, 30. Nothing. In between there were loads of silvereyes making a hell of a noise. Some bellbirds as well. And right on top of a tree I saw a Kereru!! Another bonus. So then I get to 18. Hello hello two possums. Very dead. This trap has been there for a long time but it malfunctioned and I took it off for a while and only replaced it last month. So that is good.
 
Then back a bit and over fence into the island paddock und steep uphill to trap 60. Nothing. Then down again to trap 64. Nothing. Then to 60, 61, 62. Nothing. And then getting to the old 57. Another possum! From there over fence yet again back into forest to 68 and there the first possum for that trap. From there up the hill again to 56. Nothing. Home by 4pm. That is six hours trapping!
 
But if you count it all it is 8 possums today!! What a day. I would have expected more from Embankment Line.
 
By the way we received another grant of 5000 dollars! Now we can buy those 50 A24 traps I wanted for a long time. They are for stoats and rats and fully automatic with electronic counter. I want them around the coalmine, 25 of them, and around the river access track further along. Also 25 around there. This is because around the coalmine I always hear a lot of bellbirds and today fantails and silvereyes. Lots of them. And the other location for the same reason. Around there are always the Kereru and today a bunch of silvereyes as well.
 
Tomorrow we have peeps again. After six weeks of nobody. Because of them I could not go to Fjordland!
 
So that is it. have to check Waterloo and Circle Line soon because I have not been down there for quite a while. But they are all automatic traps so do not need that much attention. They just there and kill possums.