Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends
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August is usually the best months for possums. It did not disappoint. While not as many as in past years it was nevertheless 21 possums compared to 31 last year. It was also 20 rats and one weasel. The rats were due maybe because we re-furbished all D traps along Piccadilly Line. There was a spite of catches after that. Now it has all gone quiet along that line. It seems to be very low in predators although one camera still picked up a possum. The hunt is on. By the way we also had 20 outings between Marcel, Jon&Sue, Paul&Jo and myself. Which is a fair good number. So thank you all very much.
The title trapper of the month has to go to Marcel for his discovery of a weta. Yes he has seen a weta and taken a picture!





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This one is apparently of the genus Pleioplectron, a cave weta. There are ten species endemic to New Zealand and all but one live in the South Island and are fairly common. Not in the Rakaia Gorge I think because I have never noticed one and the Weta Condo down by the coalmine still has no resident weta in it.

They live in darker places of the forest, in caves and under rotting vegetation. All are flightless with long antennae and legs and are nocturnal. (maybe that is why I have never seen one) Marcel must have disturbed this one in its sleep so it is a very lucking sighting. It is very exciting to know that there are wetas in the forest and that not all of them have been eaten by the possums and rats. I think we call it Pleioplectron Marcelinus!

The other discovery made down in the bush was discovered on camera. I could hardly believe it, but you can judge for yourself.

As you can see right by the fantail shop which incidentally has been doing a roaring trade and we sold a record number of tokens and souvenirs. Unfortunately, some people from overseas find it hard to pay online and I have now added a Wise account number to make it easier. A number of postcards have also been put into the mail box which always puts a smile on my dial. The oddest and remotest post box in New Zealand for sure!
But it also impressed one of the walkers and he sent us this email:
Just a quick email to say how impressed I was to see the amazing work that you guys are doing in the Rakaia Gorge, with both the trapping work, explanatory artwork, and of course the brilliant Fantail Shop!  This was my first time ever walking in this area, and it was brilliant to see the level of trapping occurring hereand, more importantly, hearing the birdlife. It was a very different experience to the normally silent bush that unfortunately we have all become used to. And the idea behind the Fantail shop is amazing - its so nice to see that you have placed such a level of trust in people that they will take merchandise from the shelves and pay you later.  Its reminiscent of a time when everyone trusted each other, and so I truly hope that most people who partake in this do indeed support your work.
 
I have deposited the $15 for the lovely fly broach into your account, which in itself was a very cheap price to pay for something so anatomically correct - I could even see the halteres behind the main set of wings!!  I was also happy to donate some more money to help you guys out on this brilliant initiative - it was a highlight of my weekend in the area.
 
All the best for your future work.
 
Is that not a nice email and such an incentive to continue the work. Not that I have any thoughts of stopping the project. It is always such a pleasure to walk in the forest, see the plant growth and hear the birds. Plenty of bellbirds, grey warblers, silvereyes and fantails and again, as I said before, quite a number of kereru. 

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​Most of these birds feed now in the kowhai trees. The whole forest is yellow with the blooms many of which fall onto the path giving away the locations of the trees. It is such a distinctive and beautiful flower used as an emblem on New Zealand coins, stamps and banknotes and has even featured on Megan Markle’s wedding veil! So if you want to see a profusion of kowhai flowers you should go for a walk down in the Rakaia Gorge these next two weeks.
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They seem to flower over a long period of time. The first ones I usually see in early June, the 5th June this year, and they will continue to flower until the end of October providing nectar for almost half a year! For the Maori the first flowers were a sign of spring and that it was time to plant kumara. But obviously this would not work with our kowhai. 

​Maori also used the kowhai flowers to produce a yellow dye. The tree itself was a source for remedies of a lot of ailments having strong antiseptic properties. They made an infusion of tree bark and used it to treat skin diseases, cuts and bruises and even broken bones were bathed in ‘wai kowhai’.
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Two little stories will illuminate the lore and fascination with the kowhai: ‘A young Maori semi-god, a Tohunga, was sitting under a bare kowhai tree with a beautiful young maiden and he asked her to marry him. But she resisted saying that she would only marry a man who could perform a miracle. The Maori Tohunga summoned all his magical power projecting it onto the kowhai tree which burst out into a splendid spectacle of yellow flowers. He reached up, took some flowers and made them into a golden crown and put it on the head of the girl. Of course she said yes!

There was a pub in Bluff and the owner made beer usually with cabbage tree roots. One day a group of sailors broke into his premises and helped themselves to the beer, smashed his shop to pieces and stole all the grog as well. When the ship returned the old man was all in for revenge and he added kowhai leaves and flowers to his normal brew and left it ready for the sailors. Naturally they came again and drank themselves silly. But they did not make it back to the ship being very sick and vomiting for twelve hours!1

A last paragraph about the Kaki or Black Stilt:

‘The kakī (black stilt) is one of the world’s rarest birds — and it’s uniquely ours.

Once widespread across Aotearoa’s wetlands, rivers, and estuaries, this striking, jet-black wader has been pushed to the brink, now clinging to survival in just a few isolated braided riverbeds of the South Island. With fewer than 150 adults remaining in the wild, every single bird matters.

Its story is one of beauty, resilience — and heartbreak. Despite decades of tireless work by conservationists through captive breeding and release programmes, the kakī continues to face a deadly and persistent threat: introduced predators. Stoats, feral cats, hedgehogs, and rats don’t just pose a nuisance — they decimate nests, devour eggs, and kill fledglings before they ever have a chance to fly. Even adult kakī aren’t safe.

This iconic species, a taonga of Aotearoa, is battling extinction not because it failed to adapt — but because it’s up against enemies it never evolved to face. And without serious intervention, we risk losing it forever’.2
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It is not only that every single kaki bird matters it is that all birds matter. So, thank you all for reading and trapping and caring. We are getting there and it has occurred to me that we might soon have to change from being trappers to being bird watchers! Twitchers!


















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1 The meaning of trees, Robert Vennell, 2019
2 Connovation, 08.2025

​Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends
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Breaking News: At the Selwyn Awards Ceremony yesterday on the 2nd August the Fantail Trust became a finalist out of 14 nominations. It was a great honour to be up on stage and to receive the certificate on behalf of all of you. Thank you for your support. 

The Award!

​​July was a cracker of a month. We had a long spell of good weather and I could work on the newest trap line called Penny Lane. It is an off-shoot of Waterloo Line and if you look at the map there is about halfway down the walkway a kind of peninsula jutting out into the river. The name Penny Lane comes from the first three letters and the last two letters of peninsula!  All a bit of fun. You might think it is kind of Swiss fun. Never mind.

This peninsula is all overgrown with gorse. I think it was at one stage grassed over and used as a paddock by the farm just behind. Then it was let go and the gorse and broom took over. But now, to my big surprise, when I cut a path through this jungle there is vigorous growth of native bush and trees throughout the area. Cabbage trees, pittosporums, lancewoods and even kowhai. They are all pushing through the gorse canopy. In a few years it will all be native forest again! It is also full of native birds especially grey warblers. Quite exciting to see it all.

Now being a cracker of a month, we had 24 outings in July! That is a lot of checking traps and a lot of hours spent in the forest. The results were not so spectacular in one way but of course very spectacular in another! Less predators caught but more birds seen and heard. So, we had 20 possums, which is a bit more than average for July but far less from last year when we had 37 possums in July! Then we had 17 rats, a few more than last month but a lot less than the 49 we got in May. On top of it we had two stoats and one weasel. It brings the total of predator catches to well over 3500!

It is getting more common now that I come home with nothing caught at all. Which is of course what we want. The big highlight is that almost every day I see kereru, one, sometimes two or even more. A pair is hanging around the coalmine and the shop area. And the bellbirds are still feeding in the kowhai trees which are full of flowers and the fantails frolic about and the waxeyes are tweeting in the bushes and the grey warblers warble their lovely song throughout the forest.  
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As I outlined in last newsletter, we have three cameras operating in the forest to see what is happening and what might still need to be trapped. With footage and knowing what is around we can better target the predators. Like now I use sometimes dried rabbit meat and down by the coalmine we installed a ramp leading up the tree straight into an AT220 trap! See below. 

Our installation near the coalmine. On the tree you see an AT220 with the ramp underneath. This is an automatic trap. What goes in falls out and the trap sets itself again.  In the middle is a DOC150 trap with an egg in it, plus peanut butter and in the lower right corner you see the camera recording all the action!

Talking about birds have a look at this one: It is a Pukunui!

It is the world’s rarest wading bird and only breeds down on Stewart Island. As of 2025 there are 105 birds left, up from 101 last year. At one stage they were even down to 62. Lots of traps and the efforts of may people helped to stabilise the population. DOC has a dedicated team of rangers looking after these birds.

The danger is ever present in the form of rats, stoats and sadly feral cats. The New Zealand Nature Fund has partnered with DOC and raised more than $400,000 for the campaign to safe this bird from extinction. A lot of money really, more than $4000.00 per bird!

It is great to know that a lot of people care about a little bird and are willing to contribute financially to the efforts of saving it from forever gone. I really believe that collectively we have a responsibility and a duty to prevent the disappearance of these birds.

On the other hand, I have seen in the news that Peter Jackson wants to bring the Moa back to life through genetic engineering. The proposal is to extract DNA from Moa bones containing well preserved DNA which can be extracted and manipulated and then grafted on to DNA of Emu to give birth to the Moa.

The company behind it, ‘Colossal Biosciences’ gives it a good chance of success and Peter Jackson has invested twenty three million dollars into the project. I have already contacted Peter and asked that the Fantail Trust will get the first two birds to be released in the Rakaia Gorge! By the time the birds are born the Rakaia Gorge will be predator free and the Moa will be safe! Really what a waste of money!
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Some other exciting news this week is that I have rediscovered deep in the bush a Horopito or peppertree. Maori used it to alleviate toothache and skin infections, and it is no wonder as the plant has strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. The early settlers used it as a pain killer and a cure for stomach aches. Chefs use it nowadays to give dishes a distinctive New Zealand twist and flavour. There  are also many companies selling horopito sauces, oils and even teas.

But to top it all I have found another plant down on the new Penny Lane. When I was cutting my way through the bush I came across some golden jelly type thing on a tree branch. At first I thought it might be a worm or snail or something like that. It was very unusual and prompted me to take a picture and put it on iNaturalist. A great website for anything flora or fauna wise. Just put a picture of it onto iNaturalist and somebody will in a short while tell you what it is.
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So, it turns out that my yellow jelly thing is a fungus ‘Tremella mesenterica’! In common language it is called ‘Witches Butter’! It has its uses as it is not poisonous. The Chinese put it into soups such as an immunomodulating cooling soup with lotus seeds or lily bulbs as the rubbery and gelatinous consistency of the mushroom gives texture to these soups.[1]

But far more interesting than this culinary usage is the origin of the name ‘Witches’ Butter’. I was really intrigued and found out an unlikely story. It is in a book from 1814 titled and written by Mr. George Sinclair, the ‘Late Professor of Philosophy in the College of Glasgow’:

‘Satan’s Invisible World Discovered; or a choice collection of modern relations, proving evidently, against the atheist of this present age that there are devils, spirits, witches, and apparitions, from authentic Records, and Attestations of Witnesses of undoubted veracity’. This is what he wrote:
“They confessed also, that the devil gives them a beast, about the shape and bigness of a cat, which they call a carrier ; and he gives them a bird, too, as big as a raven, but white : And these creatures they can send any where and wherever they come, they take away all sorts of victuals they can get, as butter, cheese, milk, bacon, and all sorts of seeds, whatever they can find, and carry it to the witches. What the bird brings, they may keep for themselves : but what the carrier brings, they must reserve for the devil, and that is brought to Blockula, where he gives them of it as much as he thinks fit. —They added, that the carriers filled themselves so full oftentimes, that they are forced to spew by the way, which spewing is found in several gardens, where colworts grow, and not far from the houses of the witches. It is of a yellow colour like gold, and is called the butter of the witches”. [1]
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The records and attestations he refers to come from a trial of witches of the 17th century in Sweden. Astonishing really that even in the 19th century this believe in witches was still alive and believed. Anyway, to satisfy your curiosity below is the picture I took of the Witches Butter.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremella_mesenterica

[1]  https://wellcomecollection.org

Witches Butter below:

Now on a lighter side this month also, on the 22nd July was the Day of the Ratcatcher. Not kidding. You must have heard of the story of the Pied Piper. It dates from the Middle Ages. The town of Hemelin in Germany had a problem with rats. The mayor put out a prize of 1000 guilders for anybody to claim, if they could get rid of the rats. That was in 1284.

The piper accepted and used his magical flute to lure all the rats into the nearby river where they all drowned. But the mayor reneged on his promise and now the piper played the pipe and lured all the children away from the town.  Be that as it may, but I wish I had a flute like that.  
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TrapNZ, the app where we record all our catches, asked for stories on catching rats from all organisations such as the Fantail Trust to celebrate the Day of the Ratcatcher and offered as a prize one of their hats with the TrapNZ logo on it. Naturally I entered a story and submitted all the names of our volunteers. My story came first and your names went into a draw and Jon Whitty won the prize! Congratulations Jon!  (TrapNZ did not renege on the promise) Below some pictures.
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Thank you all again for caring and helping to get those Moa back!
Robbie and Christine

 Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends

June was a bit more quiet. In the number of outings and in the catches. We had 16 outings which is not bad considering the weather. There are just not the conditions to get me out there. It is cold and wet and miserable. But despite that we caught 12 possums, 10 rats, 2 stoats, 1 hedgehog and 3 mice. And the shop has kept me busy too!

The possum number is almost about average for June, but the rats are way down from May when we had 49! Two stoats are great, and the low hedgehog number is normal as they are now hibernating and the mice are coincidental.

The trap, T111, which I put near the spot where I had the camera, and which picked up three possums, has now had the third possum. That might be the last. Who knows. I will use the camera again to make sure. No more rats caught in that spot either.

On the other hand, the other camera near the coalmine, which also showed a possum, a rat and a cat, and where nearby I deployed an AT220 and a DOC150, has not been so successful. No possum caught so far.

There is also the mystery of the possums seen on camera at the beginning of Piccadilly Line near A2, one of my first traps ever. I put a Timms trap right there in the path of the possum but so far it has eluded capture. It is a slow process. Slowly catch the monkey.

It is also nice to report that the Fantail Shop is doing a roaring trade. Never expected that many sales but I have been re-stocking the shop four times this month and considering the many wet days we had it is just astonishing how much stuff gets taken. And as far as we can tell all of it has been paid for! Anything with a fantail on it just flies off the shelves. So, if you have any ideas of what we could sell down there please let us know. Maybe you could even produce something yourselves. Some handicrafts? Items should be priced at around five dollars. Also, the visitors book is used almost every day. Sometimes the page is not large enough for all the comments and wishes. The post box has been used as well to our great joy. It is all beyond expectations and we just hope it will continue without any problem. It makes me ask: why did I not think of it before?

I am thinking now of installing a bench in that area for people to sit down and take it all in: the bubbling brook, the shady glade and the birds all about. Usually, kererus can be seen nearby and sometimes fantails flit about and bellbirds can be heard. It is just a magic little spot in the middle of the bush. Go and have a look yourselves!

Then on top of it the local paper in Methven has published this little cute article on the shop:














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I just hope this fun activity is not putting too much strain onto the shop. We are running out of things to sell! It is of course good in that it takes people out into the forest and onto some activity which they might not do otherwise. It gives a purpose to the walk and maybe it makes people aware of the sad state of much of our environment. It also should give them some pleasure being in a lovely forest full of native birds and thereby make them aware of the importance of looking after it all.

Paul, one of our trappers, has made me aware of an article in The Press. It states that annually there are an estimated 25 million birds killed every year which makes it 68000 a day! Among these birds are many kiwis and only 5% of all kiwi chicks reach adulthood because of predation. This is a sad statistic especially concerning our national bird, the kiwi.

Of course, back home in Switzerland birds get killed every day as well by natural predators so the numbers above might be a bit alarmist. But here the problem is that the native birds get killed by predators which are not natural to the environment and are not part of a natural food chain that has evolved over centuries.  Most of our native birds have not adapted to the killers out there and are very easy prey.

The aim of the Fantail Trust is to change the habitat in the Rakaia Gorge back again to its former glory with no predators. A haven for birds and plants!

Thank you all for taking part in it and making it happen.
Robbie and Christine 

Dear Trappers and Fantail Friends

May has been an interesting month. Until the middle of the month we had only three possums and I thought great we are getting on top of it. But then suddenly it changed. Marcel got seven possums in one day all on Waterloo and District Lines. Then I doubled up with another three on Piccadilly Line! That is ten possums in a week. Has not happened for a very long time. Now the total for May is 17 possums! How many more can there be!

Then we had 49 rats, 5 stoats and 3 weasels. The rats too just keep on coming. Relentless really. Also, quite unpredictable. Most are on Piccadilly Line which is the first line where we deployed traps for rats and stoats. One would expect an end to it someday. But there can be a series of catches in a particular trap, say four or five rats within a few days, then nothing for a month or so and then it starts again.

At the beginning of the month, I had a camera out near trap T45 just to see whether there is still vermin around. And well enough it picked up three possums, two rats, a cat and a hare. Interesting to see what is happening in the dark of the night. Because of these sightings I doubled up on traps at that location. Like I installed a trapinator trap, an extra Timms trap and a DOC150 trap! Plus added a lot of lure.

A few days  later I got a rat. Then another day later I got one of the possums and another rat. A week after that it was the second possum and now we are still trying to get the last possum. The camera is worth having because we can adjust the traps and lures. There are now three cameras in operation.

The same technique I am applying to a spot near the coalmine where a camera again picked up a possum, rats and also a cat. They are everywhere. So, I moved some heavy equipment into the area like an AT220 and another DOC150. First result was two rats caught in the AT220. Still waiting for the possum.

It’s been a busy month as we had 21 outings! That is a lot of hours spent down in the forest. I was also busy installing about ten more A24 automatic traps for rats in various parts of the forest. Plus three I had to repair as pigs had wrenched them off the tree! During this work I discovered deep in the forest an old totara tree! I have never come across a totara before and am not aware of any others. Very unusual but a lovely surprise.

Then of course the birds were a delight as well. Lots of fantails. They are everywhere and often in small groups of three or even four. Bellbirds seem abundant and loads of silvereyes. The grey warblers have disappeared a bit. Probably gone to warmer areas as also the shining cuckoos have done. But the biggest thrill is to see so many kereru! Hardly a day goes by when I do not see or hear one of them. Or people on the track tell me that they have seen them. Very exciting to see that happening.

The other big news is that the Fantail Shop is finally open and stocked. It opened on the 15th of May and while not many believed it would work it has proven to be a sounding success! The souvenirs just disappear, and we had to re-stock every second day! What we have there are painted stones by Juliana, small pottery plates by Christine, painted paperweights by Jon, some kiwi fridge magnets, postcards and small water bottles. All selling between five and ten dollars. And all gets paid online!









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​The Fantail Shop!
 
Then in the same week we installed the Fantail Bird Gallery! This is a bit further up towards the lookout point. There are ten panels, each bird depicted in a painting by Juliana and a text describing the birds. It will hopefully get people interested in conservation and the importance of protecting these birds. The panels are all in the same area and mounted on trees.
 
So please come and see for yourselves! The shop and the visitor’s book are about 30 minutes’ walk from the stile at Terrace Downs. You can drive down past the driving range to a four wheel track which gets you to the stile.

Thank you again for your interest and support. Special thanks to the trappers too. It’s all quite fantailistic!

Robbie and Christine
 
 
 

April was relatively quiet. We had twelve outings. Which is reasonable. The reason for this lower number is that I was away on two walking trips. One was the Humpridge Track and the other the Rees/Dart Circuit. Plus, it was my birthday month. A good enough reason to almost have a break from trapping.

Anyway, we got nine possums. Astonishingly most of them on Piccadilly Line and two of them in trap T58 which had never had a possum before despite having been there for over two years! Now suddenly in one week there were two.

We also had 32 rats. Again, most of them on Piccadilly Line like in D7. Then there were two stoats, one weasel and seven hedgehogs. They are now off to their winter hibernation and should not appear again until September or October. They are still my least favourite catch if you can have favourites among the catches. Prickly to get out, smelly and maggoty. Really need gloves to get them out.
This month I also purchased two more cameras because I think the project is at a stage where  we need to do a bit monitoring to see what is going on. The cameras are really helpful. Like I put one near T37 because we had not caught anything there for a while. Is it really predator free around there? Well after a week the camera picked up two possums, mother and child, which was riding on the back of the mother. Frustrating it was to see these two. So, I shifted the trap right where the camera picked them up and visited more often to put fresh apple into the trap. And sure enough after a few days the young one was caught and a while later the other one. With help of the camera the trapping can be a bit more targeted and we might get the last stragglers or at least we know where they might be.

Then one of the new cameras I put down by the river near a new AT220 trap. The footage is quite astounding: a hare went by, a cat came and went and two black pigs turned up and then a huge coloured one, maybe a boar. Anthony has taken care of one or two of these pigs now. They caused a lot of damage on the walkway if it was these three pigs. No possum showed and no rats. Now I hope to get the cat in the AT220. They are very good at catching them.
 
 

 










​Here is a link if you want to see more:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6ir25vvtez3gcpkhob1i2/MFDC0014-Pigs.AVI?rlkey=je76u6ydk76mvyddekaoh1hap&st=7vwj76dk&dl=0
 
As you might already know when I did the Rees/Dart walk I saw three Takahe of which 18 were released in February. I noticed a lot of traps along the walkway and I asked the ranger what they were mainly catching. Stoats! They are targeting the stoats and as he told me they catch them even high up above 1000m in the tussock grass lands. Amazing. They also get hedgehogs up there. And some stoats are caught up in the Remarkables at over 2000m. The birds to protect up there are rock wrens and kea. And in fact when I stayed at the hut, Shelter Rock hut, at 920m, that is where I saw the Takahe, at night a possum appeared. Just shows how far they have spread. The rats on the other hand seem to be sensitive to cold temperatures and certainly to snow on the open tussock lands.
Would it not be amazing if one day we had Takahe in the Rakaia Gorge? I could imagine them on the island which has lots of tussocks. Their preferred food. But maybe the area is not suitable for Takahe but it certainly would be for kiwis!

Below is an image of three Takahe I saw in the Rees Valley! As you can see they are all tagged and have an antenna on their back. 

Thank you all for supporting the fantail trust! 

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A mixed bag really, this March. No pattern, no rhyme nor reason. After last month of only one possum this month we are up again to fourteen possums. And possibly half of them in old and established traps. Like T17 which alone had three possums. But then also T15 and T18 had possums. How is this possible? Again and again it proves that when a trap is once installed it has to stay there for a long time. It is  a slow process this elimination of possums.

Pleasing was that the new traps we put in, the AT220 traps on the Embankment Line, have also taken out some possums. I was not sure what to expect and thought there might be no possums left in that area of the forest. But no.

My theory was that most possums, if not all, would come up during the night through the forest and up to the grass paddocks on the island. To feed on clover and fresh grass. But no. It seems I was wrong. The AT220 caught possums right down by the river, like AT13 and AT16. You can see the locations on the trap.nz map.

The big task achieved this month was the cutting of a new line through the forest on both sides of the track which leads down to the river. It’s called The Embankment. It was there in parts before but did not connect to the walkway itself. Now it is all connected, and one can enter the track at AT4 all the way down to AT17 and from there high above the Rakaia to the river access track and then across and up again to come out on the walkway near D67. Sue and Jon helped with forming the track. Cutting branches, sawing logs and putting in ribbons. It is great fun to be down there with them but exhausting work.

I believe that the new path leads through some of the best bush in the Rakaia Gorge. It is lush with undergrowth, old kowhai stands, mature lancewoods and broadleaf and ferns all over. A delightful walk through there not least because there are always fantails. Loads of fantails and bellbirds to hear and grey warblers. It is well marked now with blue ribbons, but care still has to be taken when attempting to discover the new Embankment Line!
 
The other thing is that we have now three cameras monitoring the wildlife in the forest. Yes I went out and bought two more cameras just to see what is going on. The first camera is near trap T37, one of the new ones is near AT4 and the third near AT14, both of  these new ones on the Embankment Line. I leave them there for a few days. It is very helpful to know whether possums are still around. Like near T57 I had a camera and it showed a possum and a cat! So I put more traps in there and re-lured them often. And we got the possum. Not the cat though. But even the cat did not show up anymore later on.
Then I had a camera at T37 and again it showed a possum right in front of it. So now I put another trap there and used the flour and sugar trick to lure it into the trap. It means you use a mixture of flour and sugar and a bit of cinnamon and sprinkle it all around leading to the trap. No success so far. In the end we will get it!!
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​This cheeky blighter followed me for a long time




​The possums are one thing and one can imagine to maybe one day get the last of them. At least they do not breed faster than what we can possibly get rid of. But the rats?! How is it achievable to get rid of the rats? We have made great inroads into their numbers. Like we have eliminated over 1600 rats. That is a lot of rats but somehow I have a suspicion that they might have been breeding more than what we killed! Statistics tell us that a rat can breed up to 200 babies a year. Not only that but within that year the offspring also produce their offspring meaning that there could be 2000 new rats within a year produced by a single rat! Enormous.

That is the theory. But there are, apart from trapping, other factors limiting the spread of rats in the Rakaia Gorge. One is the relatively cold winters. That knocks them back some. Then we do not have those mast seasons that occur in beech forests. ‘Our’ forest is mainly kowhai which is rather unique. So the food supply is more limited. Of course, they still feed on seeds and worms and other invertebrates and eggs of birds and possibly also on the wetas if they exist. I have never seen one and the ‘Weta Condo’ down by the visitor’s book is still empty.

And then there is us!

Did you know that there are only about 450 Kakariki Karaka birds left in the country. They are bred in Christchurch in the Isaac conservation trust centre. Recently 34 of these birds were flown from Christchurch to Invercargill and from there by helicopter to Dusky Sound!
They have also been released in Arthur’s Pass Hawdon Valley where they were previously quite abundant. Kakariki are a taonga to Ngai Tahu. The feathers of Kakariki were used to weave korowai, a cloak the Maori made and used during important ceremonies and festivities. 

​I reckon that these 34 birds are probably 100.000 dollars birds or more. Is that the price we have to pay for mistakes that our ancestors made when they brought the rats and stoats to New Zealand? I do ask myself is it morally justified, with all the other problems we have in this country. to spend that much money on 34 birds?! I have to say yes because otherwise what we do in the Rakaia Gorge would be equally unjustified and wasted money and effort. You get my point. In the end it means to me that all life on this planet has equal value. A statement that I am sure David Attenborough would agree with. (For ever the cynic I have to ask myself what about the possums and the rats?!)
Thank you all so much again for your help and interest in the project: ‘To establish a native bird and plant sanctuary in the Rakaia Gorge’.

Amazing. Astonishing. Unbelievable. In February 25 we have had one possum! Yes that is one possum! Last year in February we had 33! Is it the end of the line for the possums? I caught this one in trap T37 on Piccadilly Line. On the last day of February, on the 28th. I must say there was another one but that was in my vege garden! Trappers what are we going to do if there are no more possies?!
It is not for want of trying to get them. We had 18 outings in February so plenty of scope to get more possums. It is remarkable such a decline and so suddenly. Just in January it was still 15 which was an above average number for January. I am so pleased.
The rats made up for it, 18 of them we caught plus two stoats, three weasels and twelve hedgehogs. The rats and stoats will probably keep us busy for a while yet. There are certain spots on the network where the rats turn up regularly. That is along Waterloo Line, D37, on Piccadilly D3 and on Circle D68. The new traps I put out in February going up to Lookout Point have not produced much at all. A single rat in D156. The traps are too fresh and new most likely, to get the rats in.
I have not given up on the hunt for possums just yet. There is more to do to keep the birdies safe and give the forest a chance to recover. Each time I go down there I hear the birds, fantails, bellbirds, grey warblers, shining cuckoos, waxeyes (they are really abundant now) and almost every time I see or hear kereru. There must be two families, one near  the coalmine and another one closer to the track going down to the river’s edge. What I have not seen for a while are tomtits which I had seen last year, albeit very few. Hopefully they are still around somewhere and thriving. No tuis either.
So to tighten up the network of traps I have been busy deploying another nine AT220 traps in the more remote areas along the river on a line which I call the Embankment. The line has been there a while and is equipped with A24 traps but no possum traps. It is quite hard work to get these traps into place as often I have to cut a path through the undergrowth with my little chainsaw and secateurs! But it is almost finished. I have one more AT220 in the garage which will soon be down there as well. The bush along this line is really lush and looks healthy. Plenty of kowhai, mature lancewoods, broadleaf and lots of supplejack hindering progress. Not so many fuchsia trees. And always the company of fantails! 



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Inside of an AT220 trap. Battery, pump, lure pouch, computer. They are good for possums and rats. In fact they are very good for rats. Problem is that sometimes the rats get squashed in them and need to be prized out of them. Not a nice job.
To protect the forest, Ecan together with a company in Christchurch called City Care have had a few days along the walkway as well, cutting and poisoning lots of pine trees and sycamores. They usually pick an area and really have a go to eliminate these weeds. Sometimes good for me because they open up a path which I then can use for trap deployment. Mind you they probably also take advantage of the tracks I put in, marked with blue ribbon and tags. 

The new line of the new series of 10 AT220 along the Embankment: AT13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, AT11 and 12 are on Piccadilly Line. One more to be deployed! See picture below. 
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As I outlined in last issue we lost four traps down on District Line where we think some people have thrown the traps, D150 traps, into the river. I have replaced them now and hidden them a bit better.
But we are not the only ones dealing with either stupid people or misguided people. Further south other trapping organisations, Matukituki Charitable Trust, and the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, in the Dart and Rees valley, had more than 150 traps tampered with, either by blocking the entrance to the trap with rocks or throwing rocks into the traps and so triggering them. Just as at almost the same time DOC released 18 Takahe in the Rees Valley. Have a look at the picture below: is it not magnificent?!
Of course I am slightly jealous of it all. I imagine the day when somebody will release Kiwis in the Rakaia Gorge!

Thanks for your help, trappers, friends and sponsors, and take care out there!

January behind us. It was not a bad month for trapping. We did 15 possums, 28 rats, 12 mustelids and 7 hedgehogs. The possum number is about average for January. In fact 15 is the second best January ever! Still no trend in sight for declining numbers of possums. Certain areas certainly have fewer possums but then out of the blue there was a possum in trap T18. Its been there for years and done lots of possums the last one being February 24! Almost a year in between catches. Where did it come from?! Never mind we keep on trapping.

Between all of us we had twenty outings. There was a remarkable one by Robert and Karen on the 19th January in pouring rain and very cold too. Not even I muster such dedication. I give the trapper of the month medal to them.

Another great catch was by Tony who got two pigs! They can make some real damage to the forest and these two pigs even had a go at the walkway itself. Just churned it all up. Another strange day was on the 7th when I got ten rats all on Piccadilly Line! Very unusual.

The forest is full of bird song and especially around the coal mine there seem to be a lot of bellbirds and recently two or three kereru! I believe they all feed on the fuchsia trees and are after the berries which are abundant now. I picked myself a few. They are quite sweet but only when fully ripened.

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A lot of tourists are using the walkway now. From France quite a few, Germany, Holland and England. They love the visitor book and often write lovely comments about the walk into it. I must get the shop up and running! There are no residents yet in the Weta Condo!

On the 30th Barry from next door was kind enough to give me a hand to transport 20 new traps  to the upper lookout point. He has a nifty little four wheel drive, and the traps fitted into the trailer no problem. We made it right to the lookout point driving across the island.

The next day I went back and deployed most of the traps and put them into position. Rather hard work it was going up and down each time with two traps in my hands. But it is all done. The numbers are D139 to D158. Circle Line is now all equipped with DOC150 traps. Every 40 to 50 meters. It remains to be seen how these new traps perform. Some are still in the forest but most are on the open grassland. I guess in the forest it will be rats and on the open spaces more stoats and weasels. Will see. 

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​Happy New Year to you all and Happy Trapping! December has been a curious month. It started really well with the possum catches and until the 20th we were up one possum a day average. Then it petered off. That was mainly due to festivities and people on holiday. And myself having a lot of guests. I managed to get two lots of them to go down to coalmine and check the traps. It does help but they came back empty handed. Also good.
 
We had in total 14outings between us. Which is quite a low number but the catches are good. It was in the end 25 possums, 13 stoats/weasels, 15 rats and 5 hedgehogs. These are good numbers. In fact the possum number is the highest ever since trapping. The stoats/weasels are amazing. Paul and Jo caught on the 18th December alone seven stoats and Marcel on top of it another three! On the same day ten stoats! I think trapper of the month has to be Paul and Jo! The rats are steady as she goes and the hedgehog numbers are way down from last year.
 
Over the year now we have impressive statistics. It is 240 possums! The second highest ever. In 21 it was 266 possums. Then we did 274 rats and 50 stoats or weasels. For the fantail trust total numbers we have: 1084 possums, 1528 rats, 133 stoats, 261 hedgehogs and 149 others, (mice, c…s). The overall total stands at 3148 predators removed.
 
My biased and completely subjective observation is that we have more birds. I think anybody would say that. There are bellbirds, fantails, grey warblers, shining cuckoos, silvereyes and kereru. Everyday I hear or see them. There are also tomtits, blackbirds and song thrushes. The tui is still elusive but there was a sighting in a garden not far away. So we can hope.
 
The Fantail Shop sadly still has not opened. The cabinet is all installed but empty at the moment. I am still collecting things to sell down there. On the other hand the visitor book is very well used and lots of comments in it. The Weta Condo nearby is still waiting for tenants as well. But it will happen. They have had a bad time the Wetas with all the rats and possums around. Maybe some survived the onslaught and will find refuge in the condo.
 
Other than that I just want to thank you all for your efforts. It is not a nice job in the summer clearing traps of dead animals that might have been there for a few days or even weeks. That is where the automatic traps come in. Much easier with the A24 and AT220 traps. Attached are some pictures of a fuchsia flower. In fact I have discovered many more fuchsia trees all over the forest. They are a favourite food of the possums and of course also the bellbirds. Then there is a kereru of which there seem to be more around, then a kowhai flower which have been flowering from early June to late October! And last is a Maori onion which grows in the more open areas around the walkway. Not often seen. 

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It has been a kind of quiet month on the possum front. Only 12 possums for
the whole month! But it is in line with previous years. Like last three it
was 11 possums. I wonder why that is. In October they definitely have young
ones and we catch more but then in November what are they up to? Maybe they
stay well down in the forest and eat new shoots of plants such as fuchsia
and wineberry or even kowhai! So no need to travel far up to the green grass
where we have lots of traps.
 
Some good news is that those two possies which were on camera along
Piccadilly Line, near trap T57 and AT11, have been caught. First it was the
young one, poor thing and then the mother about 10 days later. In the same
trap with the apple. They did not go into the AT11 which is nearby. It just
shows that the apple as a lure works every time. Patience is required
sometimes but eventually a targeted possum will go in and try to get the
apple. It means putting fresh apple into it as often as possible. Sadly the
cat which was on the same footage has not yet been caught. It has
disappeared from around there.
 
In November we also have refurbished all A24 traps. They needed new gas and
new lure. Jon and Sue helped with Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line. I did
the rest like down on the Embankment and along Circle Line. Some of them
were very hard to find again. Growth of plants hid them often or leaves
fallen onto them. The pleasing thing was that quite a few of these traps had
a rat underneath or sometimes a mouse. Also one hedgehog. Prove that they
actually work. The problem I have with them is that lots do not connect to
the phone so I have no data as to how many times they have fired. Must sort
it out with the manufacturer. Maybe it is a battery problem.
 
In November we had 14 outings resulting in 12 possums and 23 rats. The
possums are in line with previous years which was 11. It is interesting that
for the last four years the average has been exactly 11 possums. I wonder
why that would be. As I told Marcel maybe they stay deep in the forest and
feed on new seedlings of kowhai, or wineberry or fuchsia. In October we
catch more because they have young ones and they are out to feed on grass.
The rats are always there. Hard to know what impact all our trapping has.
 
Also this month I had Michelle and Tim on an inspection of the trap lines.
Michelle is from Ecan who have been good sponsors of the trust and Tim is
from DoC also interested in what we do in the Rakaia Gorge. I took them down
Piccadilly Line then up to lookout point and from there back to car. We did
not get any catches until the last trap T17 had a possum. A kind of bonus.
There were plenty of birds and even a shining cuckoo was present. It should
have been quite impressive. But they have not come back to me. Also took
them to the visitor’s book which is receiving lots of comments all very
positive.
 
The Fantail Shop is all installed but has so far no goods for sale in it. I
am still looking for things to sell which are reasonably cheap. Kind of
souvenirs like cards, small pottery and other stuff. The Weta Condo is also
still empty. It might take a while to get Wetas in there. If the rats and
possums have not all eradicated then we should surely get some residents.
 
So that is all good news. The birds should be busy still nesting and raising
chicks. They can be heard sometimes calling for food. I just hope that by
end of year we will have lots more bellbirds, fantails, grey warblers and
waxeyes. I am also always on the lookout for a Tui. Our neighbour has
reported a tui in her garden this month so they cannot be all that far away.
There is plenty of food for the tuis in the gorge. Especially fuchsia. And I
have recently discovered many fuchsia trees along the walkway and especially
deeper in the bush. I had no idea that so many are still growing. They are
still flowering and some are producing berries. Konini berries they are
called and are quite delicious.