Been out again. Heavy rain we had and snow. Cold morning and after peeps left I went onto Waterloo Line. The one we did on first day. Got a possum in the same trap, T43. This one was quite fresh. An older man was walking and saw me re-setting a trap. D46 which had a hedgehog in it. So he followed me a while and he took a photograph with me holding the possum. He was from Australia and could not believe it. Because in Australia they are protected.
 
On way back there was another hedgehog in D45! Nasty things. Then I got to Central Station and checked all traps and last one, T10 had another possum. Had to look for the trap which in the end I found down a little slope with possie in it. Must have been the cat pulling it down there. Have seen a cat there a few times.
 
Then went up to lakeside and first trap had a weasel! 

​Wonderful day today. Did the grand tour. Along Piccadilly Line and nothing. Still that elusive possum not in trap. I think of putting another trap nearby. A different one. So on my merry way and only at D73 did I get a rat. Then again at D77 and again at D79.
 
Then I got to D87 and did not expect anything. But the milk bottle top had been sucked in so have to reset trap. As I move trap out of grass suddenly I realize that something is hanging out of it. I look and think possum? Small one? But not quite right. Cat? Not quite right either. So open box and pull thing out of it and there it is: a ferret! I did not think we had any down there. So another pest has turned up. Ferrets normally need bigger traps to go into. And I do not have any bigger traps. What to do now?! By ferret traps also? 

Did TD today. Nothing at all at first then TD13 had a nice rat. First one for that trap just at edge of lake. Then nothing until up on lakeside and had a hedgehog in D0C150/1. Not nice. Then back down to big lake and TD9 had another large rat. Just by the lake. That area is now slowly being cleaned out of rats. 

​Another perfect day. And because of peeps I only do golf course traps. Started well with TD3 one weasel, then nothing for a while and then TD15 another weasel! Very good. Then next one TD16 a rat. Then nothing around big lake. So go up to other lake and TD7 has another rat. Very large rat. There is a water pipe coming out into the lake maybe they come out of there because this is now the third in a short time.
 
Then across lake TD9 had another rat. That was it. No possum. 

​Wonderful morning today but cold and fresh snow on top. So wanted to check some traps desperately. Weather been awful. So went out down Piccadilly and D9 had a rat. Then a family of French people came along and I talked to them. Showed them how it all worked. Then they went off and I did my thing. The plaque is now up on Elizabeth Line and that possum which is around there is still not caught.
 
Then just before stream trap D35 has another rat. Very good. Then I walk up to Circle Line and nothing in all the T traps. Rebait all. Then I think better go over the fence and on to the walkway rather than go straight up. Better chance of getting something along there. And sure enough trap D83 had a weasel!. Then further up the last trap D89 had another rat.
 
Then I get to lookout point and the French family is still about. They had lunch up there. Two families and four kids. One of the girls had a bunch of flowers and I tell father not good those flowers are poisonous they are hemlock. He said she will cry if we take flowers. So I pick a nice yellow flower and ask her to give me her flowers in exchange for mine. No problem.
 
Then he is quite interested in the trapping and I ask him whether they are on holiday and he says no we arrived last week and we are going to stay in Methven. What do you do in Methven? I am a GP! So the clinic down there has a new doctor. How good is that.
 
Then on way back I pick up destroyed trap. Tractor drove over it. Crushed it. Then along the fence where David and I deployed two yellow traps the last one had a hedgehog. Then I took that trap with me and one of our neighbours has asked if I could put a trap near their house. They have always possum poo in front of their entrance. So now they got a trap and hopefully I get the possum. 

​Perfect day today. No wind. No cloud. Guest left late. Then I go out to Waterloo Line. Nothing at first but then T40 had a possum! Very old, smelly, maggoty. Never mind. Then next trap D39 had a rat in the same condition. On I go and to my surprise T41 had another possum. Only skin and bone left. Very good so far. Then I get to D42 and another rat. This one was not too bad.
 
Took the trap down to walkway for better access and open it and get rat out and throw it into bush. Just at that moment a young woman turns up. She stops and I get up and say just walk over the trap or walk to the side. She just looked and I said in fact you can help me setting the trap again because it is easier if someone puts their foot on it. No no she said. Just go to the side then. But she would not. She said do what you have to do and move the trap out of the walkway. I have time. I do not feel comfortable. What a girlie!
 
Anyway I did and she went her merry way. I get to trap T44 and yet another possum. Maybe the worst of the three? I use sticks to get rid of it. And that was it. Then on way back there were two more rats in trap A1. A really good day. 

​After all you get a report. Was told there was something in a trap on the golf course. So I decided to do all traps. Was windy and raining now and then. Never mind. I am a trapper. First traps were nothing but then got to big lake and T17 had a hedgehog! Then around the lake and T19 had a rat. From there up to the lake side traps. DOC250/3 had another hedgehog! Then the other trap DOC150/1 had a weasel! Made my  day.
 
From there to other lake. Small one by the road. TD trap 8 had a hedgehog! Bleeming things. Then to TD9 and another rat! Great Day. Then from there to end of long lake and TD4 had one last ghastly hedgehog!!
 
They are all looking for a good place to hibernate maybe. But not in my traps! Two rats, four hedgehogs and one weasel is a good day. Charlie Brown been out yesterday and he is going to report today. It seems he had an even better catch than me. Let you know when I have results.
 

Today on the 23rd February we officially opened a new trap line called The Elizabeth Line. We had a small celebration with ribbon cutting, plaque revealing and champagne. It had all to be done off site because of bad weather and rain for days. Thank you Jon and Sue again. Also thanks to Marcel and Mike who helped with deployment of traps on a lovely day. Present were Christine, Maureen, her sister and David, husband. Both on holiday from England but avid followers of the fantail trust project. 

​Good report today. Went in with Charlie Brown and Mike, his son. They wanted to help put out some new traps. I had seven of them to finish off the Elizabeth Line. So they carry some heavy stuff and I have a little chainsaw plus two traps. They much younger than me.
 
Off we go down to coalmine and then up onto the new line. We have Baxter with us as well. Spaniel dog. Very excited and all over the place. So we make it to trap A70, trap T52 and trap 100. There is a little cluster where we had the camera a while ago and saw possums, rats and a cat! To my great surprise under the automatic trap 100 for possums there was a possum! Not in the yellow box where I would have expected. Just shows that the automatic traps can and do work! Great beginning.
 
I have an eye out for the two followers. See how safe they are. A bit slow in places but not too bad. Then we pass the traps A71, A72, A73, A74, A75 and A76. They all connected to my phone and reported kills. Five in all. Very good. Then I thought 76 was the last one we had down there because it was the last one on the map.
 
So we start measuring the distance to put in a new trap. I go first to investigate where the trees are and suddenly I come across a blue marker and a trap labeled A79! How was that possible. I am the only one putting traps into there. Then I remembered last time the traps we deployed did not connect to phone because of new app thingy. Yes that was it. But it meant that we missed two traps between 76 and 79. So we go back and find them after some search and connect them too to the phone. 77 and 78. Then we pass 79 again and look out for the other two. 80 and 81. Found them without too much trouble. All is well now.
 
We start measuring and find good trees all the way up and install all seven new traps and all of them connect no problem and are now ready for the rats and stoats.
 
We make it back by 3 o'clock. Long day. Started just 10.45. 

​First report for year! Not a bad beginning. Was out nearly five hours. Glorious day. Started with Norther Line, nothing, then Circle Line and trap D85 had a very old rat in it. Ghastly. Job for Taximus once he gets here! Then on to find some lost traps and found them in tall grass. Must put them in better positions. Then D80 had another old rat. You try to get them out of box and the tail just comes off and then you have a slushy mess to take out. And maggots.
 
Then on I went down to river and along embankment. Someone from the Botanical Society in Christchurch told me of a very rare plant down there. It is a kind of daisy. So I went to investigate and I believe that I might have found it. The same location anyway. So I took picture and they can now evaluate what I found. Very interesting.
 
Also while down there I removed three old traps A12. Have been no good. So send them back. Such a shame. Then up I come again and nothing. But when I stand near trap A3 suddenly my phone peeps. I thought it was trap A3 but now when I got home it was A61. That trap is right across the gully on the other side! And it connected such a distance. Astonishing. It tells me of six more kills in that trap which is excellent. It is on Route 66 and I have not been down there for a while. Must go soon.
 
For all these plants I have now a new app. It is called iNaturalist. I take picture of plants put them on the website and someone out there will find it and tell me what it is! Miraculous. Have a look robbiekoller's Profile · iNaturalist NZ
 
Tomorrow out with Tom. He young boy and is on holiday here. So he comes out with me to deploy the 20 new traps which are still behind the garage. They go around the golf course. I just hope that at least someone from the golfers will have a look at these traps now and then.
 
Then some new neighbours came today and talked to Christine and they told her that one of them, Andy, had fifty traps at the prison where he works. The boys in the prison made the traps and the person ordering them never came to collect them. They are for free! So of course I say yes I take them all.