What You Can Do

Give a Donation

We have a group of around 30 people who take it on their own to look after “their” track. They re-bait and check traps each week and report catches, problems, need for replacements and establish a roster of their Volunteers to do the work. If you want to be involved in trapping email us at www.birdlifeongrampians.org.nz

We have had no official funding for this project. We have accepted donations from several People in the City area and this has enabled the project to purchase traps and some replacement lures.

We hope that People living in the City and surrounding area will continue to contribute with small donations to us so we can update traps and bait and we may assist them by advising on traps they can place in their Garden to increase catches on Rat numbers.

You can make a deposit directly into our account. The BLOG Bank account is Birdlife on Grampians is at NBS: 03 1354 0539518.00 Please give your name as the reference.

Domestic Animals

People with Cats need to accept responsibility for protecting wildlife. Research shows that cats have a serious effect on resident Bird life as well as Lizards, Skinks, Frogs etc. People can assist by ensuring their Pet is not abandoned into the environment and that it is both micro chipped and  neutered so it won’t breed unwanted kittens. Keep your Cat inside. This will likely save our endemic native species from being killed and reduce your Vet bills from other Cat attacking your fur baby.

Dogs kill Weka. Weka are likely to wander into People’s gardens and can become accidentally exposed to Dog attack. There are Weka on Grampians and Dogs must be under full control to prevent them from being chased. Dog owners need to ensure their Dog will not attack these inquisitive Birds. Most Dogs have never seen a Weka ( and many owners) and owners have no idea how their Dog will re-act to coming face to face with one. Consider getting your Dog trained for Weka aversion. Everyone loves Dogs – on a lead.

Plant Trees that provide food for native birds

Native birds need access to their favourite foods. By planting suitable trees and shrubs you can help their numbers increase.

What they like to eat:

Tui: Nectar, berries and insects
Fantail (piwakawaka): Eats mainly small insects caught on the wing, but occasionally caterpillars and spiders.
Grey warbler (riroriro): Small insects and spiders are taken mainly from outermost leaves and branches.
Kereru (N.Z. Pigeon): Leaves of willows, tree lucerne, blossoms of a kowhai and berries of tawa, miro, hinau, puriri, mikau, supplejack.
Shining cuckoo(pipiwharauroa): Insects, including the caterpillars of the magpie moth, scale insects and plum and pear slugs.

To provide food for native birds you can plant:
• Kowhai
• Puriri
• Flaxes

Progress so far: (to July 2022)

Kills so far are:

The removal of these Predators has shown immediate benefits to Birdlife.
In the first year there was a small Family of Fantails established. This has now grown and they again quite a common Bird. As well as being quite numerous on Grampians, they are also found in quite large numbers in City Gardens.
Kereru made a rapid recovery. From a small initial number, in year two it was common to see them in Gardens all around the City. I witnessed 24 in one flock in the City.
Already they are grooming Kowhai trees for the new growth and this year suggests another good breeding success is likely.
The recovery of Native Birds have showed impressive improvements and shows quite graphically how small projects like this can offset the damage done to Native Birds by Predators.

Residents have noted an amazing increase of Tui, Bellbird, Waxeye, Weka and Kereru as they have quickly spilled back from Grampians into local Homes and Gardens.

For the first time in living memory, Weka are being heard calling all around the City and have been seen on the Hills above the Port and have been observed in local parks and even walking up the main street in Nelson City. A Weka was “rescued” from a tiny Park in the Town center. (it returned two days later) It is now possible to see and hear Fantails, Tui and Bellbirds in trees in the main streets right in the City.