We are still receiving lots of Native Wood Pigeons, each year we receive around 40-50 but last year we received 85 and this year we are already over 110, after studying 4 Pigeons that died we now know how to treat them but before we can help them we first need them rescued from the Wild.  Please, if you see a Pigeon on the ground or sitting in a tree and can walk right up to it then it’s in big trouble.  Please pick it up, put it in something safe like a small box with something soft for it to sit on, then contact the Centre or better still bring it to us, the sooner we get them the sooner we can help them.  We like to send all the Birds back to the area they came from, this way the Bird will team up with its partner straight away. 

 The other night I got a call about a Bat that had been caught by a Cat.  What a neat little critter, it weighed 9 grams and was like velvet to touch; with its wings folded up you could sit it in a matchbox.  If you find a Bat contact the Centre, most times you will only see them after dark and like the Birds we need to get them as soon as we can.  I will take the one we received to DOC and let you know more about it in the next column. 

 Its getting close to the breeding season which means there will be lots of Chicks starting to show up, please make sure to tell your children not to touch any Birds they see in nests, children think it would be neat to hand rear a wild Bird like a Blackbird or Thrush Chick but after a couple of days the novelty wears off and then the job is left to mom.  Without the right diet most will die within a few days, we see this happen quite often, by the time we get the Bird it too late to help it.

 Thanks to those that have been contacting us about Kaka sightings around Northland, it looks like they could be starting to breed on the Mainland again, the eradication program that the Department of Conservation carried out some years ago at Bream Head is now showing results, Kiwi that have been introduced to the area are breeding on their own and this has made the way clear for the likes of Kaka and Bellbirds to return to the mainland.

 We are still getting too many reports of Kiwi killed by Dogs and in the Russell area the Weka are also being caught by Dogs, the excuse that my dog would never hurt a Kiwi because he’s never seen one is wearing a bit thin, a few dog owners are setting a bad example for those that do control their dogs the only way we can get on top of this trouble is to have those that couldn’t care less prosecuted, why should the Dog be the one that gets into trouble.  I think I should have a display in town one day soon with lots of photo’s of Kiwi that have been chewed to bits by Dogs, its not just the kiwi that have this trouble its all sorts of other Birds as well.  Lets all work together cleaning up this trouble in Whangarei and Northland, why should this be a DOC problem only.

Robert and Robyn Webb