New Zealand kakapo parrot problems

This 11 September 2017 video from New Zealand says about itself:

This video is the first of three following our Senior Vet James’ recent trip to Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), to health check kākāpō with our friend’s kākāpō recovery sirocco (DOC).

Another video used to say about itself:

Ben Taylor – Conservation volunteer from the UK

Ben Taylor’s story, volunteering with the Kakapo recovery program on Whenua Hou (Codfish island), New Zealand.

From Wildlife Extra:

Cold & wet spring kills hopes for kakapo breeding season

Poor rimu fruit harvest means just a few kakapo will nest this season

December 2012. Kakapo Recovery programme manager Deidre Vercoe Scott said indications from earlier in the year suggested a reasonable rimu fruit supply on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island this summer.

“We’ve spent the past few months preparing for up to 15 nests on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, but the latest data from the island suggests we may be looking at only several nests this season. It is most likely that the record cold, wet Southland spring had stopped the rimu fruit – which female kakapo feed to their chicks – from developing. It is thought female kakapo use the availability of the fruit as a cue for breeding,” she said.

67% decline in fruit abundance

“Our rimu fruit count last month shows there has been a 67 percent decline in fruit abundance since it was last counted in February. Compare that to the 38 percent we lost after the big September snow in 2010 and it’s obvious the fruit has been hit hard.”

As a result, plans to recruit volunteers to mind the nests had been cancelled, Ms Vercoe Scott said.

“Luckily, all is not lost. There are some trees with good supplies and, if they’re located in a female’s home range, we’d still expect some nesting to occur.”

Supplementary food pellets

Part of the work being carried out by Kakapo Recovery involves trialling supplementary food pellets that scientists hope will be accepted by female kakapo, as an alternative to rimu, to feed their chicks. Several volunteers including workers from New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and Forest and Bird, key partners in Kakapo Recovery, would be assisting with the supplementary food trials this season, she said.

April 2013. Hopes for a successful breeding season for kakapo on Anchor Island were dashed prior to Christmas, following the discovery that, due to a particularly cold southern spring (Sounds familiar), the rimu fruit crop had been hit hard: here.

#kakapo chick Pura-1-B (100 days old) showing off his balancing and carrot-grabbing skills. We put branches in the pens to enable the chicks to begin to learn to climb. They pick it up quickly. #kakapo2019 #conservation #parrots pic.twitter.com/8nq4CvelhC

— Dr Andrew Digby (@takapodigs) July 5, 2019

Related articles

• Kakapo breeding could be hurt by cold spring (radionz.co.nz)
• The Cost of Eighty Million Years in Paradise (questionableevolution.com)
• Kinky kakapo, lyrical lyrebird, moonwalking manakin (toughlittlebirds.com)
• NZOG drilling plans ramped up (radionz.co.nz)
• Fine for illegally milling rimu and matai (radionz.co.nz)
• The Night Parrot (acejet170.typepad.com)
• London, a world city in 20 objects: No.3 Maori cloak from Aotearoa (standard.co.uk)
• Introduced predators – by the numbers (stuff.co.nz)