Kākāpō ranger diary 3 February 2009
By Dr Jacqueline Beggs
Dr Jacqueline Beggs is a member of the Kākāpō Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (KSTAC). The committee provides independent advice to the kākāpō recovery programme on its research and technology.
Here is Jacqueline's update and impressions of a breeding season in full swing.
Girls night out
Mating is still in full swing and deciphering the sex lives of kākāpō remains a priority on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island.
The girls enjoy a night out
First we check Barnard's track and bowl system, and while there has been a visit by Flossie (who mated with Whiskas six nights ago), there was no sign of mating. At Whiskas' track and bowl we find he has been visited by Flossie and her daughter Esperance at the same time. This time there is the unmistakable evidence of mating - trampled ground mixed with down feathers. Was it Whiskas and Flossie again? Or was it Whiskas and Esperance?
Next the girls move on and visit Ox, but no sign of mating this time. Esperance hasn't bred before. She only fledged in 2002. Both females will be watched carefully over the next few days as Flossie may settle down and nest if she has now mated twice, or Esperance may return on her own and mate.
At Lisa's nest
Meanwhile, at Lisa's nest (the first kakapo to nest this year) the chime goes early tonight indicating Lisa has left her egg to find food. We check that she has moved off into the forest and then hasten down to the nest to check out how the egg has progressed.
Deidre dons gloves and very gently scoops up the egg to weigh, measure and then "candle". A torch (with a spongy modification to prevent damaging the egg) is held to the egg and lights up the contents. A network of red blood vessels is clearly visible along with the dark mass of the developing embryo. The development is going well and is on target for a 21 day old egg. Amazing to think this little mass can develop into a large green parrot. We quietly withdraw from the nest before Lisa returns.
Nest mointoring
There are now four nests being monitored on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, and another 10 females have been recorded mating.
Volunteers tracking kākāpō
Organised mayhem hits the hut as a group of volunteers is needed to mind the nests each night, others head for the hills radio-tracking the females to check if any have stopped moving around (a good sign that a nest is underway), the track and bowl systems are checked daily and another squad cruise the island cleaning out the food hoppers and placing out fresh food. I think of them as the e3 team - energy, enthusiasm and experience.
Hard work
There is an air of excitement as the tally of potential breeding birds continues to increase and the date of hatch of the first chick approaches. But it's also sheer hard work. The tracks can be steep, the odd knee-deep mud trap awaits the incautiously placed boot and a long-day's work can be followed by a broken nights sleep if there is work required up at a nest.
This is not a standard 9 to 5 job, and certainly not a 5 day a week job. But job satisfaction is high - helping kākāpō to regain a functioning population is enough motivation to keep these keen young folk going and Whenua Hou/Codfish Island is a gorgeous island. Where else can you hear the boom of kākāpō and squeak of bat by night, and the scurry of skinks startled from basking in the sun and the chatter of kakariki by day.
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