Native birds flock to Spa Park
Taupō District Council environmental advisor Emma Naylor (left) and district ecological ranger Brenna Bird, along with their helpers ex-pound dog Baxter and Tahi, checking traps in Spa Park.
Native birds are thriving at Spa Park thanks to a Council pest trapping programme. Now it’s time to hand the reins over to the community.
Taupō District Council staff and pest control experts from Call of the Wild set up a trapping line in Spa Park, Taupō in early 2024. In the months since, 332 pests, including 40 possums and a whopping 217 rats, have been caught. This trapline complements projects by Predator Free Taupō and Greening Taupō in the area.
Taupō District Council district ecological ranger Brenna Bird says controlling predators helps the ecosystem by reducing invasive species populations that can damage native wildlife through predation, habitat destruction, and resource competition.
“Rats, hedgehogs, and stoats can consume thousands of insects, eggs, and birds a year,” Brenna says. “Possums strip the trees of their leaves and can eventually kill them. We want to protect regenerating native trees and provide safe habitats for our native wildlife.”
Environmental advisor Emma Naylor says all traps used by TDC are mechanical and use non-toxic bait.
“All our traps are National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) certified, so fully humane. We don’t use any poisons, since this is a park where dogs and kids can roam.
“The programme is working really well - we’re seeing and hearing more tūī, korimako (bellbird), pōpokotea (whitehead), riroriro (grey warbler) and pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo),” she says.
“Miromiro (tomtits) have also been spotted here. They are very vulnerable to introduced predators, so this is an indicator of how successful the trapping has been."
The team is looking for community volunteers to take the reins and lead this project in the future.
“The project has been successful to date, but we want community support to keep it going.” Emma says. “It’s not a big time commitment, it could be a day a week or once a month. If we all pitch in, we can make a real difference.”
If you want to get stuck into protecting our native birds and plants, visit predatorfreetaupo.nz or get involved with a council trapping project by emailing govt.nzparkssrs@taupo.govt.nz.
