Kakariki Tracking

The other area of research currently being undertaken in the valley is tracking young kakariki to see where and why they are leaving the valley.

The aerial and receiver we use to track the birds

Ellen picking up a signal off  a track on Wrights Hil

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It's around here somewhere!

I've joined up with Ellen and am helping her to find those birds that are leaving the valley during the day.  She has attached transmitters to ten birds, as time goes on more of them are starting to go further afield and as I have a car, I've become a rather useful helper!  So far, they tend to head out towards Wrights Hill, Johnson Hill in Karori and over to Otari Plant Museum.  Using the aerial and receiver, we can pick up a signal from a good few kilometers away, then its off to try and find it's exact location, whether that be by foot or by car.



And how does all of this link back to school science?  Patience and perseverance!  Like many things in science, the results don't just happen suddenly, you need  to wait, observe, discuss and collaborate with others so  that you can form a clear and accurate picture.  It's pointless rushing, you need to slow down and be sure of what you are doing, double check the signal.  And don't give up!  If you try and try again its quite likely you can pick up a new signal and we'll be off again.  With perseverance, Ellen can get to within just a few meters of the bird she has been tracking.  We've also been using lots of maths, I've been using a compass to take bearings and have been learning about using triangulation to help get a better idea of where a bird might be if we can't find it off aerial.
There's a real skill to tracking these birds and I'm determined to learn it!  I'm getting much quicker at striding up hills, scrambling down banks and holding my arm up in the air for what  feels like huge lengths of time!!  It's been great and I've really appreciated spending time with Ellen and learning all about what she is doing for her masters.

Tracking and Trapping

I was fortunate to go along with two of the Zealandia educators to Glenview School in Porirua.

The students had already spent some time in Zealandia getting to learn all about the birds around the valley and what had happened in order for them to flourish within the predator proof fence.

 The school's wonderful surroundings

The school's vege patch!

When we arrived, it was wonderful to see the kids come out to greet Anne and Kerry.  They were very proud of their school and were excited to show us around and point out their amazing vege garden and incredible school grounds.  They were a lovely bunch of kids.

Once the bell rang, Anne and Kerry were teaching the students all about tracking pests within their school grounds and why we should first monitor what pests they have.  The students then got to help construct the tracking tunnels and ink up the sheet of paper.

The next stage was to learn that rats and stoats love food like peanut butter so the students then placed some peanut butter in the tunnels to attracts the pests.

Then, using their new knowledge, in groups, the class worked out where they were going to put their tunnels.

We then gathered back together and Anne showed everyone a simple trap to use in their school grounds.  Once they had gathered some data about what types of pests they have, there were then going to put the traps around the school grounds.  We talked about where might be the best place, how often to check them and what to do if the trap caught a rat or stoat!

I'm looking forward to going back to see how the students are getting on.

Thank you Glenview School for having me to visit.