Public asked to help with Great Kererū Count

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Fan-favourite kererū swooped in and claimed the title of Bird of the Year 2018, but a recent count of them near the city of Upper Hutt found zero birds.

'In the last couple of years they have averaged around 150 a day for the five days, across one month, they get counted,' Greater Wellington Regional Council environmental monitoring officer Faline Drummond said.

Kererū encounter rates are highest in reserves containing original native forest habitat, such as Otari-Wilton Bush and Khandallah Park, but are also frequently observed in adjacent suburban areas

During monitoring this year 'there were no kererū at all', which is highly unusual given that the kowhai, the kererū's favourite snack, are well into flowering, Drummond said.

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The kererū, crowned Bird of the Year 2018, appears to have left Wellington.

Their sudden absence could be down to the warmer temperatures causing a mega mast year - trees experience extremely heavy flowering, fruiting and seeding.

'We have been noticing ourselves, and members of the public have been commenting, that they are not on kowhai trees around the region where they are usually seen.'

It was possible they hadn't come down from the large forests yet as there was thought to be an abundance of fruit there due to the mast this year, she said.

Greater Wellington Regional Council has monitored the kererū numbers at Kaitoke Regional Park, which is 45 minutes from Wellington City, for the past 16 years.

They usually complete their counts at the site from the end of August to mid-September.

The Great Kererū Count - an annual tally-up of kererū based on data collected by members of the public - starts on Friday, September 20, and runs until September 29.

The count encourages people to get out and count kererū to get a national picture.

Last year's count was positive, but parts of New Zealand are still struggling to look after the bird.

Kererū rely on pest control to thrive, as they only lay about one egg in their nest every year, and in the Far North the risk of predators is high.

The annual count aims to improve conservation outcomes because kererū play an important role in regenerating native forests.

Protecting kererū is crucial for New Zealand's native forests because of the birds' seed-distributing abilities - they can spread over 70 different native species of forest plants through their consumption of fruits such as karaka, tawa and miro.

The Great Kererū Count is run by Urban Wildlife Trust & Kereru Discovery along with Wellington City Council, Dunedin City Council, Nelson City Council and Victoria University of Wellington.