Blue Ducks air-dropped into Abel Tasman

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

The latest release of whio into Abel Tasman National Park were given the luxury treatment – being flown in via helicopter for the first time, to access more remote inner reaches of the park.

Project Janszoon’s ongoing whio reintroduction programme plans to reintroduce 50 blue ducks into the park, and the latest release of 10 birds brings the running total to 25 released since 2018. They join not only the previously released ducks, but completely wild new ducklings born in the park, spotted just before Christmas last year.

The 10 new ducklings, which started life as eggs in the Pearse River area in Kahurangi National Park in spring last year, were hatched and raised at the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust in Christchurch.

The whio, six females and four male, were released at two locations – five at Evans Clearing, and five at a more remote inland site on the Falls River. The five going to Falls River had to be flown to the release site by helicopter because of the rough terrain, the first time a helicopter has been used to reintroduce birds to the Abel Tasman.

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Project Janszoon board member Aneika Young (Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa) with the whio released into Abel Tasman this month.

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A family of whio spotted in the Flora, near Abel Tasman National Park. More unbanded, wild whio are expected to follow the release of banded birds into the area.

Project Janszoon board member Aneika Young (Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa) flew with the whio ducklings into the Evans Clearing release site.

Aneika Young and Project Janszoon director Bruce Vander Lee releasing the latest whio ducklings into Abel Tasman National Park, bringing the total number released since 2018 up to 25.

“For manawhenua iwi, the opportunity to see taonga species like whio being released into remote pristine freshwater habitats of the Abel Tasman is a way in which we can breathe the mauri back into the Taiao,” she said in Project Janszoon’s statement about the release.

“We also take our kaitiaki role seriously, ensuring the health and wellbeing of whio is paramount and the correct tikanga has taken place. The intense trapping network operating in the park enables a safe haven for the whio to be released and ensures they can thrive.

“Flying into the site gave me a sense of just how much work has gone into achieving this, and it is a major milestone for those involved, manawhenua iwi, Project Janszoon and DOC particularly in the tenth year of the project.”

DOC ranger John Henderson walked for more than four hours to meet the birds at their new home on the Falls River, which he said was a good habitat with excellent food sources.

“After the ducklings were released a wild whio was spotted downstream, so we hope they will join up and settle in the area,” he said.

Project Janszoon director Bruce Vander Lee said it was the first time whio had been released so deep in the park.

“It took some logistics to get them in there using the helicopter, but all went well and we hope they will settle in. Our goal is to establish whio at all areas with prime habitat in the Abel Tasman.”

The inner reaches of the park are well-protected, sitting in the middle of about 20,000 hectares of pest-controlled parkland, with predator control undertaken by Project Janszoon, DOC, Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust, and a biodiversity project supported by Air New Zealand.

Project Janszoon has been releasing native birds including whio, pāteke brown teal ducks, and kākā, for several years, working with DOC, iwi, and other volunteer groups to control pests and boost native bird populations.