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February 2007
Hello again and welcome to another Northpower Native
Bird Recovery column.
Visitor numbers are up and we have been
working very hard to get some of the small tour groups to the
Centre. It has been funny to see how many visitors have wanted to
view the little blue penguins, we hand reared. The penguin’s
popularity is a result of the recent children’s film, ‘Happy Feet’.
Most people know that we have kiwi at the Centre
and that they are not for public display. However, some visitors
were lucky to see a baby kiwi here over the last few weeks. We had
him out about five times each day to work on straightening his toes
and to help him walk. He is now walking and will be transferred to
Limestone Island any day now. Although this is not something we do
all the time, it was nice to share what we do, with our visitors. It
was a chance for people to see what it takes to get the birds ready
for release.
Speaking of kiwi, we are currently caring
for a kiwi chick that was hit by a car. He has a hole in his air
sack and a damaged hip. He is now eating on his own and starting to
stand. This kiwi is kept inside and is not used for showing, but you
can follow his progress by checking the web-cam at:
www.whangareinativebirdrecovery.org.nz.
Every now and then we are asked if a person can
hold a kiwi. However, no-one is permitted to do this at anytime, at
the Centre. To see a kiwi we suggest that you visit the Whangarei
Museum Kiwi House. The team there does a great job and will pass on
all the information you need to know about kiwi. They are open
weekends, and on museum live days there are plenty of things to see
and do. During weekends, the Centre is not open until the late
afternoon. This is the only time Robyn and I have to catch up with
work at our home.
Acknowledgements…
Thanks to the Lion Foundation we are ready to put
a new roof on the recovery building. Work will start early next
month and at long last we will have no more leaks!
We would also like to thank the New Zealand
Refining Company for our new boat motor. Every year we deal with
many sea birds; and trying to catch a bird on the water is near
impossible without a boat. Safety on the water is very important and
our old motor was starting to let us down. Now, our boat is much
safer and much more reliable. I spent quite a bit of time looking
for the right motor and thanks to the team at Anchorage Marine we
ended up with a new Mercury engine. A special thanks to Hayden who
fitted the new engine and went out of his way to sort out what we
required. That’s what I call service!
And finally, a small clarification. There is a
number of people who think we relocated to Glenbervie. We had
intended to move but decided against it in the end. I will not go
into why we changed our decision, other than; over the last two
years we have made many improvements to our site at the Whangarei
Museum and we will continue to do so.
Robert &
Robyn Webb |
