|
March 2008
Pigeon
problems…
We are still receiving reports of native wood pigeons hitting house
windows and generally getting into a bit of strife. If a pigeon hits
your house window or you see one in a bit of trouble, please give us
a call. In some cases these birds may only need to rest for a short
time, but in other cases they may have serious injuries. Give us a
call regardless of a bird’s injury and we can advise you of the best
thing to do. The worst thing would be if a bird sustained damage to
its wing and it was released too early. This would limit its ability
to get back into the trees, and make it an easy ‘meal’ for hungry
predators.
At the Centre we monitor the pigeon population and banding has been
the most effective way of doing this. In fact, in the last 12 years
we have banded over 700 wood pigeons. Banding is a great way to
collect information and it helps us to track how a bird gets on
after spending time at the Centre. When banded, each bird receives a
number. Although it looks like a simple mechanism, a band will
provide us with the history of a particular bird and will give us
key information like, where it came from; how long it stayed at the
Centre; when and where it was released; what sort of injuries were
sustained; when it was received by the Centre and how many times;
and if it is a repeat visitor. If you do happen upon an injured
pigeon with a band, please record the number and let us know. To
check for a band just feel the legs. The fluffy white feathers on a
pigeon’s legs do hide the bands so you will need to feel around for
them. This will help us to continue to track the birds and build on
our body of information.
Morepork and Tui…
There are still plenty of morepork and tui being brought into the
Centre. It is understandable that morepork hit windows at night in
their attempts to catch moths attracted to the light. However, tui
are more of a mystery. We have seen an influx of tui at the Centre
shortly after heavy rains and they have often had pollen from flax
flowers on their heads. Perhaps the rain is doing something to the
flower to make it toxic to the birds?
Hawk experience impresses tourists…
Last week we had a family from the USA visit the Centre, at which
time we had a fully recovered harrier hawk ready for release. I
asked the family if they would like to set it free. I showed one of
them how to do it while the others watched eagerly and took photos.
We have just received a letter from them and they said it was the
highlight of their trip. The children took photos of their
experience to school and shared their tales of releasing the hawk.
It is amazing to think that we have made an impression on people on
the other side of the world.
Kiwi at Bream Head…
It is great to be able to share with you that we continue to receive
reports of kiwi calling near Bream Head at night time. This is very
encouraging and just shows that all the hard work is worth while.
Centre opening hours…
We have mentioned this before but will recap again. During weekends,
the Centre is closed until late afternoon. The birds do need some
time to themselves and the weekends work better for us. If you see
our vehicle at the Centre it means we are there and you are very
welcome to call in and take a look around. And remember, we are
contactable 24/7 via any of the details provided below.
Robert & Robyn Webb |
Other Issues:
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006 |
