While dotterel are known to breed at Shakespear, prior to this year none have managed to raise their chicks to fledglings. This year four pairs have had chicks, three of them surrounded by crowds of holiday-makers on Te Haruhi beach, with about two fledgings per pair. This is well ahead of the average of half a fledging per pair which is needed to sustain the population.
During the past year we have had automatic cameras doing a number of jobs or us – watching the pest-proof fence for any unwanted visitors, watching the seabird nesting boxes and watching some special sites for bell-birds. The photo right shows some recent activity near the seabird sites – a pair of fluttering shearwaters showing…
The Trapping Team aims to intercept and remove any predators within the sanctuary to allow native species to flourish, and to encourage more species from other sanctuaries to become established at Shakespear. Trappers are assigned a line of traps that are checked regularly. You can help trapping We are looking for volunteers to join the…
Since the formation of the Park in 1975, annual planting has greatly extended the original areas of native bush. Steeper gully areas have been fenced off and the current planting plan aims to fill gradually these. Public plantings for 2016 are on the mornings of June 12, Jun 19 and July 17. These are all…
A comprehensive digital encyclopedia of NZ birds is now available online. To quote Graeme Taylor, DOC Principal Science Advisor: This new website has an excellent function that can be used to identify birds where the people concerned know very little about birds in general. It uses a system of habitat groups or broad plumage patterns…
The sanctuary is back to its pest-free state and DNA testing has been completed on the 26 Norway rats caught a few months back. With the aid of some earlier profiling of the genetics of rats in the Auckland region it was then possible to work out where our invaders had come from. Luckily the…
A long-term planning process for the Hauraki Gulf called Sea Change is under way. It is intended to secure a healthy, productive and sustainable future for the Hauraki Gulf. The first stage involves finding out which places people visit – sea, coast, and islands – and why they value these locations, and you can give…
