Nesting success for sanctuary's petrels

Grey-faced petrels are breeding again in Hawke's Bay thanks to land owners and hundreds of volunteers. Photo / File

Cape Sanctuary is celebrating the success of a programme to re-establish a seabird nesting site, after waiting six years for the grey-faced petrel (titi) to return.

The 2500ha sanctuary is the largest privately owned wildlife restoration project of its kind in New Zealand, protected by a 9.6km predator-proof fence and covering three properties owned by the Robertson, Hansen and Lowe families.

Three species of petrels - grey-faced, Cook's and diving petrel - were taken from nesting burrows in other parts of New Zealand and relocated to Cape Kidnappers, a former breeding ground.

The birds were tube-fed in a similar way to how their mother might feed them and it was hoped they would naturally return to the second burrow.

Cape Sanctuary manager Tamsin Ward-Smith said property owner Liz Lowe discovered two grey-faced petrels in a burrow in May.

"It was early days and they are quite sensitive to disturbance when they first come back so we didn't want to jump the gun with an announcement," she said.

"They come back to land to prospect for partners and search out what kind of burrows they would like before they come back again in late June/July.

"They either bring their partner back with them or hope their partner is coming back as well and then they get on with it."

An infra-red camera was installed to record activity and footage has been posted on YouTube.

Ms Ward-Smith said small sticks were placed in front of burrow entrances to indicate if they had been entered and it was likely more were in the 1.5 ha nesting area, 100m above high tide on top of a headland.

It has 120 burrows for grey-faced petrels, 100 for Cook's Petrels and 110 for diving petrels.

She said success was due to hundreds of volunteers.

"We are stoked. We have spent so many years sweating, going up and down that hill - it is hard work."

The grey-faced chicks were sourced from Moutohora Island near Whakatane, with the help of the Te Tapatoru a Toi management committee.

She said at peak feeding time chicks were fed every second day by eight people for five weeks.

"They are not short days - we start at 7am and are often not finished until 4.30pm. It is a huge investment for people."

The final human-assisted grey-faced petrel fledging would continue this year, but using burrows well away from the naturally-fledging birds.

"They are quite sensitive at this time - they are like little teenagers working it out and it wouldn't take much to put them off."

Since 2007 Cape Kidnappers has reintroduced 13 native bird species plus giant weta and tuatara.