Forest & Bird's Alina Huff gasps with delight as a titipounamu takes flight, with her joy shared by Nicola Toki, Mandy Brooke, Lincoln Paul and Tania Te Huna. Photo / Bevan Conley
Forest & Bird's Alina Huff gasps with delight as a titipounamu takes flight, with her joy shared by Nicola Toki, Mandy Brooke, Lincoln Paul and Tania Te Huna. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui’s predator-free sanctuary Bushy Park Tarapuruhi has been welcoming new groups of small feathered residents for many years, and this week they’ve been saying haere mai to our smallest species.
The titipounamu, also known as the rifleman, is Aotearoa’s smallest bird, and around 60 of the species are being capturedin Taranaki Mounga and transported to Bushy Park for assimilation.
Bushy Park Tarapuruhi manager Mandy Brooke said the return of the birds to an area that was their ancient homeland had been arranged thanks to the generosity of Taranaki Mounga local hapū Puketapu, Pukerangiora and Ngāti Tawhirikura, all of Te Atiawa.
Brooke said the translocation of the birds was a hapū-to-hapū exchange that had been carefully planned.
“The translocation is part of the centennial celebrations for Forest & Bird New Zealand,” she said.
“Bushy Park Tarapuruhi would like to acknowledge and thank Horizons Regional Council and WWF New Zealand for providing the funding for this translocation.”
The sanctuary is a partnership between Forest & Bird, Bushy Park Trust and members of local iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi and hapū Tamahereroto, Ngati Pukeko and Ngati Maika.
Kura Niwa, of Pukerangiora hapū, said it was the second time titipounamu had been moved from the maunga in recent years to help establish a population elsewhere.
“A decade ago, we would never have thought we’d be leading a process of taurima [adoption] for manu [birds], so we are thrilled our titipounamu population is doing so well that we are able to undertake this tikanga,” Niwa said.
“We look forward to connecting more with our whānau, Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, and seeing how the manu go in their new kāinga [home].”
Danny Broughton, of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, said the relationship between Bushy Park Tarapuruhi and Ngaa Haapu o Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi was one of fostering and understanding.
“Kaupapa such as manu translocations give us a common purpose to work together and achieve,” he said.
“A kaupapa that requires respect of culture, processes and, above all, the best for the manu and, ultimately, our ngaahere.”
Mhairi McCready (left) and Kerrigan Jacques hand Forest & Bird chief Nicola Toki one of the crated birds. Photo / Bevan Conley
Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki was at Bushy Park to welcome the new arrivals.
“It’s my first visit to Bushy Park and my first-year anniversary in the job,” she said.
“We celebrated 100 years of Forest & Bird New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, so there’s been a lot of cake.”
Toki said the Bushy Park sanctuary provided a wonderful example of how many parts of New Zealand could be if forests were allowed to regenerate.
She praised the foresight of Forest & Bird’s founders and the efforts of all the staff and volunteers working to care for the environments that supported native birds.
Toki said it was a delight to see the titipounamu flitting through the canopy at Bushy Park.
“Providing a home for these wee birds has required a careful and concerted effort by many partners and experts,” she said.
“We’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received to make this hapū-to-hapū project a reality as we welcome these special ambassadors from Taranaki to their new home.”
The birds were transported by Parker Conservation, a 12-person specialist team which worked around weather conditions and made sure not to unduly stress the little birds.
Mhairi McCready and Kerrigan Jacques arrived at Bushy Park in a silent electric car with a temperature-controlled interior, transporting 11 of the tiny birds each housed in its own wooden crate.
The crates were carefully carried down a pathway into the bush, where each was opened by a designated person.
Caelyn Hossack, 9, opened the crate to release the first of a group of titipounamu at Bushy Park Sanctuary. Photo / Bevan Conley
Caelyn Hossack, 9, got to open the first one and said it was an unexpected pleasure, even though her bird took a while to leave the safety of the crate.
Visiting Whanganui from Napier, Caelyn said she loved native birds and volunteered at the privately owned Cape Sanctuary.
“I have worked with kākā there and I love that, but I loved seeing these tiny birds,” she said.
Caelyn’s brother Riley, 5, was offered the opportunity to open a crate but declined.
“I’m shy, and I think shy people might make birds shy, but I loved seeing them,” he said.
The titipounamu join populations of toutouwai (South Island robin), tīeke (saddleback) and hihi (stitchbird) that have been successfully translocated to Bushy Park previously and the pōpokotea (whitehead) population that arrived just last year.
As of Thursday afternoon, 35 titipounamu had been released at Bushy Park, and Brooke said there was optimism another 25 birds would be successfully translocated over the next few days.
