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16 Thursday March 16 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
The Star
News
EXCITING: White flippered penguins have started expanding
their nesting spots on Banks Peninsula. ​
Pest control allows penguins
to roam further on peninsula
• By Bridget Rutherford
A SUCCESSFUL predator
control programme on Banks
Peninsula has meant some of
the world’s smallest penguins
have started exploring
new nesting sites.
In November and December,
Banks Peninsula
Conservation Trust
carried out its great
little penguin count at
the largest mainland
penguin colony in the
country – Flea Bay.
It is carried out every four
years on the white flippered
penguins and took about three
weeks to do, because they like
to nest in isolated, and difficult
spots to access.
Although the number of
pairs of penguins had declined
since the previous count, results
showed they have started
to explore old and unused nest
sites.
Nests were found in burrows
at Otanerito, which had been
unused for about 15-20 years.
BPCT Wildside co-ordinator
Marie Haley said it was
exciting news for the colony’s
future.
She said it showed the success
of the predator control
programme across an area
known as the Wildside, since
numbers blew out in the 1980s.
The Wildside is a nationally
significant area for the protection
of sea bird breeding sites.
Marie Haley
“It’s taken that long for
the programme to be good
enough, and long enough lasting
for the tide to really turn
and it’s quite exciting.”
Ms Haley said the penguins
had also been nesting at
the bottom of Hinewai
Reserve, and also
around the coast where
the predator control
programme took place,
from Akaroa head to Le
Bons Bay.
They had also moved
to more open places
closer to humans and activity,
and seemed to be coping well,
she said.
A lot more were also being
spotted in Akaroa Harbour,
she said.
In 2012, 1304 penguin pairs
were counted. While the recent
count found 1250.
Ms Haley said the drop
was not concerning, because
the Flea Bay population had
increased most years, and now
it seemed to have reached its
maximum.
The very first count was
done in 2000, with 717 pairs.
The trust was also seeing
continued increase in
the number of sooty shearwaters
or titi, nesting at Stony
Bay.
In the last count in December,
there were up to 50 chicks.
The number had gone up every
year.