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www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Spring Spruce Up<br />
FEATURE<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>September</strong> <strong>24</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
25<br />
The Great Kereru Count is on<br />
BY MARY RALSTON<br />
Here’s another greatcitizen<br />
science projecttoget involved<br />
in: the GreatKereru Count.<br />
This annualcensus of these<br />
magnificent birds runsuntil<br />
<strong>September</strong> 27. Whetheryou<br />
see any kereru or not, sharing<br />
your observations will help<br />
buildupaclearerpicture of<br />
where kereru live,how many<br />
thereare andwhatthey are<br />
feeding on.<br />
Kereru,New Zealand<br />
pigeon, are alsoknownas<br />
kukuorkukupa. The Great<br />
Kereru Countisone of New<br />
Zealand’s biggestcitizen<br />
science projects, andthe more<br />
people whoparticipate,the<br />
better the understanding of the<br />
birds’ abundanceand<br />
distribution.<br />
It has beenrunningfor four<br />
yearsalready, andthe planis<br />
for another threeyearsof<br />
records.<br />
Kereru playacrucial role in<br />
dispersing the large fruitsof<br />
native trees suchastawa,<br />
taraire andmatai. No other<br />
mainland bird is large enough<br />
NATURE MATTERS<br />
Kowhaiare afavoured food of kereru,sowhere there are kowhai,<br />
there maybekereru –recordyour observations duringthe Great<br />
KereruCount<br />
to fulfil this role, making them<br />
essential for forest<br />
regeneration.<br />
In our district, kereru are<br />
occasionallyseen in patches of<br />
native bushorforest,suchas<br />
the foothills forestsand along<br />
the rivers. Buttheycould be<br />
finding foodintowntoo –<br />
anywherethereisagoodfood<br />
supply,kereru may show up, so<br />
keepalookout whenyou’re<br />
out walkingorbiking.<br />
They are reallybig birds for<br />
NewZealand –itwould be<br />
unlikely that youwould<br />
mistakean“ordinary” pigeon<br />
for kereru –and they alsomake<br />
adistinctive “whoosh”noise as<br />
theyfly overhead throughthe<br />
forest.<br />
Favourite foodsare fruit<br />
from native foresttreesbut<br />
alsoinclude kowhai, flaxand<br />
fuchsia for nectar and<br />
wineberry, karamu and nikau<br />
for fruit.<br />
Why getinvolved?Kereru<br />
are protectedbirds and<br />
endemic to New Zealand.<br />
Kererunumbers today are<br />
much lower than the flocks<br />
reported50100 years ago but<br />
theydonot have formal<br />
threatened status: the Great<br />
Kereru Count isthe only<br />
centraliseddata gatheredto<br />
monitor theoverall national<br />
trendsofthissignificantbird.<br />
So, when you’re out and<br />
about this weekend,keepan<br />
eyeout for kereru andthengo<br />
to the website<br />
greatkererucount.nztorecord<br />
your observations.Thanks for<br />
helping!<br />
Check<br />
before<br />
you light<br />
CanterburyFireand<br />
EmergencyNew Zealand<br />
wants Cantabrians to think<br />
aboutthe weather if they are<br />
planning to burn in the coming<br />
weeks.<br />
With spring, Cantabrians see<br />
the arrival of the Nor’wester<br />
anddry weather.<br />
This weather combination<br />
createsthe perfectmix for<br />
potential scrub fires.<br />
Canterbury’sPrincipal<br />
Rural FireOfficer Bruce Janes<br />
says whilethere’splenty of<br />
green grass around the region,<br />
recent frosts have pulledalot<br />
of moistureout of thegrass,<br />
and strong winds could quickly<br />
dryout theCanterbury Plains.<br />
‘‘Weknow alot of land<br />
managershave been<br />
undertaking preplanned<br />
burns over thelast coupleof<br />
monthsand wejustwant to<br />
remindthem to be careful<br />
about conditions.’’<br />
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