There’s more good news from Farewell Spit, where we’ve discovered kororā/little blue penguins nesting, and we’ve now installed a few special nesting boxes to give these small seabirds a helping hand.
Pest Free Onetahua has found three new kororā/little blue penguin nesting sites along Farewell Spit, adding to the known nesting areas at Fossil Point – where penguins are using both natural burrows and nesting boxes placed by HealthPost Nature Trust.
These recents finds have been made with help from our four-legged conservation experts. Corey Mosen and his conservation dog Argos located a nesting pair, while Bert Harris and conservation dog Miro have been investigating newly discovered burrows with Britta Steude from Mohua Penguin Trust.
A helping hand for kororā
As the world’s smallest penguins, kororā face some big challenges. They come ashore to nest in burrows and sheltered spaces, where eggs and chicks are vulnerable to introduced predators. The nesting boxes will help provide additional safe, sheltered places, with more boxes planned.
Finding these ground nesting birds shows how important predator control work is to create safer conditions for kororā to raise chicks in this special Nature Reserve.
And for the team, it’s pretty cool to discover these little locals getting ready to raise families, it makes all the hard mahi worthwhile!