When Hamish Reid told DOC rangers he’d seen five mohua/yellowheads up the Poulter valley in Arthur’s Pass, they were very surprised and very excited.
Mohua are native forest birds with a distinctive bright yellow head and breast. They were virtually wiped out in the 1990s in north Canterbury but have come back thanks to translocations and predator control.
In 2022, after a 20-year absence, 41 mohua were moved from Te Kakahu-o-Tamahia/Chalky Island in Fiordland and released into the Poulter valley. DOC hoped the population would thrive and grow, but monitoring appeared to show they’d disappeared, until now.
Retired Canterbury vet, Hamish Reid, traps mustelids (weasels and stoats), and rats in the Poulter valley as a volunteer.
“On my last trip I was coming back down the valley around dusk when right by the track, five mohua were singing away in the trees. I didn’t think it was a huge deal, but when I sent the information to Archie (DOC’s Predator Control Programme Lead) he was super excited, jumping up and down,” Hamish says.
Archie MacFarlane says it was brilliant news.
“We’ve really struggled to find the population of birds that were translocated in 2022. They had seemingly gone. The five that Hamish saw are either survivors of that translocated population or they may be a different remnant group which would make them a genetically distinct population. Either way it’s fantastic news,” Archie says.
DOC has observed a surge in birdlife in the Poulter and neighbouring Hawdon valley, due to aerial predator control operations and trapping, something Hamish Reid has also noticed.
“It’s a magical place now. You can hear kiwi calling, ruru and other native birds. It’s like an orchestra. I love going up there. There’s something about nature that recharges everything for me. There are no cell phones, no people around, just you and the wonderful sounds of the bush. It’s nature therapy.”
Hamish says the trampers he meets are incredibly positive and grateful for the work being done to protect the manu/birds up the Poulter valley.
“Everyone is so positive about the effort we are putting in trapping pests. They’re amazed at what a biodiversity hotspot it’s become due to the predator control measures,” he says.
Hamish says he hopes to see many more mohua next time he’s out naturing up the valley.
“I’d love to see more in the Poulter. I’m hoping this family of five decide to make it their home and really thrive.”
NATURE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM HERE
Nature isn’t scenery. Nature is a society that we rely on for everything, every day. It’s behind our identity and our way of life.
