Anna made the comment that this tramp into the Ruahines was the highlight of her New Zealand trip. She has been all over New Zealand and rated The Ruahines the best!

A Blue Duck in beautiful surroundings

Blue Duck Family after swimming up the rapids

Adults protecting their young

Further work continues with the Stoat Trap Project. Janet Wilson from the Pohangina Valley has been doing a marvelous job of coordinating and organising various groups and individuals to regularly check and reset the traps. Last week she checked the traps on the Stoat Traps Track and got four stoats and one rat! Five less venom destroying bird life.

In January Janet organized an Airforce Iroquois Helicopter to fly in volunteers to relocate traps. Steve was involved with this project and said it was a fantastic opportunity as they were winched down into riverbeds to collect the traps and then winched back up to relocate them onto the tramping tracks. The traps will now be easier to check.

Steve going through winching practice before setting out with volunteers to relocate stoat traps

Relocating the traps on the DOC tracks

Back on Main South Road Steve and our neighbour Mike Bourke have traps set around our properties. Mike’s traps are mainly around his Wetlands and between them they regularly catch rats and quite often stoats. As a result we think there has been an increase in the bird life. There is a stream running between the 2 properties surrounded by beautiful native bush resulting in much bird activity. The Tuis are back in force enjoying the flaxes in flower and the Wood Pigeons have been raiding the plum trees. Take a look at the photos. Is this where the expression “A plum in the mouth” comes from?

Finally, work has started on preparing Main South Road for tar sealing. Higgins have started replacing culverts and the next step will be preparing the road. I think we will have to wait until 2013 before the seal goes down. Last year saw 1 km of seal from the top of the Oroua Gorge. What a difference it has made!

Photo Gallery below. I have included a few other bird photos taken recently.

1 and 3.Tui enjoying the flax nectar

2. Wood Pigeon showing his beautiful colours

4 and 5. The Yellow Hammer singing away - "A little bit of bread and no cheese."

6. Californian Quail

7. Mute Swans on Mike Bourke's Wetlands

8. Wax Eyes landed on an old stump on the track going down to the Oroua River not far from Heritage Lodge

9. Bell bird taken from the track to Heritage Lodge

10. Eastern Rosella in the apple tree