Rotorua Museum partnering with Wingspan in first ever urban release of
Karearea (NZ falcon) chicks. Courtesy of Wingspan.
On 16 December, a clutch of kārearea (New Zealand falcon) chicks will be transferred from Wingspan, the National Bird of Prey Centre in Rotorua, to a nesting box on the roof of Rotorua Museum. This nationally significant, landmark initiative between Rotorua Museum and Wingspan, is the first ever urban release of an endangered species in New Zealand.
The idea for the release of the falcons at Rotorua Museum came initially from Wingspan together with Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick, who has been a strong supporter of Wingspan's work to protect our native birds of prey.
Wingspan Director, Debbie Stewart said This exciting trial project is a first for New Zealand and a special opportunity to restore a threatened species right into the city - an approach that has been successful internationally in many cities around the world.
There are less than 4,000 pairs of kārearea left in the wild, and despite the fact that they are a threatened species at risk of extinction, one of the single biggest causes of death is by deliberate shooting. This spectacular and dynamic bird, indeed New Zealand's fastest bird, is only found in New Zealand, and it is crutial to our biodiversity that species like the kārearea are protected for future generations to enjoy. City urban areas are really no different to the environments of cliff-racing falcons, she said.
The chicks will be fed daily by Museum staff until early January when the nesting box, known as a hack box, will be opened, and the young falcons will be free to go. In the days and weeks following the release, Museum visitors and visitors to Rotorua's wider Government Gardens environment, will have the rare opportunity to see the young falcons up close as they learn to fend for themselves.
The first 10 days after the hack box is opened will be a critical period for the birds said Rotorua Museum Director, Stewart Brown. This is the time when they will be most vulnerable to predators like feral cats or dangers like cars, and we will be actively monitoring the young falcons during this time as well as doing what we can to minimise the risks, he said.
We will need lots of volunteers to monitor the young falcons for a period of about three months following release, and it is a fantastic opportunity for our local community to get actively involved in a critical conservation project, said Mr Brown.
Volunteers will be trained by both Wingspan and Department of Conservation staff on how to monitor the birds and how to report sightings and activities of the young falcons. For more information on being a volunteer please contact Julie Parsons on 07 381 7823 or email julie.parsons@rdc.govt.nz
From 16 December, when the chicks are placed in the hack box, and for the weeks following release, Rotorua Museum will have a special display, called On the Wing, about kārearea, the urban release project, and the work Wingspan does.