Whio thriving in Motueka rivers
Whio were once so common on the Motueka River that an early settler wrote of the native ducks swimming up to his canoe. Now the reappearance of the nationally vulnerable bird on several Motueka rivers has inspired residents to step up conservation efforts to protect them.
Graham Valley resident Sky Davies was given a copy of the diary of one of the first Pa¯keha¯ settlers in Nga¯timoti, in which he described paddling up the Motueka River and seeing ‘‘naive and tame’’ whio swimming towards him.
When Davies moved to the area three years ago, she used to see the occasional native duck on the Graham River. Then before long, she started seeing a pair of whio.
She said community group Friends of Flora was instrumental in re-establishing the whio population in the neighbouring Flora Valley some years ago. ‘‘Their success has led to the whio overflowing out of the Kahurangi National Park and looking for new areas to spread into, so we are trying to create a safe space for them.’’
With the support of the Tasman Environmental Trust, residents and landowners established the Farmers for Whio group, and trapping along the river began in early 2018. Some of the first traps were donated by Friends of Flora.
Davies said the group set the ambitious goal of creating a safe enough environment to see ducklings on the Graham River – and last spring, a pair showed up with six young.
‘‘We need to work hard on the trapping to create a bigger, safer area for those young ones to move into.’’
Conservation efforts have been extended into the nearby Baton Valley after whio were spotted on the Baton River. The group currently has about 200 traps across both river valleys.
The Department of Conservation estimate that there are fewer than 3000 whio, with just under 700 pairs in the South Island. They are one of only a few waterfowl that live on fast-flowing rivers, which makes them a key indicator of healthy rivers and streams.
Whio nest along riverbanks, which makes them susceptible to predation from introduced mammals.
Farmers for Whio has received a grant of $71,252 over two years from the DOC community fund. Davies said this had enabled the group to employ a trapping coordinator, Barry Burger, who would be working to extend the trap network. It had also received $9000 from the WWF Community Conservation Fund for more traps.
Davies said the funding meant the group would be able to scale up the project this year, with the aim of extending the network to 600 traps over the next two years, with a focus on the Motueka River between the Graham and Baton valleys.
She said it would be great to extend the network all the way to Riwaka, where whio were found in the headwaters of the south branch of the Riuwaka River.
‘‘Our long-term goal is to have a healthy population of whio on the Motueka River again.’’