Protecting NZ’s place as seabird king

Not all superheroes wear capes, but if Sabrina Leucht did, it would almost certainly have feathers.

Known to many locals as the Bird Lady, marine biologist Leucht has been voluntarily treating and rehabilitating sick and injured seabirds (or patients, as she calls them) from her home in Kaiko¯ura for the last five years.

‘‘People see you doing very strange things in public places and you lose all levels of shame,’’ Leucht tells Frank Film, of her rescuing and releasing escapades. Her enthusiasm is palpable, and she can rattle off facts about many of the bird species in the area.

Leucht explains that while Kaiko¯ ura is famous for the abundance of dolphins and whales in its waters, it is actually also – alongside the Hauraki Gulf – the seabird capital of the world.

The area is home to about 150 species of seabirds, from redbilled gulls to a variety of pelagic albatross with wingspans of more than three metres.

‘‘What really draws the seabirds here is the Kaiko¯ ura canyon, which is a deepwater canyon only 800 metres from shore, so we’ve got a huge food source,’’ Leucht explains. As the only person tending to these birds, she has had a big job on her hands.

‘‘In the summer, we literally have people calling me saying the beach is just littered in seabirds. This is distressing for people and they don’t understand why this is.’’

Leucht says seabirds need all the help they can get right now, and that the main reason she has had so many birds in care is starvation.

‘‘New Zealand birds are in trouble, 90% of all seabirds are threatened and nearly all of that is due to human-related threats.

‘‘Climate change is causing an increase in sea surface temperature, and that’s suppressing prey species such as krill and fish to cooler depths,’’ Leucht says, and explains that seabirds can’t reach these new depths, going hungry instead.

Even red-billed gulls, known around some fish and chip shops as ‘‘rats of the sky’’, are in trouble.

‘‘[The gull], which is perceived to be really common, is now a threatened species. Kaiko¯ura is really unique in having the largest remaining mainland colony, and also the fastest declining colony,’’ Leucht says.

‘‘A lot of the chicks never make it to adulthood.’’

For Leucht and the Kaiko¯ ura community, finding dead shags, penguins, gulls and shearwaters across the beaches has become a common sight.

‘‘During the summer period, you often find starving shags, and these young shags will actually walk up to people in their backyards and building sites in desperation for food.’’

There’s pressure on Leucht as well as the bird populations. Five years of doing this work solo has taken its toll, and she’s shifting her focus to a bigger vision which the community can get behind: a dedicated wildlife facility, the plans for which are starting to take shape.

‘‘I physically couldn’t maintain that sort of a voluntary workload, helping that many patients nonstop every year,’’ she says.

Under the title of the Kaiko¯ ura Wildlife Trust, Leucht has plans for a wildlife hospital that will tend to sick seabirds (and other wildlife) as well as educating the public on their plight.

‘‘It will be a multi-faceted centre where patients are triaged behind the scenes,’’ she says. ‘‘We’ll then have pre-release aviaries as well as an education centre, and a chick-rearing unit.’’

Fundraising is under way for the centre, and while Leucht will still likely be known around town as the Bird Lady, there’ll be more hands on deck to help with the cause.

‘‘This will probably be my life’s work,’’ she says.

‘‘If the will is there and enough people have the passion to make it happen, it will happen.’’

To donate or find out more, visit the Kaikoura Wildlife Centre Givealittle page.

AILSA MCGILVARY-HOWARD Marine biologist Sabrina Leucht hopes the Kaiko¯ ura Wildlife Trust and eventually a dedicated wildlife centre will ensure the long-term sustainability of her efforts.