Ripping good time as keas building up
Eagleeyed lunar watchers would have spotted the final stages of a lunar eclipse as the moon rose over Otago Peninsula yesterday evening to the right of the Soldier’s Monument.
Dunedinbased astronomers missed the main phase of the eclipse, which took place at 4.14pm which was about an hour before the moon was set to rise.
Cloudfree skies on the horizon meant the last stages of the eclipse were on display, which was caused when the
GREYMOUTH: Having a tent pecked and shredded to pieces by a flock of juvenile kea is actually a positive, a conservation group manager says.
Members of Zero Invasive Predators were on a field trip to Mount Adams on the West Coast continuing pest eradication work that aims to eliminate rats, stoats and possums there.
A tent had been set up as a base for them as work started four years ago continued.
Innovation director Phil Bell said the tent did not last long as a mob of eight juvenile kea set about destroying it.
‘‘They [group members] came to work in the area to find that the tent had been torn up by kea, so it was time to pack up and go home.’’
For Mr Bell and his group, it was not a setback but a sign the kea population was starting to flourish again on the West Coast.
Trail cameras have been installed in the area to monitor for predators.
‘‘The cool thing is that they see plenty of kea as well.
‘‘So our modelling suggests at the moment that the population could well be somewhere in the 400s locally . . .’’
Work by other agencies such as the Department of Conservation confirmed the population findings along the West Coast — ‘‘an awesome sign’’ for kea, he said.
Main threats remained stoats, feral cats and the curious keas’ own behaviour. Kea are well known for targeting shiny objects such as roof racks and ‘‘the hunters in the area have already told us about a few encounters’’.
Pest control measures, lead seals on roofs and playing with cars could also be lethal.
‘‘As we become used to having them around again, I think we’ll find ways to enjoy having the kea around.’’
Last month a kea made off with a tramper’s shoe on Mt Aspiring Park near Wanaka. Another tramper came to the rescue and reunited the Australian with the stolen shoe. — RNZ