The mohua (yellowhead) was once one of the South Island’s more abundant native forest birds, but a dramatic decline in their population over the last 30 years has meant they are all but gone from 75 percent of their former range. Mohua is a hole nester and therefore especially vulnerable to the usual depressing repertoire of predators- mice, rats, stoats and possums. “Mast” years, where an unusually heavy flowering of native trees leads to an abundance of seed, cause a spike predator numbers. When seed supplies fall, the predators switch to birds, and mohua is in the firing line. Recognition of the particular significance of masting has lately resulted in more government funding for mohua conservation, but BDG Synthesis had an opportunity to contribute in earlier years, and the $35,000 we gave to mohua conservation in 2002 was our first foray into conservation sponsorship.
Most of the money was spent on two projects. The first was construction of a hut on an island in the Marlborough Sounds, to assist field workers involved in preservation of translocated mohua from two predator-devastated mainland sites. The hut replaced a much-loved but dilapidated caravan, which was flown out a couple of years ago, much to the chagrin of the robin whose territory it occupied! Of course the hut gets use for other projects centered on this predator-free island as well. The second project was transfer of mohua from Breaksea Island to Codfish Island, to establish another insurance population. Our staff member, Dr Dennis Page, assisted with mist-netting the mohua (and some saddleback (tieke) by-catch, which were dropped off to another island), backpacking the bird boxes to the waiting helicopter, and release on Codfish. The transferred birds were breeding happily within months!
When we talked with Pete McClelland, the DoC scientist in charge of mohua work, the following year about providing more money, he unselfishly suggested that because of the quick establishment of mohua on offshore islands, there might be greater priorities elsewhere, which we went on to fund. This was a good sign that our nascent partnership with DoC was a smart move and we have since found that they can really stretch a nickel!
