Pest Control Alice Eaves Bush

David Neighbourly Lead from Orewa

On Tuesday 24th January 2019 a group of volunteers set off on a patrol of the bait stations and traps laid out in Alice Eaves Bush and surrounding environs. The 60 bait stations and traps are checked every two three months. Depleted or old bait is replaced and activity around each station is noted. Rats mice and possums are the main targets with a few traps set for stoats and weasels. It would appear pest numbers in the park are quite low. Bait in many stations have not been touched. Very few possums have been caught in the park over the last year or so. This is good news for bird life in the park. Tuis are plentiful in the area. fernbirds and californian quail have also been sighted. The latter two are ground nesting and don't thrive if predators are plentiful. Kaka, kingfishers, grey warblers,fantails, waxeyes and various finches make up some of the species present in the park. The morepork was photographed on the boundary of the park last week. The patrol provides a good workout for the volunteers as the traps are scattered along several kilometres of crisscrossing trails. Summer patrols are relatively straightforward but can be a bit more challenging in winter when the tracks become very slippery.