Hawksbury Lagoon update Oct 2021

From time to time, the committee is asked about what to plant around the lagoon. We use a range of plants indigenous to the area and recommended by the Dunedin City Council for the Coastal Dunedin area.

There is also a brochure available that provides background information to planting available.

The forerunner to the Hawksbury Lagoon committee, the Waikouaiti and Karitane Beautification Society established some of the original plantings and had some success at growing species along the causeways, a particularly difficult hostile areas for plants. While some species that grow along the causeways are not native to the area, the decision has been made to maintain these as it is so difficult to get anything to establish. As early as 1991 the Beautification Society commissioned a report to identify the indigenous species and how these could be obtained as then they were not available from nurseries. It makes interesting reading.

The Waikouaiti Library has an extensive collection of early documents of this type.

In the article published last month, we advertised for a pest control volunteer. We are delighted to announce that 2 very well qualified and able people came forward and we have roles for both. Cai Pai (see photo) will be taking over the role of managing pests. She has an extensive history of working for DOC and more recently the Orokonui Ecosanctuary. She is catching up with Russell Jenkinson and will start trapping intime for when the birds are nesting and at their most vulnerable. We also have Freya Moore volunteering. She will be working with Derek Onley on managing the Lagoon bird data base but more on that next month. We now hope to establish bird counting again next month after the Covid interruption. If you are not part of Derek’s team but would like to join in, please contact Ruth (risabelfe@gmail.com or 021 1130 719).

Creature of the Month

The stoat (Mustela erminea)

Stoats were introduced into NZ in the 1880’s along with their relatives, ferrets and weasels, to control the rabbit population. Prominent ornithologists of the day warned of their potentially devasting effects on the native bird populations, unfortunately they were proved right. So today stoats are endemic throughout the country and are threatening many species, of not only birds, but lizards, fish, freshwater crayfish and insects like weta. DOC identify them as ‘public enemy no.1 for birds’. Go Catie.

There is also useful information on the Predator Free NZ website.

Ruth Ferguson