Good news from Te Rere
Forest & Bird Southland’s long running restoration project at Te Rere is looking good for the yellow eyed penguin this season. A survey pre-Christmas showed the number of nesting birds the highest they’ve been since the fire in 1995. The fire event devastated the population, and with 25 nests and approximately 70 birds recorded this season, this is still only about half of what had been present before. So there are great hopes that this positive trend continues and numbers keep climbing. The other good news is that a recent grant from the Biodiversity Condition Fund will allow planting of another 10 ha, extending the protected area. This gully system, currently mostly pasture cover, will be planted out in flax, along with some forest species. Over time it is expected that forest regeneration will occur naturally with a good source of seeds and birds to spread them.
Posted on: Wednesday, 13 February 2013
