Pyromaniac on the loose in Ruahines? Time for further update - it's now post Easter Autumn and the lovely weather continues. We certainly can't complain about high river levels this year.............. at least up until now.
Catch numbers are looking to be fairly average this year - and trending down after a peak in December. Catches for the Oroua are January Stoats 12, Rats 37; Feb S 5, Weasels 2, R 44 , Possums 2; March S 10, R 25, Hedgehog 1, mouse 1.
Catch numbers are looking to be fairly average this year - and trending down after a peak in December. Catches for the Oroua are January Stoats 12, Rats 37; Feb S 5, Weasels 2, R 44 , Possums 2; March S 10, R 25, Hedgehog 1, mouse 1.
Rangi/Deadmans Circuit.
Steve Bielski has been keeping up the servicing of this line - catch numbers are much lower now which hopefully is a good sign. There may also be people clearing traps and not passing on the data - please do let either Steve or myself know if you are doing this or would like to help on this line. Since mid January there have been around 3 stoats, 5 weasels, 4 rats and 2 hedgehogs caught (and recorded). One trap high on the Deadmans traps has had a fire in it - a stupid person or is a lightening strike a possible cause?
Blue Duck on Pink Rock
Pohangina and Longview Lines
Ben Douglas has been keeping up the maintenance on the Longview Ridge lines - catch numbers are relatively low on these lines as there seems to be very few rats at the higher altitudes.
Two scheduled PNTMC trips visited the Pohangina River in January. The first was to Ngamoko and Mid Pohangina Huts to do some routine maintenance. A few traps were checked along the way. A pair and a single whio were seen. The club also visited Top Gorge Hut Hut and serviced all the A24 traps in the area enjoying a lovely trip exploring the river and exiting via the waterfalls to Longview Hut . The team was Anthony Behrens, Fiona Burleigh, Warren Wheeler, Graham Peters and myself. You can full reports of these trips in the PNTMC newsletters at www.pntmc.org.nz.
Top Gorge Hut has since been given a makeover by Mike Charlton from the Ruahine Deerstalkers and from photos it looks amazing. I am looking forward to getting in to see it for myself - if you heading that way and would like to help out with the traps please let me know. No dead animals to deal with and a great excuse to visit that lovely part of the river. The rest of the river line is in need of servicing before winter and I hope to organise a fly in trip perhaps around a long Anzac weekend.. No dead animals to deal with and a great excuse to visit that lovely part of the river. The rest of the river line is in need of servicing before winter and I hope to organise a fly in trip perhaps around a long Anzac weekend.
Oroua January
Thanks to everyone who has helped out with the traps after the mid January rebait (and the last update)- quite a large group of volunteers. The January rebait was completed later in the month by Ian Rasmussen who rebaited the Tunupo Tops, Iron Gate Ridge and some of the river and Graeme Richards who did the river down from the Tunupo fly camp. Trampers also checked and emptied many of the traps in January in between rebaits. Thanks to Chris Mercer who headed up Tunupo in trying conditions, Kathy Corner and family for emptying traps on their trip to Iron Gate Hut and, once again, thanks to Bryan and Monica Charlton for checking the Lower River Loop.
Oroua February - including a trap line extension
New volunteers Sarah and Amy ever cheerful
February was a busy month. Gordon Groube did the Triangle circuit around Waitangi day. The bulk of the rebait was completed over the 17/18th. Graeme Richards and Mark Le Bas rebaited to IGH while on a PN Tramping and Mountaineering Club trip. They enjoyed a tramp down the river the next day - great conditions. I did the Lower River Loop and also went up the Tunupo line with new volunteers Amy Neilson and her friend Sarah. An unpleasant find on this trip were 2 possums in traps high up on the hill.
Bruce, Ian and Graham in the upper Oroua
At the end of the month we - Fiona Burleigh, Ian R, Graham Peters and myself - took advantage of the continued good weather and installed new A24 traps in the Triangle Hut area. The line goes up river from the hut for approx 2km and also down river to the bypass track. Thanks to community ranger Nicole and Abi from DOC for applying for these 42 traps on our behalf. The traps were flown to Triangle Hut while DOC had the machine in the area which made it a worthwhile cheap delivery - thanks DOC for your cooperation. The river shows signs of massive gravel movement so hopefully the ducks we found in the area during the dog survey last year are safe and feeding in the side streams. We heard a male duck at Triangle hut and a pair flew past us heading up stream at lunchtime down by the bypass track. Nice to see. Thanks everyone for a good job done.At the end of the month we - Fiona Burleigh, Ian R, Graham Peters and myself - took advantage of the continued good weather and installed new A24 traps in the Triangle Hut area. The line goes up river from the hut for approx 2km and also down river to the bypass track. Thanks to community ranger Nicole and Abi from DOC for applying for these 42 traps on our behalf. The traps were flown to Triangle Hut while DOC had the machine in the area which made it a worthwhile cheap delivery - thanks DOC for your cooperation. The river shows signs of massive gravel movement so hopefully the ducks we found in the area during the dog survey last year are safe and feeding in the side streams. We heard a male duck at Triangle hut and a pair flew past us heading up stream at lunchtime down by the bypass track. Nice to see. Thanks everyone for a good job done.
Slot gorge in Oroua above Triangle hut
Oroua March
Members of the NZDA (Manawatu) once again took responsibility for the bulk of the rebait. Ian R did another huge day out completing a IGH/Tunupo Tops circuit in one day. He rebaited the IG Ridge and Tunupo Tops and also spent some time adjusting the positioning of 4 of the ridge traps that have been identified as traps that have never caught. Thanks also to Paul Dekker, Ian Patterson, new helper Anthony Moult, Mitchell Kinghorn and Matt and to Mark Jeffares for coordinating the team. Thanks also to trampers Adele Gray and friends and Ben McWhannel and Carolyn for offering to check traps while tramping. Great effort everyone.
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