Thread: Bird Predator Control

It’s been hard work trapping rats lately - numbers have dropped right off - monthly numbers at the Park from January this year to date have been - 23, 36, 114, 67, 40, 17, 18, 8, and now 12 for September - I was getting a bit despondent but got 5 of the 12 on Sunday and anther 4 today - so they are on the way back - mainly juveniles in the last couple of days - poor wee fellas didn’t get a chance to learn
I did get a couple of big Norways from the same spot this month - must be a family around that area. I got a young Shippy on Sunday and his mate came back to find him today.
Still getting the odd strike under the A24s which is pleasing.
Possums have been very hard to find around the Park lately - but one has been enjoying the Rose Gardens in the central area - a bit dangerous with kids around for a kill trap - so I have provided him with a special meal of Pestoff in a Philproof bait station up a tree for tonight.

@time out How are you finding that A24 trap? Worth the money?

Originally Posted by Sideshow

@time out How are you finding that A24 trap? Worth the money?

I did a report on Page 18 of this thread - it covers most issues
I checked a few yesterday that still had 01 on the counter - after I changed the gas bottle a couple of months ago and gave them one test fire - so no kills yet - but rat numbers are very low at present
I still run them on Possum Paste in an open A12 lure bottle - but have to give it a squeeze each time I check them and top up the container as required - i dont like their ALP system with chocolate lure
Best if you invest in trap boxes with a Victor Pro or a Kness Snap-E trap - you would get a lot of those for the cost of an A24
Good luck

Got another in the doc200 last night

@Sparrow

Great article in the latest Predator free NZ trust newsletter.

'Young trappers keen to help on Ashley estuary'


Good on ya mate, keep up the good work.

Awesome for the kids. I know mine love it !!!


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Thanks kukuwai, that article was due to the encouragement of time out.
Interestingly they posted it on their facebook page also where it recieved alot of positive support but negative also, how wrong it is to teach kids to maime and kill animals that kind of thing, reminded mewhy i dont use fb (the wife does).

I'll be honest made me 2nd guess myself a little until i asked Arlo 5 you know why we trap in the estuary eh? and he knows its for nest and bird protection but also so they dont get his grandads goldfish apparently, i always talk to him about how any thing we kill is a pest or for food and about the importance of a humane/quick kill.

After that i felt better and settle on the fact there is just some judgmental f@#k wits out there. His school are allover it with full support.

We are currently on holiday in bali and my kids are the ones counting andchasing geckos and looking at the cool bugs and stuff while i see others still on the ipads, i know what i prefer

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Thanks kukuwai, that article was due to the encouragement of time out.

That makes @time out an inspirational character then doesn't it !! He has encouraged me to do a few things awsell and I'm yet to meet him

Originally Posted by Sparrow

but negative also, how wrong it is to teach kids to maime and kill animals that kind of thing, reminded me why i dont use fb (the wife does).

WA@#KERS, I have never and will never be a user of Fb. Infact i would go so far as to say i despise it. Blows me away that some people are more concerned with a virtual life than the one in front of their eyes. Know which one id rater be living!!

Originally Posted by Sparrow

my kids are the ones counting andchasing geckos and looking at the cool bugs and stuff.

"I'll bet they are, good on you enjoy your holiday and keep up the good work!!!

PS. Don't forget to put those smoked snapper and kahawai bones in the traps, they are great bait



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Thanks for your support guys - I love what we all do and I know it is for all the right reasons - largely for the protection of our birdlife - I reckon Kate at PFNZ did a great job with your story @Sparrow - Arlo should be proud of what he and his brother are doing
I guess you will all know that the Great Kereru Count 2018 has started and runs up to 30 September 2018 - https://www.facebook.com/OtoKiwiHous...7859874651679/
I decided yesterday about 4pm to take a quick walk up the Quarry Park to start my Kereru count - I did one short trap line and saw seven Kereru - that was over about 30% of the Park - three years ago I was lucky to see a single Kereru - and it was one that a friend at the ARC - BOP saved and released for us - the birdlife in general is amazing at present - it seems like there is a Tui up every Rewarewa - I am so looking forward to the Rewarewa flowering season soon
But I did get a big ship rat out of a Timms trap on the wattle log - I knew he was eating my apples - and eventually he made a fatal mistake
Only one of the Kereru was photogenic for my wee belt camera - but at 5m range and in full view I couldn’t go wrong - he was checking every new shoot on a small Kowhai tree - they keep them stripped at present
We went up to Auckland today and picked up our new black Lab - Jordy - he seems lovely - 16 month old - he has heaps of spring in his step - he is going to miss his five kennel mates tonight - I guess I will sleep in the nearest room to the garage

Originally Posted by time out

Thanks for your support guys - I love what we all do and I know it is for all the right reasons - largely for the protection of our birdlife - I reckon Kate at PFNZ did a great job with your story @Sparrow - Arlo should be proud of what he and his brother are doing
I guess you will all know that the Great Kereru Count 2018 has started and runs up to 30 September 2018 - https://www.facebook.com/OtoKiwiHous...7859874651679/
I decided yesterday about 4pm to take a quick walk up the Quarry Park to start my Kereru count - I did one short trap line and saw seven Kereru - that was over about 30% of the Park - three years ago I was lucky to see a single Kereru - and it was one that a friend at the ARC - BOP saved and released for us - the birdlife in general is amazing at present - it seems like there is a Tui up every Rewarewa - I am so looking forward to the Rewarewa flowering season soon
But I did get a big ship rat out of a Timms trap on the wattle log - I knew he was eating my apples - and eventually he made a fatal mistake
Only one of the Kereru was photogenic for my wee belt camera - but at 5m range and in full view I couldn’t go wrong - he was checking every new shoot on a small Kowhai tree - they keep them stripped at present
We went up to Auckland today and picked up our new black Lab - Jordy - he seems lovely - 16 month old - he has heaps of spring in his step - he is going to miss his five kennel mates tonight - I guess I will sleep in the nearest room to the garage

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How far away is this park? Is it open to the public? I am going to go uppjnt Auckland and mount Williams with my girlfriend but all the birds seem really cool.

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Open all day every day - https://www.quarrypark.org.nz/

Originally Posted by time out

Open all day every day - https://www.quarrypark.org.nz/

Ah. I think my mum has taken me there's the quarry gardens. Nice place

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Back off hols this weekend and just squeezed in a couple of Line checks in the estuary, 1 mouse, 2 weasels and one 3 weeks dead Tom cat from 27 traps, the boy came with and managed the 4km with only 1000 questions, good fun.

Will refresh everything at work tomorrow 👍

Sorry for the big pic I'm not very tech savvy, a bait that is proving good and easy for cats in particular is Cheerios/cocktail sausages btw.

Keep the tails for the swamp comp. I think you can win stuff at hunting and fishing

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Great work @Sparrow and your Son - another classic picture! - Cocktail cherrios are on the shopping list today - not much lure flavor in chicken legs that I have been using in the doc250s - bloody flies are back big time - rats and meaty lure turning to maggots very fast
Nothing exciting to report - dragging a few trap boxes into Puketoki and putting them beside old logs - also some of Bill Griffith’s clever coreflute boxes around the farm boundaries ( I can get six in the Mountain Mule) - but so far nothing where I would have expected to find them - so having to resort to snap traps in the cafés where there is bait chewing activity - give them two choices - Contrac or kill trap
Not a lot of action in the Park - about 200 trap sites and we are jointly getting about 4 predators per week - my lot for all my run in two trips has been a couple of young rats, one and a half possums and a hog - a hog is good as the Quail will be nesting soon - total predators for 2018 is 385 so might get to 500 again this year
My new companion is growing in confidence - a big transition from a show puppy to a bush dog - he is a ball of muscle but he still won’t carry a possum or swim - up to his belly in water is all so far - I might have to get in with him!