Since about two weeks our dear birds have begun to return to Te Rae o Atiu, the translocation colony on the peninsula. This is a busy and social time for the birds as they are re-establishing pair bonds and settling into their burrows to eventually start laying their eggs in November. At sea you will be able to observe Hutton’s shearwater flock up in big rafts, a typical behaviour at the start of the season. Social time 🙂
It’s time to celebrate the start of another season with these wonderful birds who call Kaikoura and its mountains their only home. But it’s also time to be aware and start looking out for them again. Not only out at sea when approaching rafting birds (go slow!) but also on the roads at night as also adult birds can fall victim to light disorientation and crashlanding in unfavourable weather conditions. as there is a lot of commute between the colonies and the sea at the beginning of the season, the likelihood of this happening is higher now compared to later in the season. It can happen anytime though. As such we urge locals as well as visitors to be driving slow and with care after nightfall and keep a close eye on dark shapes on the road. Due to their grey colour, Hutton’s are not easily detected on roads at night. In addition to that, they won’t fly off!
Please take care of our Titi at this time. Follow us on facebook to hear updates from our peninsula colony throughout the breeding season. Thank you 🙂
