Last Friday a team of DoC staff, 2 volunteers from Maranui Conservation Limited and Jade the dog came to the island to collect 14 kiwi to be transferred to their new home in the Brynderwyns.

Rolf with one of the kiwi

All 14 kiwi were caught on the Friday night, we managed to get the 14th bird just before midnight. The kiwi being transferred all had to be at least 1.2kg, any smaller birds caught were released. The kiwi were weighed, measured, and fitted with bands and transmitters so they can be tracked in their new home.

Kiwi being processed

Kiwi chicks that are released on Motuora as part of “Operation Nest Egg” are all microchipped so they can be identified. Any birds caught that don’t have a microchip are therefore island born birds. A large proportion of the transferred kiwi were island born birds showing that the breeding population of kiwi on Motuora is thriving.

The collection team