Welcome home whitehead
By Tim O?Connell
After an absence of over 100 years, the chirp of a long lost native bird is being heard again in the Western Hills. The return of the whitehead to the Hutt Valley has provided much excitement for residents and nature buffs alike, with its re-emergence credited to various pest control initiatives of recent years. The first sighting of the tiny birds was made by a Belmont resident in March, with several subsequent reports of the bird?s presence in local bush areas following soon after. Until now, the whitehead made its habitat in the Tararua Ranges in order to escape the threat of introduced pests such as possums, rats, stoats, ferrets and weasels as farmland was established in the late 1800s. Although their presence in the upper forest areas of the Hutt has been noted in the past, it is only now that whiteheads have made the move into the southern areas of the valley. However, the bird is yet to re-settle in Wellington or Porirua as yet, despite these areas also being part of long term Greater Wellington Regional Council possum control efforts that have significantly reduced the threat of such pests in the Wellington region, as well as improve the overall health of bush areas. Greater Wellington Parks Principal Advisor Philippa Crisp is delighted with the news of another native bird species re-occupying its former territory after pest control work. ?We were excited in 2004 when bellbirds were recorded for the first time in decades in Korokoro Valley,? she said. ?Now it is great to hear that whiteheads are also able to expand their range and colonise these bush remnants.? ?
