Chatham petrel chicks returned to Chatham Island

April 2008.  Forty-three nationally endangered Chatham petrel chicks have been moved from their former home on Rangatira (South East Island), to artificial burrows within the predator free Sweetwater Conservation Covenant, in the south of the main Chatham Island.

Chatham petrels used to breed in the forested areas of Pitt Island, Mangere, Rangatira and Chatham Island. But, largely due to the impacts of predation by rats and cats, they have been absent from all those sites except Rangatira for the last 100 years.

Between 2002 and 2004, Chatham petrel chicks were transferred from Rangatira Island into the predator-fenced section of the Ellen Elizabeth Preece Conservation Covenant on Pitt Island. Already, seven pairs of petrels have returned there to breed. The transfer of Chatham petrel to Sweetwater follows on from this success.

Taiko Trust

The transfer to Sweetwater has been made possible by the landowners, Liz and Bruce Tuanui, and the Taiko Trust, who have predator-proof fenced the two and a half hectares with the aim of restoring seabirds to the site. This includes the critically endangered Chatham Island taiko species which were successfully transferred there for the first time in 2007

"It's an exciting time for the trust and its volunteers to have the chicks back home,"says trust chairperson Liz Tuanui. "It opens up wonderful opportunities for the children of the Chathams to follow through from their participation last year in building some of the burrow boxes. It now means they can follow the progress of a chick until it comes back as a breeding adult. You can't get better than that."

Antje Leseberg, the DOC ranger responsible for selecting the petrel chicks for the transfer, said the wing length and weight of all the chicks was recorded leading up to the transfer day and only those that fell within strict size criteria were moved to Sweetwater. The other chicks were left to fledge on Rangatira.

Chicks Transported

The chicks were gathered from their burrows during the early hours and placed in cardboard boxes, transported by fishing boat, and then taken by road to the Sweetwater Conservation Covenant.

Eight chicks had a brief stopover for a ceremony where local iwi and the Chatham Islands Mayor were joined by the community to honour the birds' return and wish them a safe passage on to Sweetwater.