Whiteheads and ferret Waikanae

[GrahamB]

Hi,
just in at my desk after seeing a pair of Whiteheads in our Waikanae garden - hooray! Claire and I were just walking around having a coffee break when she heard an unfamiliar call - I thought it was probably Silvereyes at first. We had close views down to about 2m in an akeake tree. It is the first time I have seen them here although about 10 years ago my son claimed he saw a bird with a white head in some camellias.

Completely unrelated, but in a way symbolic, yesterday I finally caught a ferret in a DOC trap set up in our piece of native (regenerating) bush. A few weeks ago, we were watching television one evening and the light went on outside on the deck, and our cat seemed very interested. I went out and this damned ferret/polecat practically ran over my feet. Anyway, alerting our neighbours either side (both of whom have DOC affiliations/employment) about this, I enhanced our trapping effort (mostly rats, mice and hedgehogs so far) and bought some dried rabbit lure online. A rat and mouse later the DOC trap did the business the other night. Where there's one there may be more....
Cheers,
GrahamB

[Jim_j]

That's great about Whiteheads - I've had them round our place in Pukerua Bay for a few years now (at different times of the year).
Ferrets seem to be on the rise in a lot of places - high rabbit numbers perhaps, or maybe a drier summer?

Cheers
Jim

[sm1979]

3 weeks ago we caught a ferret in our chicken coop. (We are in Richmond Nelson)
We had seen it multiple times over a couple of days, eyeing up the hens and quietly herding them into a corner. I eventually caught it in an old trout landing net and it lockd its jaws onto my redbands. Wouldn't let go until I ha dispatched it. You should have heard it scream! Awful creature, and it sure smelled terrible too!
No surprise the weka have disappeared with these around!

[GrahamB]

I'm surprised we still have a chicken left, as she roosts outside on the vegetable garden fence.
It seems as if trapping is on the increase in the Waikanae area and the nearby Hemi Matenga Reserve is starting to get renewed attention.
Cheers,
GrahamB