Category: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

The big question at sites where we don’t currently find the sensitive species is, “are they just drifting past because there is nowhere suitable for them to live?” This is what deploying the bags may tell us.

Ākonga/students report mixed results

In a joint meeting, each school shared the type of bugs that had ended up in their bags and compared that with baseline sampling. The bags deployed near Whitecliffs and Glentunnel were located furthest up the awa and had lots of sensitive species like green stoneflies, dobsonflies and single gill mayflies, which indicated a higher water quality.

Over the years the students in these areas have led restoration efforts along the awa with riparian planting and are proud of their connection to this waterway.

Further downstream, students discovered some pollution-tolerant species like snails, flatworms, segmented worms, and blood worms in their bags.

Issie said that seeing species like worms isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “A fully functioning ecosystem will include both sensitive species and the more tolerant types.”

Spring flood hinders success

Flooding of the Waikirikiri awa in October meant some of the bug bags were swept down the river.

“None of the students’ hard work will go to waste,” said Issie. “Bags that were washed away will likely end up in Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere and become habitats for invertebrates and small fish.”

“The flood that we had ended up testing the design limits of our bug bags and revealed some deficiencies that the students have already thought of ways to rectify,” explained Matt.

Despite the flood, ākonga still found the creation and launch, as well as the identification of macroinvertebrates, to be an exciting and beneficial activity.

Leeston school said that some of their children didn’t even know there were bugs in the river, so it was an interesting learning experience for them.

“This project wasn’t about having all the answers,” said Matt. “We wanted to foster the children’s curiosity and get them to ask the ‘why’ question. When young people are connected to their local environment, they act instinctively in ways to protect it. I’m sure we will see some cool action from them aimed at improved water quality along the Waikirirkiri awa.”

• Distraction – some birds will try and entice you away from the nest by pretending to have a broken wing, bobbing around, or simply running away.

If you notice our native birds displaying these behaviours when you are around our rivers, please leave the area to avoid disturbing their nests or causing them to abandon the colony.

Restricted access along the Ashley/Rakahuri

Each year we work with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Waimakariri District Council (WDC) to manage access to certain parts of the Ashley/Rakahuri.

We work with DOC, WDC, 4-wheel drive (4WD) clubs, environmental groups, and Canterbury Police to maintain public access to the river while protecting nesting birds.

Regional parks team leader Karen Elliott said there’s growing recognition that rare birds need their space from 1 September until 1 February.

“We acknowledge that the majority of 4WDers act responsibly and understand the importance of avoiding the Ashley Rakahuri and Waimakariri awa during the nesting season.

“We value the efforts of 4WD clubs actively reminding their members to steer clear of braided riverbeds until February, which is crucial in ensuring that riverbed birds have the opportunity to breed and thrive without disturbance this season,” said Karen.

Avoid disturbing braided river birds

The most important thing you can do this breeding season is to avoid areas where braided river birds are nesting. Their eggs are notoriously good at camouflaging in the grey rocks, so even if you think you’d be able to spot nests, this is not the case.

If you are a 4WD enthusiast, take the opportunity to explore 4WD tracks away from braided rivers during bird nesting season. DOC has a list of local 4WD trails on its website.

Even the most well-behaved dogs can suddenly chase our native birds, so please keep them on a leash every time you visit our rivers. This also includes the mouths of our rivers and on our beaches.

The native birds nesting along Canterbury’s braided rivers are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, which means it is illegal to harm or kill them or to destroy their nests and eggs.

Further protection measures

Over the summer, we conduct karoro/Southern black-backed gull control operations. This work protects braided river species by targeting karoro which prey on the eggs and chicks of these birds.

The primary goal of the control operation is to relocate the karoro population away safely and efficiently from our rivers. This is achieved by removing their eggs and nests while ensuring the well-being of non-target species and the public. The ultimate aim is to deter karoro from nesting in braided river areas in the future, thereby contributing to the conservation efforts of endangered braided river bird species.

Our rivers team frequently conduct rare bird species surveys around their worksites and this information is uploaded onto the publicly accessible EBird website by senior environmental advisor for rivers, Melissa Shearer.

“If we find nests or colonies, we alter our work areas so we don’t disturb the birds, or if we cannot shift location then we delay our work until after the nesting has finished,” said Melissa.

“This pre-work reporting helps form a picture of sites that are frequently used for nesting so we can figure out which areas to avoid or enhance with predator control, nesting island enhancements, or access restrictions.”

A big thank you to the valued volunteers from the Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group, who do regular surveys of the various bird populations along the river and set predator traps. Find out more information and support their important mahi on the Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group website.

Bring a foodbank donation

Seasonal Scamper is free to join, but we ask that you spread the festive cheer by bringing an unopened, non-perishable food item to donate. All donations will go to the Christchurch City Mission foodbank. 
 
Food items in high demand at the City Mission include breakfast cereal, tinned food (especially tomatoes, tuna, spaghetti, creamed rice, and baked beans), rice, pasta, biscuits, crackers, muesli bars, instant noodles, pasta and risotto meal packs. 

“Your donations will help us support those who need it most at what can be a very expensive time of year,” said Christchurch City Mission foodbank service team leader Kirsty Elstone.