Ruakākā School visited Pukekauri today to check out the traps and see if we could spot the elusive Weweia. It was a successful trip, the sun was shining and we had two traps with rats in them. One of our rat traps had a little visitor hiding in it, a baby weta had decided it was a nice spot to sit. We also did a bird count and recorded what we could hear. We definitely feel like the bird populations are increasing which means our work is having an impact. It was great to be able to have just a small group of us this time and check and record our catches. It also meant we were a bit quieter as we made our way through the bush. We didn’t manage to spot the Weweia but one of our guides had seen it earlier in the day which was great to hear. We are looking forward to hearing what other kura find on their visits and can’t wait for our next trip up to the dam. Here is a little note from one of our students.

I am really happy that we are actually catching some rats and pests, and making a difference for the birds, because we heard a lot more birds than last time and that makes me feel like we’re making something better.
-Claire