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For those of you that live close by to Rotokare Reserve, on 15 December there will be another pateke release. See the article for details.
Event to commemorate 135 years of history
www.nzherald.co.nz
Rotokare Scenic Reserve is celebrating 135 years of history with 135 laps of the reserve.It's great to see fledglings from our first clutches of the season making their way to Peacock springs for pre-release conditioning.
Great picture of some of the aviaries at Peacock Springs. We have been very fortunate for the past 20 years to use some of these aviaries for our pre-release conditioning of all our juvenile birds prior to release back out into the wild. Our breed for release program would not be what it is today without these aviaries and Anne and her team at peacock springs.We are presently undertaking maintenance of the flat roofed aviary (see photo) in preparation of the imminent arrival of brown teal / pāteke. We are topping up some shingle levels and forming firm edging around the internal ponds. Shortly, all the brown teal / pāteke bred at other institutions will join our own here for pre-release conditioning. They learn to use a special food dispenser that will also be present at their release sites, to ease their first foray into the natural environment. The food dispenser serves 2 purposes. It provides food on hand, plus helps establish site fidelity.
