Cath is a first-generation immigrant to New Zealand, but has whole-heartedly embraced a vision of restoring NZ native birds on her own small lifestyle block in Franklin. In this video she shares her gradual understanding of what needed to be done to make that a reality. And yes, shortly after this video was made, she […]
Author Archives: Catherine Bircher
The motivation of a landowner – Part 1- Robyn
Everyone has their own reasons for engaging in pest control. In this video, Robyn, a longtime Franklin farmer, talks about why she got into predator control on her own land, and her dream of a predator-free future.
Why does a pest walk into a trap?
Some people spend hours talking about this or that secret wonder-lure they use, but actually it’s very simple – A pest must feel comfortable about going into a trap, or it won’t do it. A lot of traps out there are a single-entrance box type – there is only one way in or out. Pests […]
Going to bat for something rare
It’s a hot day back at the road but here in the shade of Henry’s Bush it’s refreshingly cool. There’s the rushing sound of a waterfall off on my left, but I’m trying to ignore it, focusing all my attention on the grey box I’m holding. Did the signal get a bit louder just then? […]
Maximise possum knockdown by shooting in spring
Most of the year night shooting for possums doesn’t achieve good results. You may bag a few, but not in the numbers that are needed to achieve good conservation impact, so it’s hard to justify the time and effort. This is because for three seasons of the year possums are up in trees that are […]
How to get birdies on a golf course.
Nine months ago, a man called Paul was on a golf course. “Hmm”, he thought, as he picked out a new club to replace the one he’d somehow bent on a particularly hard piece of air. “Looks like there are a fair number of trees around here. That probably means possums”. Most people would have […]
A kererū’s story
The story starts with us – a couple looking for a new home. We wanted to live on a patch of land which had native bush and native birds, so when we found out about a property for sale in Patumahoe, hubby popped over to have a look. He found exactly what we had been […]
How to pulse your rat bait
You’ll get the best results from rat bait stations if you “pulse” your baiting. That is, only put out bait at specific times of the year. This is especially important when using modern baits such as Brodifacoum and Bromadialone, as they have a delayed action. This means that a rat that has eaten enough bait […]
Ruru and bat surveys in Franklin this spring.
Anecdotally we are told by people that there are more ruru (morepork) in areas where we have been carrying out good rat and possum control. This is especially interesting where we are using bait stations for control, as brodifacoum (the active ingredient in Pest Off bait ) has a long half life, so there is […]
Neighbours looking after neighbours – Pest control hub day at Beachlands
It wasn’t all plain sailing at the start of our hub day in the Countdown car park at Beachlands. An ominous black cloud gathered just after 9.00 as the team began setting up our stand, and as the rain started we made a hasty relocation to under the cover of “The Franklin”. Fortunately it didn’t […]