February has been a busy month for our team of volunteers, with plenty of trapping, baiting and weed control underway. A particular focus has been tackling climbing asparagus and mothplant, both of which are quick to take advantage of the warm summer conditions.
The signs continue to suggest that pest numbers are being well controlled. As well as the increase in birdsong around the valley, there are also some smaller but equally positive clues. In a few areas, piles of karaka fruit are now sitting undisturbed beneath the trees; something that rarely happens when rat numbers are high. Even the weed bags have been teeming with w?t?, another good indicator that predators are being kept in check.
We had planned to launch our German wasp control programme in February. However, after a relatively cool, wet summer, the numbers of protein-seeking wasps have been much lower than usual. Instead, we will focus on getting the control lines established so everything is in place ahead of the next wasp season.
For now, the growing chorus of birdsong is an encouraging sign that the work being done is making a real difference.