Twenty female and 20 male hihi were released on Friday 3rd June by members of Auckland Council, Hihi Conservation Charitable Trust, NgÄti Manuhiri, the Navy and Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Incorporated (SOSSI) onto Defence Force land within the park.
For full coverage of the release, along with a really neat video please see the media coverage here.
As for a latest update… Mhairi McCready, our Hihi Conservation Officer, has just finished a first week of post-release monitoring. One week in and 39 of the 40 released birds have been seen and looking very happy in their new home.
Not only that, but there is a fantastic team of local volunteers who are lining up to help look after the birds. Here is the team at a supplementary feeding training day on Thursday (photo: Mhairi McCready).
A beautiful site, fantastic local support, and a healthy bunch of hihi – the signs are promising and we will keep you updated on how this newest of hihi populations goes.
