- Eastern Bays Songbird Project carries out pest trapping, weed control, and monitoring in parks and reserves throughout the Ōrākei and Maungakieie-Tāmaki Local Board areas.
- Regular bird counts have seen an increase in birdlife in these areas.
- There are also 4,500 locals trapping in their gardens thanks to the organisation.
A recent bird count across 28 parks and reserves in Auckland’s eastern bays area has seen a 32 per cent increase in the native bird population since 2018.
Eastern Bays Songbird Project is a community organisation supported by Ōrākei Local Board and Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board to lead pest control efforts in parks, as well as distributing locals with traps to use on their own properties.
Keeping pest numbers down gives native plants and birds a better chance of thriving.
“To date, over 4,500 residents are actively trapping in their backyards,” says Eastern Bays Songbird Project coordinator, Michelle.
“We also trap in 30 reserves across 13 suburbs with the help of dedicated volunteers.
“Churchill Park has shown particularly encouraging results. Since monitoring began in 2021, rat abundance there has decreased by 65 per cent.”
Eastern Bays Songbird Project was originally founded to introduce backyard trapping across five suburbs in the Ōrākei Local Board area with the goal of creating pest-free habitats for native birds and other important wildlife.
Since then, the project has grown to encompass over 4,000 hectares across 13 suburbs, including the original five.
Michelle says the expansion was driven by strong community interest in backyard trapping and growing awareness that the remaining urban forests must be predator-free to support the unique biodiversity of our country.
The group has implemented a biannual monitoring programme to track progress, including pest surveys at 11 sites and bird counts in 28 parks and reserves.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges is managing pest plants.
“Auckland’s warm, humid climate makes it one of the weediest cities in the world, and garden waste dumped in parks and reserves is a major source of plants now considered pests, as they smother and outcompete our native plants,” says Michelle.
“Education is key, and we’re working to raise awareness about proper garden waste disposal. Meanwhile, we continue hands-on weed removal in local parks and public spaces with the help of energetic volunteers, corporate teams, and school groups.”
Two community planting days in July saw 5,000 plants find a home at Churchill Park, further adding to the welcoming habitat for birds.
And the hard mahi doesn’t stop there. Michelle outlines a couple of Eastern Bays Songbird Project’s current priorities:
“This year, we’ve intensified trapping efforts at the Tahuna Torea sandspit in response to elevated hedgehog activity, which poses a serious threat to ground-nesting shorebirds.
“We've also ramped up trapping around the Ōrākei Basin and Tahapa Reserve to address an increase in rat activity.”
If you’re interested in volunteering at your local park in the Ōrākei or Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board area, find out more on the Eastern Bays Songbird Project website.
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