From Rat Motels

2 November 2009

While the others are out searching for more robin nests, Abi has some things to do for the department of Conservation. Although the island is predator free, there is a lot of work involved keeping it that way. There are bait stations and tracking tunnels all over the place to detect if any rats or stoats have made it to the island and all of them need to be checked to see if any of the rat bait has been eaten. Today, some bait does need replacing but generally it has been nibbled at only by wetas, which seem to be unaffected.

DOC has also placed “rat motels” just inside the trees along the coast. If rats get here, the first thing they will do is run all over the island looking for other rats. The “motels” are just the sort of places rats like to live: dry, warm and filled with nesting material. Again, these help to detect the arrival of predators. Rats would have a catastrophic effect on the birds here. It would take no effort at all for them to dine out on the ground-dwelling seabirds and then move on to the poorly-hidden, friendly robins.

To learn more about the Department of Conservation's work on the Chatham Islands follow this link: http://www.doc.govt.nz/by-region/chatham-islands/