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Little Barrier Island was considered the best option, given the high density of parakeets and the existence of a large flat area where mist nets could be easily used to catch birds. In April 2008 I arrived on Little Barrier Island with a team of 14 volunteers and set up an aviary to hold the birds. The parakeets turned out to be easy to catch, as they fly low during the first hours of light to feed on the ground. Every captured parakeet was carefully examined to determine its sex, approximate age and current breeding status. Our project was designed to target yearlings, which are thought to establish better in a new environment as they search for a territory to breed. We also collected numerous samples to advance our knowledge of the naturally occurring pathogens in parakeets, and factors affecting their health. All such information is important to refine the science of translocating parakeets. After two weeks, we had enough parakeets to deliver the first flock, and these were transported by helicopter to Motuihe Island, where numerous people – including trustees, other conservationists and members of the Department of Conservation and Ngati Wai – awaited anxiously. We distributed the boxes containing the parakeets and walked to a forested patch to the tune of a Maori waiata (song) to bless and welcome the parakeets to their new home.

When the first box was opened, a Red-fronted Parakeet flew again, calling loudly over the skies of Motuihe Island, after more than a century of absence. Another 14 parakeets soon joined, amidst smiles, tears and cheers from the public. It was a magical moment. A few days afterwards, another 16 parakeets were added, and the following year a final flock of 18 were released, bringing the total number of parakeets released to 49.

The establishment of Red-fronted Parakeets on Motuihe Island surpassed all our expectations. Not only are the birds seen regularly, but also the first evidence of nesting occurred within a year of the release! This news caused a lot of excitement among members of the Motuihe Island Trust and conservationists on other islands of the Hauraki Gulf, as we had anticipated that parakeets could fly to neighbouring sites and naturally recolonise them. An example of such a process occurred on Raoul Island, where parakeets returned after 150 years of being absent, following the eradication of rats and cats.

Last year, one day before my 32nd birthday, I joined Mike and Sharen Graham, from the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, to follow up on sightings of Red-fronted Parakeets on Motutapu, the closest island to Motuihe Island. Soon after our arrival on Motutapu, a family of parakeets greeted us, including a recently fledged chick, indicating that breeding had occurred on Motutapu. This finding was a great reward to the members of the Motutapu Trust who, like their neighbours on Motuihe Island, have worked long hours eradicating pests and weeds, with the hope of making the island a safe site for native birds.

We have learned many lessons throughout this project. A number of scientific papers have resulted from it, and hopefully will be useful for similar projects worldwide. But the success of this project is not only the result of its scientific planning; it is also the result of the enthusiastic participation of iwi, conservation volunteers, Massey University, the Department of Conservation and Auckland Regional Council staff.

This project has resulted in the establishment of another population of Red-fronted Parakeets and natural dispersal to a nearby site. It has also given me the opportunity to complete a PhD at Massey University, and even gave me the chance to learn some Maori! Now, whenever I am in the field, and a group of parakeets fly above me, I can say Nga kakariki ki te rangi – or ‘parakeets in the sky’.

ee Luis Ortiz Catedral hails from Santa Anita, near the city of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. He took a BSc (Biology) at the Universidad de Guadalajara and a Master of Sciences (Ecology) at Massey University in New Zealand, where he is currently completing a PhD in Conservation Biology. Luis has had an interest in parrots for a long time, and has observed parrots in their wild habitats in Mexico, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. He is currently interested in two lines of research: the management of wild island populations and the establishment of conservation programmes that incorporate local communities inhabiting parrot-rich areas. Presently based in New Zealand, in the next five years Luis plans to develop projects in Micronesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Mexico. Editor’s Note: You can read more about Luis Ortiz Catedral’s work with the Red-fronted Parakeet in our Blogs from the Field section.

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Greene TC, 2003. Breeding biology of Red-crowned Parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae novaezelandiae) on Little Barrier Island, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Notornis 50:83-99.

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