Good numbers of mohua, one of the country's most endangered birds, have been found by the Department of Conservation during a recent annual survey in the Catlins.
A recent report to the Otago Conservation Board by Otago Doc officials noted that mohua, also known as yellowhead, had been enjoying "one of their best breeding seasons" after a 1080 poisoning operation in 2009 to stop a rat plague. Doc staff were carrying out further monitoring to determine chick survival.
Other birds benefiting from pest control included South Island robins in the Silver Peaks area. A University of Otago researcher studying the impact of 1080 on robins found a 1080 drop had wiped out rat and possum populations, while not affecting the robins, the report noted.
• The conservation board also heard the Papatowai camping ground, closed several years ago because of a substandard sewerage system, had reopened after Doc installed a new state-of-the-art wastewater system and gave the grounds a facelift.
