The Corrondella group have been running for about 4 years now. The speed of the results has been remarkable.. and noticed by everyone.
I judge success by increases in bird life. When we first began, we were proud to have a few pair of Tuis that returned to our bush every year; we knew this was special. After only four years of pest trapping, this spring sent us a flock of 30-40 Tuis battling over the Kowhai trees each day.
I’m not a bird expert, so I can’t name the others… but populations of smaller varieties have exploded as well - I counted more than 50 fantails dive bombing a swarm of insects at dusk one night. I haven’t seen them again, but we now know they are here!
We’ve come to learn the birds visit our yards, but they live in the bush: an important reminder that preserving the bush land in Belmont is vital to enjoying their presence in our back yards!
The trap catch rates themselves have not diminished over those 4 years. I was disappointed by that, but have taken it as a sign that this is a long term effort… not a quick win.