Date: 16th October 2023
Albert Town Community Association installed a trapline around the lower Albert Town lagoon in 2019. There are 20 DOC 200 traps and four Trapinators (possum traps) placed around the lagoon and surrounding QLDC reserve. The reason the trapline was installed was to protect the amazing and diverse birdlife in the lagoon.
We had a dramatic decrease in the number of possums being caught at the lagoon when the Mt Iron trapline was installed. The possums were obviously spreading from Mount Iron down to the lagoon. We also undertake bird call monitoring quarterly and put out tracking tunnels quarterly to assess how many predators are about at that time.
The increase in the bird population is noticeable and residents really enjoy listening to the song of bellbird and tui at the lagoon, watching pukeko and now kingfisher are being observed. The waterbirds are also present and include scaup, little shags, black shags, paradise shelducks, white-faced heron, shoveller, grey teal and coots.
We have a team of six volunteers who take turns at checking and re-baiting the traps and most have been helping since the line was installed. In June of 2023 we installed another 18 DOC 200 traps around the top Albert Town lagoon and are already catching predators in these traps.
Trapline Coordinator: Heather Thorne
Posted in: Trapping Groups