Hopes for the survival of one of our rarest birds have taken flight with the successful fledging of a chick for the first time in five years.
The New Zealand fairy tern chick successfully set out on its own at Papakanui Spit on the Kaipara Harbour.
"It's one of New Zealand's rarest birds basically, and we haven't had a chick here fledged for six years now, so this is a piece of gold," DOC ranger Guy McElroy says.
The total population of the tern is about 35 to 40, and it has teetered on the edge of extinction since the 1970s.
And it has not been easy for DOC rangers to protect the endangered bird. It nests on the beach making them vulnerable to predators.
Rats, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs and even wild cats roam the strip of coast preying on terns.
"We have an extensive predator trapping programme set up around the area, and that's probably about half the day is spent trapping. We go out and clear traps everyday," McElroy says.
Unlike other iconic New Zealand birds, the fairy tern does not have the profile that generally comes with rare birds.
"I think the fairy terns sort of missed out on a lot of attention. It's definitely not an icon species like our kiwi and kakapo," DOC ranger Stu Bennett says.
DOC wants to change this by educating people on the beach to be careful around nesting areas.
