Picton Dawn Chorus

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Picton Dawn Chorus

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Picton Dawn Chorus is a community led conservation project working to protect and enhance our native plants and animals whilst protecting Kaipūpū Sanctuary - a pest free mainland island in Picton Harbour.

18/06/2026

A BIG shout-out to our amazing DCTE team (Dawn Chorus Trapping Enterprise)! 👏

The team has recently completed the construction of 40 Double DOC 200 traps for the Te Hoiere/Pelorus Restoration Project.

These traps have now been delivered to the Havelock Men's Shed, where they'll receive a bright yellow paint job (apparently mustelids have a weakness for yellow according to recent research!) before being deployed throughout the Havelock wetlands to target stoats and weasels.

This was no small undertaking. Each trap contains around 20 different parts, requiring patience, precision, and plenty of teamwork. With 11 volunteers at yesterday's working bee, the team powered through another productive session and should be incredibly proud of what they've achieved.

A huge thank you to everyone involved. Your hard work is helping protect our precious wetland birds and native wildlife. The birds may not be able to say it themselves, but we're sure they're singing their thanks already! 🐦

Well done team!

14/06/2026

What a fantastic Tree Planting Day we had with Picton School last Friday!

Around 20 enthusiastic six and seven-year-olds from Picton School joined us, along with seven parents and teachers, and 12 dedicated Ngahere Group volunteers.

The volunteers were on site from 7.30am getting everything ready before the young planters arrived at 9.30am. By midday, approximately 300 native trees were in the ground and looking right at home.

The weather couldn't have been better, the children were full of energy and enthusiasm, and there was plenty of teamwork, learning and fun along the way. A delicious morning tea kept the adults fuelled and smiling too!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success. There's something pretty special about seeing the next generation getting their hands dirty and helping create a greener future for our community.

300 trees planted before lunchtime? Not bad for a morning's work! 🪏🌿

10/06/2026

We inducted three new trapping volunteers yesterday, making the most of a beautiful sunny day in our outdoor classroom.

They learned some new skills, proved that you're never too old to learn something new, and even managed to catch a rat in one of the very few traps we checked during the induction. Talk about good timing!

Our trapping volunteers play a huge role in protecting local birdlife, and it's a great way to get outdoors, learn practical conservation skills, and meet some interesting people along the way.

If you'd like to give trapping a go and can commit to around two days a month, we'd love to hear from you. Once we have a few interested people, we can organise a group induction and get you started.

You don't need any previous experience, just a willingness to learn and a desire to make a real difference for our wildlife.
Send an email to [email protected] for more details.

26/05/2026

The next generation of trappers has arrived!

A fantastic group from the Kaitiaki group of Queen Charlotte College, Picton New Zealand joined us yesterday for a trapping induction, learning the ins and outs of predator control and the important role it plays in protecting our native wildlife.

They asked great questions, got hands-on with the equipment, and thankfully resisted the temptation to test the traps on each other.

A big thank you to you all who came along. It's always great to share what we do and see young people getting interested and even excited about conservation.

And who knows? We may have recruited a few future Dawn Chorus volunteers along the way!

Big thanks to kaiako Di Huntley for making this hands on learning possible - learning is always more fun in the outdoors...

16/02/2026

Great to see new young trappers coming through at Waikawa Bay School- this is the age to start! Thanks Team!!

11/02/2026

Another boost for our birds and ngahere 🌿

We’ve added another trap to the Queen Charlotte College, Picton New Zealand trapline on Victoria Domain – an AT220! Huge thanks to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-A-Māui Trust Trust for generously donating the trap, and to kaiako Di Huntley for installing it, with expert advice from Lee Croswell of Picton Dawn Chorus.

The trapline is regularly checked by Queen Charlotte College students through their Kaitiaki group. They’re not just monitoring traps - they’re building real hands-on skills and developing a deeper appreciation for their local environment. That’s how lifelong guardians of our ngahere are made.

AT220s are a proven workhorse for controlling rats and possums, and this one strengthens our efforts to protect the birdlife and native bush in our beautiful backyard.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone involved – future generations will thank you.

27/01/2026

What a night. What a team.

Around 50 volunteers turned up for our Volunteer Thank You on Monday night, and when the southerly arrived right on 4pm, we were very glad we’d swapped a beach party for the Picton Little Theatre Incorporated. Great turnout, great vibe, and a brilliant chance to catch up with so many like-minded people.

Huge thanks to Mud House Wines and New Zealand King Salmon for their generous donations of wine and salmon - it was very much appreciated by everyone.

Most importantly, thank you to our incredible volunteers - our trappers, tree planters, weeders, nursery and maintenance teams, guides, educators, shop and market volunteers, trap builders… the list truly goes on.

Our volunteers are the reason we are successfully restoring bird and plant life in Waitohi Picton. We couldn’t do this without you 💚

17/12/2025

We’re really disappointed to share that one of the AT220 traps in our network has been deliberately destroyed.

This trap had just had its first service since being installed in July. It’s frustrating, and honestly pretty upsetting.

We launched Project TRAP last December. In just one year, 177 traps have been installed across our area - made possible through community donations and grant funding. Each trap now costs around $640 to purchase, install, and maintain, so damage like this isn’t minor. It’s a real hit to the work we’re doing together.

The AT220 traps are our most effective tool to protect native birds. They:
• Reset automatically, ready for multiple pests
• Use a safe, non-toxic lure that works every night
• Dispense fresh lure nightly, creating trails that attract more pests over time
• Only need servicing every 4–6 months, making them ideal for hard-to-reach areas

These traps are about one thing: giving our birds a fighting chance.

This work is powered by people. Our volunteers contribute over 13,000 hours every year to predator control, planting, maintenance, and monitoring. When someone damages equipment like this, it undermines a huge amount of goodwill, time, and effort from people who care deeply about this place.

We are a community working together to restore our native birdlife. Acts like this go directly against that shared goal - and that’s what hurts the most.
For more information on Project TRAP, please visit www.pictondawnchorus.nz

11/12/2025

The first 6-monthly check on our new AT220 traps has just been done on the hills behind Waikawa, and the numbers are wild.

We’ve pulled out 150 possums and 114 rats - that’s 264 predators gone in a single check.

That's from only 20 traps. Checked once.

To put it in perspective - using 20 single-strike traps, it would’ve taken 676 checks spread over 13 years to get the same result.

Huge win for our wildlife. 🦉

Big thanks to eveyone who has contributed to this project!

12/11/2025

🌿 Big shout-out to Soundsnet! 🌿

They’ve been supporting Picton Dawn Chorus right from the very beginning, providing the Wi-Fi that keeps our shop and office connected.

When our connection went down this week, Erin and Rob jumped straight in to get us back online — no fuss, just awesome local support as always.

Thanks, Soundsnet, for being part of our journey and for your ongoing generosity to the community. 💚

Address

14 Auckland Street
Picton
7220

Telephone

+6439284957

Website

http://www.pictondawnchorus.nz/, https://www.kaipupusanctuary.nz/

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