Bird Rescue Whanganui Manawatu

Bird Rescue Whanganui Manawatu Bird Rescue takes care of 650-850 birds every year. Want to help, or need help? Call us!

Hasn't the weather been crazy. It is good that bird nesting hasn't really stared as there would be a lot of bird nests o...
20/09/2026

Hasn't the weather been crazy. It is good that bird nesting hasn't really stared as there would be a lot of bird nests on the ground.

To start with there is a picture of Donald l, who really needs a kind caring home. Donald is a very placid male muscovy duck around 9 months old. Please ring me (number at the end of the post) if you can offer Donald a home.

PARTIAL RETIREMENT

Unfortunately my health is failing and after 38 years of Bird Rescue I am going to have to slow down. Sadly I have failed to find a sucessor to carry on the work.
For the moment I will still hand raise native chicks and organise the transport of injured birds (and lizards) to Massey Wilbase for vet care. I will endeavour to find enough volunteers who are willing to raise small numbers of birds from their homes, although this will depend on what happens with the bird flu.

CAN YOU HELP RAISE BABIES?

There are already people volunteering to raise ducklings but more are needed to cover Whanganui. Blackbirds and thrushes are easy enough to raise, but time consuming with feeding required every two hours (not overnight). If you can help at all please ring me on 0274 535 821.

- DAWNE

Here is a news story about a skink that passed through our Bird Rescue on its way to Massey Wildbase.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361035634/tiny-39g-patient-proving-be-real-survivor-after-delicate-surgery

It has been an uncertain time for bird rescues and conservation work in general with the arrival of the bird flu. But we...
13/08/2026

It has been an uncertain time for bird rescues and conservation work in general with the arrival of the bird flu. But we are persevering!

Massey Wildbase are still accepting birds but they are taking extra precautions with seabirds and raptors, our hawks/kahu and falcon/karearea.

This week we have sent a kererū from Brunswick and have a morepork/ruru from Hunterville and a welcome swallow/warou from Whanganui to go to Massey Wildbase tomorrow.
We have a kererū arriving back for release tomorrow but unfortunately I was obviously talking too much and I didn't write down the details about this bird. This kererū hit a window on the 25th June so if he/she is from your place please make contact.

Our picture today is a falcon/karearea taken by Paul Gibson/Unique Pictorials.
A lady had contacted me regarding a bird in her back yard that she thought was an injured kahu. The bird was instead an uninjured karearea having a feast on her lawn. I contacted members of Birds New Zealand (Birding Whanganui) and Paul went out and took these beautiful photos. If you do have an unusual bird visiting, try and get a photo so I can forward it to the appropriate people, who would love to know.

- DAWNE

Another long gap between posts but don't worry I haven't been on holiday, it is just there is always a lot going on here...
04/05/2026

Another long gap between posts but don't worry I haven't been on holiday, it is just there is always a lot going on here. This post will catch us up on the birds we've had in ​April, and then I can start fresh for May and hopefully keep up.

I have to say April was interesting because of the multiple birds coming in on the same day. Each of these birds are brought out to Turakina, are given fluids and pain relief via crop tube and then bandaged when necessary. The birds then go to Massey Wildbase as soon as possible.

On the 6th April we had a kingfisher/ kōtare from Whanganui and a white fronted tern/tara (pictured) from the Whanganui Port.
On the 9th there was an adult kereru from Ohakune and a juvenile kereru from Marton.

The following day there was a juvenile male falcon/karearea (pictured) from Whanganui, a fantail/piwakawaka from Putiki and a juvenile black backed seagull/karoro from Whanganui. Three days later there was an adult male hawk/kahu found up the Turakina valley and another adult male kahu found on Union Line. Both of these birds were seriously injured. While it is sad that the birds are hurt it is lovely to meet caring people and have a chat. In the case of the Turakina rescuer she mentioned having seen bats on their property. I contacted a person I know who records bat sightings and they are looking at using sonar detectors on this property to try and assess the population. The Union Line rescuer is now helping transport birds to Wildbase.

On the 15th there was a baby kereru (pictured) from Taumarunui. It was strange to get a kereru so young at this time of year. If you look closely at the picture, you can see a distortion half way down the top bill. This is the site of an old fracture.

A more hard case rescue on the 20th was a kahu, picked up off the side of the road and left on the back of a ute while the rescuer went to the Bulls pub. Anthea, our transport mainstay from Palmy, went to pick up this bird.

Continued in comments.

This beautiful little Morepork/ruru was one of two we received in one day. Luckily two Massey Wildlife club students, Je...
08/04/2026

This beautiful little Morepork/ruru was one of two we received in one day.
Luckily two Massey Wildlife club students, Jennifer and Janice, arrived on Sunday morning to volunteer and were able to pick up the first ruru from Springvale and deliver the bird to Massey Wildbase within 2 hours.
The ruru in the picture was our second morepork from Durie Hill. Our wonderful transport volunteer Diane was able to pick the bird up and bring them straight away to Turakina.

It always helps to get the birds as soon as we can and deliver them to the Wilbase vets as quickly as possible.

Sadly my neighbour came over a few days later to tell me that he had found our local morepork dead on the side of the road outside his place. I shall miss his beautiful calls in the evening.

Moreporks have a lifespan of 5 - 11 years and mate for life. I don't know if they search for their missing mate? I have read that there are more males than females because the females are predated on the nest so perhaps some males will never find a mate? We always try to return adult birds back home but often the injuries are so severe that the birds do not survive.

Often when an injured bird comes in late at night we medicate and keep them in the brooder if necessary. Up until now Bernie, our knight in a little white car, takes them through to Palmerston North early every morning. Anthea meets him at his work and takes the patient through to Wildbase.
Bernie has now retired and we want to thank him for all the help he has given us over the years.

We now need to find someone who travels from Whanganui to Palmerston North regularly who is willing to help with transport mainly in the mornings. We also would like to find someone who goes back to palmy after work who could take birds over that come in to us during the day. We have volunteers in Palmerston North who can meet transporters to take the birds to Massey but you are always welcome to take them yourselves.

Please contact Dawne directly if you are to help, on 0274 535 821. Many thanks.

Address

Whanganui
Whanganui

Telephone

+64274535821

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bird Rescue Whanganui Manawatu posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category