Ōwhango is alive with bird chorus | Conservation blog

“We missed the birdsong in the area, it used to echo throughout the reserve. We’ve seen the destruction predators have caused, so we founded our conservation group Ōwhango Alive,” Sally says. The group’s mission is to protect and enhance the environment of the Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve, Whakapapa River and Ōwhango village for the benefit of the native flora and fauna and the enjoyment of locals and visitors.

Mark says when they started work in 2011 they were concerned people would dismiss their conservation efforts and label them as tree huggers.  However, the community’s response was quite the opposite. “We started as a group of just four local residents managing 20 traps, but we’ve grown to a group of 30 of us managing close to 300 traps,” he says. “The more volunteers we have, the more we can do. You can have all the money in the world, but without people, we can’t make anything happen!”

The threatened whio are thriving under Ōwhango Alive’s volunteer programme. Sally has nicknamed a group of 18 whio she’s seen speeding down the Whakapapa river together in autumn ‘the youth club’. An abundance of whio is a great sign – whio are indicator species, where you see whio you can be sure the river is clean, clear and healthy.

Trapping has proved hugely successful for the group in recovering native bird populations. Over 6,700 predators have been trapped in the bush by volunteers. “It’s great when you hear people say things like: ‘Wow, I haven’t heard birdlife like that before’, and start describing the birds that they’ve seen to you,” says Sally.