1 Apr 2010

Rangatira Night Shift

From Our Changing World, 9:06 pm on 1 April 2010

'Petrel boards' to spread the wearer's weight, Graeme Taylor with a spotlight, and a sooty shearwater

'Petrel boards' act like snow shoes to spread the wearer's weight, Graeme Taylor spotlighting Chatham petrels, and a sooty shearwater (images: A. Ballance)

In the third episode of the Chatham Island series, Alison Ballance heads out at night with the Department of Conservation's Abi Liddy and Graeme Taylor in search of seabirds. The pair are using war whoops and spotlights to catch and band young Chatham petrels returning to the island to find a mate. As the night progresses Alison walks the nightly 'prion count', sees lots of wetas, and tries her war whooping skills, before finishing at dawn with a chorus of sooty shearwaters.

Nocturnal invertebrates on South East Island

Chatham island speargrass weevils, unidentified native slug, and a Rangatira spider (images: A. Ballance)

Get the RNZ app

for easy access to all your favourite programmes

Subscribe to Our Changing World

Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)