Check out these great pictures from Kokiri’s first transmitter check, last Friday, 13 April. Kokiri is a 6 year old male kiwi released at Sandy Bay on the Tutukaka Coast as part of Operation Nest Egg, Sandy Bay Kiwi and the Kiwi Coast project late last year.

Kokiri was tracked to the middle of the wetland – where he was found fast asleep on a small raised island beneath a cabbage tree poking out of swamp millet and fern. This was less than 50 metres from his original release site at Sandy Bay.

Pete Graham, an approved kiwi handler with the Northland Regional Council, Biosecurity Team, got a few locals to surround Kokiri’s nest before he slowly crawled in to catch the kiwi.

QEII Rep Nan Pullman said “we all got to have a close look at Kokiri, who is in very good condition, nice and plump, albeit a bit annoyed about being woken up!”

“His transmitter was changed to the opposite leg before he was released, disappearing back into the dense wetland vegetation. He has stayed in the area for a couple of days since then so, doesn’t look like he’s too annoyed with us”.