transponders

We developed a new automated recorder, powered by a 12-volt battery, to monitor activity patterns of wild animals marked with passive integrated transponders (PIT tags). The recorder was used to monitor Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae), a critically endangered seabird species with remote and dispersed breeding burrows. We collected information on annual return rates of individuals and pairs, dates of return and departure for the courtship and egg-laying periods, duration and dates of incubation shifts and also chick feeding visits.

Introduced mammalian predators are a major threat to New Zealand’s wildlife, including bats. Controlling these predators using traps and poison baits can reduce their impact on bat populations. However, lesser short-tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata) are potentially susceptible to toxins used for pest control in New Zealand forests because of their broad diet and habit of feeding on the ground. Therefore, the risk of secondary poisoning should always be assessed before new toxins are used in areas inhabited by lesser short-tailed bats.