The Great Kererū Count is coming!
22nd September to the 1st October 2017

If you haven’t already joined the Great Kererū Count 2017 project make sure you do before the 22nd of September - https://inaturalist.nz/projects/great-kereru-count-2017

The more people who participate, the better the understanding we will get on how kererū are doing across the country. So it’s time to turn your eyes to the skies and make a note of any kererū that you see.

The Great Kererū Count aims to build an understanding of the abundance and distribution of kereru throughout New Zealand through citizen science.

Why get involved? Kererū are protected birds and endemic to New Zealand. Kererū numbers are much lower than the flocks reported from 50-100 years ago, but they do not have formal threatened status. This means no centralised data is collated to monitor overall national trends. Given the significance of kererū for the survival of New Zealand’s native forests (kererū are the only remaining bird species able to disperse the large seeds of particular forest trees) it is important that some form of national monitoring exists.

What does the future hold for kererū? Large flocks of more than one hundred kererū were once a common sight in skies over New Zealand our vision is to see them again.

Ngā mihi nui,
Tony Stoddard
Kererū Discovery / Great Kererū Count Coordinator

This year is our chance to vote for nature, so let’s make kererū count.

From the 22nd September to 1st October we need everyone across New Zealand out making observation on where kererū are and also where they are not. Please share and encourage all of your family, friends and work mates to take part in this year’s Great Kererū Count - then get out and get counting.

Happy counting everyone 😊
Ngā mihi nui,
Tony Stoddard | Kererū Discovery | Great Kererū Count Coordinator

http://greatkererucount.nz/