What we've done so far

We finally found something! A rat! It had been caught just by the very tip of its nose so there wasn't much blood. Everyone was really excited and all the staff came out of the office to have a look. Even the principal came to see. We picked up the rat on a flat piece of plastic and took it to the skip. And then re-set the trap to try catch some more.

The Mt Pleasant PYP Exhibition 2018 is finally upon us. The Primary Years Program Exhibition is an inquiry where the year 8 students get to research, take action, and present about a issue that they are passionate about. We conduct this inquiry in groups and our group focused on saving our native birds. All the groups set up a presentation on velcro boards and presented to the rest of the school. Then, the next day, the boards were taken down to the Mt Pleasant community centre where we presented to parents, and other people from the community. It was really cool and super satisfying to present all our work to the community.

Recently we all went down to the Mt Pleasant Kindergarten to talk to the little kiddies about our birds and what we've been doing to help protect them. They are currently doing an inquiry into the different native birds that live around the estuary Liza (one of the amazing kindy teachers) asked if we would like to come down and present. We made a google presentation and showed it along with a fun game about pests, plants, and native birds. Afterwards we got to stay and play with the kindy kids for an hour, it was heaps of fun and they even painted us rainbow unicorns!!!!!

On Monday and Tuesday the school caretaker helped us build four traps to put around the school. First we sawed a big long piece of wood into pieces. We then drilled small pilot holes and screwed in some small screws using a couple of power tools. To make the entrance we cut some chicken wire and nailed it onto one end using U-Nails.

On the teacher strike day, our group headed back up to Drayton reserve for another planting session. During the two hours we were up there we planted some Carex, Matai, and Kahikatea. Dave took us and two other kids bush bashing down to the stream where we began planting. To plant the trees we had to clear away the grass/leaves/sticks from an area about the size of a dinner plate. We then had to dig a hole bigger than the cups the plants were in. Before we put the plants in the hole we had to take off the cup and untangle the roots. Lastly, we would fill in the hole with dirt and push it down lightly. It was great fun and we learned lots about the plants that live near the stream.

Up at Drayton Reserve, our group consisting of Felix, Katherine, Timothy, and Matthew, took part in one of the planting sessions held by David Bryce. Throughout this session, we learnt about bird life in New Zealand and about the history of Drayton Reserve. The Environment is something people in the world are starting to take for granted, the environment gives us shelter, resources, Materials and most importantly it turns our carbon dioxide into oxygen, so why do we continue to destroy it? We learned about how unique and lucky we are to be in an environment full of unique and beautiful forests and birds and to always care for our environment and to make others understand and care to.

Here are some of the questions we asked Dave and the answers.

How do our native birds fit into their ecosystems?

New Zealand used to be completely different, it was completely forested and there were lots of different ecosystems in which birds lived in.

Because there were not many native mammals or reptiles birds used to be at the top of their ecosystem/food chain. However, since humans arrived birds have had more predators.

What do you think is the biggest threat to our native birds?

Probably the biggest threat is introduced mammals and introduced birds because our native birds can’t adapt quick enough to stay on top of things.

More specifically, rats and stoats, and ferrets are very destructive, especially stoats.

How could we improve the habitats of our native birds?

Planting native trees in reserve or your own home is important.

Also, you need to make sure to plant plants so that the birds have what they need all year round. As a community, we need to restore shrubland and forests.

In what different ways is the safety of our birds influenced by pests?

Pests often eat the same foods as our native birds, they also eat their eggs and sometimes even adult birds. Introduced species are often adapted to urban and farm environments meaning they can increase their population easily.

If all of the birds in the port hills died how would it change our daily life?

If all the birds died most of our native plants would stop reproducing (lack of pollination) and eventually die out. There would be significant increases in insects including sand flies and midges because there would be no birds to eat them.

What can we as individuals do to ensure the safety of our native birds?

• We can place traps to reduce pest numbers; this will improve the safety of our birds.
• We can organise and participate in plantings so that our birds have food and habitats.
• We can learn about what our birds eat and where they nest so as not to disturb them.

What motivated you to start running the planting sessions?

I was a Consultant for subdividing but always been very environmentally conscious. trying to be more environmentally friendly hard because people want money over the environment. I then resigned and subdivided section above Drayton and tried to make the house more environmentally conscious. People are taking the environment for granted. I plant older native plants that are good for insects and birds. When the earthquake struck the council gave up trying to replant Drayton and plants were dying. I plant native trees in Drayton to bring back the original forest that used to be here to restore the New Zealand unique nature. The environment is incredible, giving shelter, resources, and oxygen. We depend on the environment and need to sustain it.

What kind of bird do you think should be the community's priority?

Most organisation focus on the endangered birds and often their species is difficult to save so a lot of time, money and resources are used. We need to make sure that we don’t just forget about the species that are not immediately threatened and also focus on them.

What kind of difference are you hoping to make?

Getting vegetation back around the reserve and wider community and there for encouraging birds. Also, a lot of the time we are very focused in the moment we need to encourage the future generation to care. The extinction rate is 10,000 times faster than it was before humans were around.