High praise for bird rescuers

HIMATANGI Beach residents have been praised for their sterling efforts in helping the hundreds of seabirds that were recently blown ashore by fierce westerly winds in the southern ocean.

Bird rescue co-ordinator, Sue Smith, and store owner, Denise Bush, said it was wonderful to see the instant community response as exhausted, starving and hypothermic birds started to drop onto the beach, sandhills, properties, gardens, parks and streets.

The majority, mainly broad-billed prions, did not make it, though the Wildlife Centre at Massey University did manage to save a significant number of the surviving birds rescued by the volunteers.

“It was marvellous to see the people respond so quickly,” said Ms Smith, who transported more than 100 birds to the centre during the course of four days. “Everyone seemed to know where to go and I hardly had to go out myself as the birds were being bought to me.”

She said those birds found closer to the shoreline had a better chance of survival, rather than those that had struggled further inland, some as far away as Tokomaru and Linton.

“I have never seen anything like it in the 19 years I’ve been here. It was exciting initially, until you realised how many there were going to be.”

Ms Bush said it appeared that everyone in the township had played some part in the mass rescue.

“We were quite stunned at the response. There were cars stopping on the road, picking up the birds and taking them away. And many people went out at the height of the storm to rescue more.”

She said watching the birds “literally fall out of the sky” had been horrible and the sight of the many dead birds that littered the area proved distressing.

Tides and sand have cleared many of the dead birds from the beach, while locals had disposed of others, but bodies are still being sighted throughout the sandhills and on coastal properties.

Parks and Reserves Manager, Albert James, said he was not surprised at how the Himatangi Beach community had responded at a time of need and those involved had done a “marvellous job”.

He said the Department of Conservation had been notified regarding the dead birds.