Anna’s year as a Burrow Buddy
by 2024 Burrow Buddy Recruit, Anna Whitehead
The name itself is enough to spark curiosity. It’s the perfect icebreaker over coffee: “Oh yes, I’m just back from being a Burrow Buddy...”
Cue the raised eyebrows and intrigued questions. “Huh?” they ask.
That’s when I get to dive into the details: “It’s pretty cool – I get to scramble through coastal bush, monitor ōi burrows (yes, ōi – the mutton birds that nest in burrows around here), check out a few predator traps (you know, for rats, stoats, possums, feral cats), and sometimes even spot the birds or chicks on camera.”
By this point, they’re either totally fascinated or slightly concerned about my idea of fun.
But that’s the magic of being a Burrow Buddy. It’s not just about the hands-on work – it’s about the stories I can tell, the quirky encounters in the bush, and the chance to make a real difference for local wildlife. And for me, it all started with a post on the Raglan Notice Board.
How I Got Involved
The Karioi Project posted on the Raglan Notice Board asking for Volunteer Burrow Buddies. Having followed the group’s work from a distance and been super impressed with all their various activities, but not yet gotten around to doing anything, I figured this was my chance!
In April, I signed up for the introduction evening and turned up to find myself welcomed into an amazing home by an enthusiastic whānau. The evening was fascinating – these folks know their stuff! It was great to see what an ōi (aka grey-faced petrel) actually was and learn a bit about them. We don’t see them swooping around Raglan, as they spend most of their life at sea. It was impressive to hear about what the Karioi Project had achieved so far and to be surrounded by such positive energy – from those who had participated over many years and those who were keen to give it a go for the first time too.
In May a group of volunteers met up for an introduction to the fieldwork with Georgia, the Karioi seabird ranger, and Summer, their young intern. We headed out to see what being a Burrow Buddy was actually all about. I still didn’t know what a burrow would look like, or how to spot one, so it was neat to see the little holes scattered around randomly, with number markers at the entrances, and cameras at key sites. It now seemed reasonably simple, and I now knew what ‘sticks up or sticks down’ meant and how to spot other signs like the presence of guano. The trapping part of the deal was maybe not so straightforward, but I could see how important it was.
We created a WhatsApp group “Burrow Buddies Are Go” and figured out a schedule to ensure all burrows were monitored weekly. It was exciting to think that the ōi had already flown home to the base of Karioi, scoped out their burrows from last season, or made some new burrows and hopefully had a chance to mate (well, they have to do it somewhere, and on land seems a bit easier than out at sea, right???).
Fellow new Burrow Buddy Shelley and I decided to go out together weekly. That was a wise decision as we familiarised ourselves with the different tasks to complete and helped each other locate the winding tracks and multiple burrows, which was more difficult without the knowledgeable Georgia at our side. We also faced our first catch (a big, juicy rat) and supported each other while getting the trap baited and reset.
Apprehensive about the tedious task of browsing hundreds of trail camera photos in the hope of catching the odd glimpse of a seabird, I was pleasantly surprised - it was super exciting! We saw our first ōi appear in September. Adults had started heading to and from the burrows. How cool to know that many fluffy chicks were now eagerly awaiting their parents. This made it especially scary to see footage of dogs, possums, rats and cats in the same places.
Over the course of the following weeks, it was sad to discover that some of these active burrows were suddenly no longer inhabited. This reinforced our desire to keep the surviving birds safe and excited us further when we saw any sign of life such as ‘sticks down’, guano, feathers or better yet, camera footage of happy ōi! Our trapping skills improved – and we started looking forward to peering inside to see if we’d caught anything.
A definite trapping highlight was a stoat caught so close to some active burrows. The possum was quite something too – my first experience swinging a dead possum far into the bush. We also got better at knowing each of the burrows along our line and having a mental picture of where RW1 or RW19 are. It was great to have updates from other Burrow Buddies on the WhatsApp group, who were responsible for checking other clusters of burrows, and to feel a part of “burrow life”.
By good fortune, some kororā (little penguins) were nesting close to the ōi, and were also caught on camera. They are super cute! In early December Shelley was lucky enough to glimpse a fluffy kororā chick at the entrance of its burrow.
A highlight of the year was going out with the group one evening, and watching Kristel band some ōi chicks. Oh and the yummy picnic shared and the gifts received in appreciation for our weekly mahi. The Karioi Project crew are a very special ‘breed’ of Raglan people, and it has been a privilege to join in the work, learn from them and feel connected to our own backyard. Over the season, Shelley and I became buddies too – nothing like bonding over a dead rat!
