Kea Conservation on the Milford Track

Since 2020, Walkers on the Milford Track have donated over $20,000 to the Kea Conservation Trust.  Their donations have been supported by the team at Ultimate Hikes bringing the amount to significantly more.

Walkers on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks are always thrilled to see and hear native Kea as they hike over the alpine trails.  Some seasons they can even be found around some lodges.   

Over the years we noticed that the Kea numbers fluctuated from season to season so we contacted the Kea Conservation Trust to find out about the population in the area.  We learnt the Trust was focusing on other regions and didn't have the funds to monitor the birds in such remote locations, so we decided to help.

We invited them to come on track and stay with us to start tracking kea and learning if there were resident populations on the Milford Track.  Since 2020, Lydia McLean has led teams on track every season to see how many kea there are and possibly catch to test some for lead poisoning, and band them to monitor their movements.  The team stays at our lodges and also camp in the lunch hut at Pass Hut on the top of the Omanui/McKinnon Pass.  On their first visit they tested and banded four kea. 

In December 2021 they saw a huge increase in bird numbers on track.  Over 20 birds were banded at Pass Hut, Mintaro hut and Pompolona Lodge, and our walkers were able to learn from the team more about the Kea and their habits.  Over the years the numbers continue to fluctuate but the Trust has now established that some breeding pairs and young families call Fiordland their home.

Monitoring Kea populations

The Kea database registers all birds that have been banded and encourages people to reports sightings of them on the website.

The bands have unique numbers, colours or letters on them and if you see one you can log on to the database and provide information about where you saw it.  You can also track its movements from other sightings.  Some have been given special names from a programme operating a few years ago when over 45 Kea were banded in the region and sponsored by Ultimate Hikes walkers.

What's next?

We will continue to support the trust over the seasons to ensure kea are protected in this remote region of the country:  

• Providing funds for the trust to monitor breeding pairs to learn more about their habitat and where they nest.
• Hosting teams from the Trust to stay on track to monitor and band birds.
• If nests are found the trust can put traps around it to protect the nest from predators.
• Encourage walkers to sponsor kea and support the Trust's work on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks.
• Removing lead from the last of the buildings we are responsible for on the Milford Track and Routeburn Tracks.

We are very excited to continue our work and support the KCT on the tracks to protect and enhance the Kea population in the Fiordland and Southland region.

To learn more about the trust and what they do click on the link below.