Greenbacks for yellowheads

BY AMANDA MORRALL

On a silver bird flying from Manhattan to New Zealand, a yellow-headed winged biped that embodies the pre-European essence of the South Island found a friend in passenger Nigel Babbage.

It turns out this was no flight of fancy for either Babbage or the mohua, the diminutive bird that once dominated the native forests.

After reading about the plight of the endangered bird in the seat-pocket magazine in front of him, the retired currency trader resolved to put his talents for making money to a greater good.

Recounting the incident, Babbage describes it as one of those "corny, cliche" light bulb moments.

"I was retiring from currency trading after 23 years (at the age of 43). I had no plans, no idea what I was going to do here."

When he arrived in Christchurch he got in touch with the Conservation Department to enlist for volunteer duty, and subsequently dispatched for two weeks to Codfish Island, off of Stewart Island, to assist with "supplementary" feeding kakapo.

The job entailed stocking bird feeding stations to improve the odds of survival for nearby nesting kakapo.

"I was absolutely blown away. I don't know if it was having worked in Manhattan for 10 years or what but I was enchanted by the beauty of the island and the flora and fauna," recalls Babbage.

In February 2007, he participated in another supplementary feeding mission, this time on Anchor Island, where he first encountered the yellowhead or mohua.

Conservation is proving to be a popular past time for a growing number of wealthy entrepreneurs with time and money to spare.

Well known Golden Bay ornithologist Rhys Buckingham, who was sought out by Babbage in his quest to save birds, says there is a growing team of philanthropists and corporations who have come on board in recent years.

With fewer government dollars available for conservation efforts, Buckingham says private wealth will come to play a growing role in pulling endangered species back from the brink of extinction.

Babbage admits that birds and philanthropy were not on his radar when he was in New York. But during his time in the bush, sitting in solitude amid the natural environment, his thoughts crystallised.

"The word epiphany is overused but that's what it was. What became clear to me is that conservation efforts lack resources. And when you boil down the word resource, what it means is money.

"There are much better ornithologists than me, who have dedicated their lives to it, but what I could contribute was financial resources."

Babbage went into business for himself with Mohua as his trading name, emblem and inspiration. As fate, or coincidence, would have it, it is the same bird on the New Zealand $100 bill.

Babbage donates 10 per cent of his annual profits to support efforts to re- establish the mohua population. Regardless of his performance (he trades currency, commodities and plays the stock market), he has earmarked a minimum $10,000 per year for mohua.

So far his contributions have assisted with two translocation projects, moving roughly two dozen mohua from Anchor Island (where they are more populous) to the south branch of the Hurunui where they have all but disappeared - less than 10.

Graeme Elliott, a DOC scientist who did his PhD on Mohua, says those efforts, while tricky to monitor, are regarded a success.

Of the birds they were able to keep watch over, several began mating within weeks of being moved to their new home.

Before European settlement and deforestation, it was the most prolific bird on the South Island.

Elliott says it'll take some time before they are sufficiently re- established to the point of no longer being a threatened species.

"We've got the predator control working really, really well now. The population is starting to rise but we're going to have to wait ages before we see tonnes of birds back in there.

"We're just in a genetic bottleneck as a result of having so few birds there for such a long time. It seems like we can pump up the place again, so it's looking good."

Babbage admits to having "fallen in love" with the yellowhead.

"They're extremely cute little birds, and you form emotional bonds with them."

Elliott says birders are easily charmed by Mohua because of their appearance and "beautiful" singing voice.

Mohua, currently set up as a charitable trust, is in the process of being registered with the Charities Commission.

That will enable others who wish to support the cause of mohua to get a 33 per cent tax rebate on each dollar donated.

Elliot says the aim is to get mohua and other native bird populations back to the numbers once found in New Zealand's native forests.

In recognition of that, Babbage has set up a separate charitable trust in honour of the kokako or "grey ghost".

The bird is so elusive in the South Island now that it is regarded as extinct.

Buckingham, one of the bird's most fierce admirers and dogged pursuers, is determined to change that status.

Since the bird was deemed dead by DOC, birders and philanthropists have fluttered to the surface in the hope of proving the official record wrong.

Buckingham hopes to be at the frontline when he comes up with the photographic proof.

And Babbage, of course, is banking on it.

- © Fairfax NZ News