High-tech nest sensors protect Muriwai penguins

When birdwatchers think of Muriwai, gannets probably come to mind – but the small settlement west of Auckland is also home to a growing population of kororā - little penguins.

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The birds, which are the world’s smallest penguin, used to nest in the dunes along Muriwai’s main beach.

Facing predation by mustelids, cats, and even dogs, as well as an increasing number of humans and vehicles on the beach, the colony had been on the decline.

But the efforts of a hard-working environmental charity over the past decade are helping this plucky species rebuild their presence in the area.

Members of the Muriwai Environmental Trust (MET) estimate around 100 kororā now nest in the area.

They have documented more than 50 burrows in the coastal forest and beaches, have installed and maintained dozens of nest boxes, and trapped more than 12,000 rats, possums and other predators.

The group’s Muriwai Penguin Project, created in 2014, faced a setback in February 2023 when Cyclone Gabrielle decimated the coastline around Muriwai, including penguin nest sites.

Since then, MET has been working to rebuild and enhance the penguin’s habitat with the help of community volunteers, installing new nest boxes and enhancing predator trapping in the area – to the tune of tens of thousands of volunteer hours.

The group now estimates more than 80 penguin chicks have been protected from predators through their efforts.

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Above: MET Chairman Richard Wright at a community workshop session in Muriwai.

MET Chairman Richard Wright said when the project began there was little awareness of the penguin population there – even among Muriwai locals – but enthusiasm for the cause has grown significantly.

As well as helping the penguins, Richard says the group’s efforts are leading to significant increases to bird life in the area due to enhanced trapping.

“I originally got involved as a trapper after I noticed there wasn’t a lot of bird life around -and I’ve met a whole lot of like-minded locals who want to improve the environment out here,” Richard said.

“I’m really glad I did – we’ve seen some incredible results already – we see so many more moreporks (ruru), fantails (piwakawaka) and kereru at our place.”

MET Trustee Andy Corbett, who co-leads the Muriwai Penguin Project, said the community has come together to support the effort.

“There’s a bit of amazement about the fact we actually have penguins, and a lot of curiosity about what we’re doing, especially with the nest boxes,” Andy said.

“Community awareness has been absolutely key to growing the organisation and encouraging the protection of all the biodiversity we have in the area.”

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Above: MET volunteers build nest boxes for little penguins.

Auckland Zoo bird keeper Jasmine Rabaud, who with other Zoo colleagues, works closely with kororā, said community conservation efforts like these are key.

“It's super important that communities get behind any sort of conservation work – there are the big organisations that are doing their thing too, but every little bit counts,” she said.

“It's kind of like that small little stone you throw in a lake and then it ripples out.

“If we can get everybody involved, we're going to have a better success rate in the future, and a better outcome not only for species like little blue penguins, but for all of our native species.”

Little penguins are secretive, which explains why so many Muriwai locals were previously unaware of their presence.

The birds typically leave their burrows (or nest boxes) around dawn, heading out to sea to look for food, and return to their nest at dusk to spend the night.

This means there are penguin rush hours – at dawn and dusk – where the chance of kororā encountering humans is greatly increased.

Unfortunately, several penguins have been found run over by vehicles on the beach over the years, and there have also been dog attacks when owners don’t follow the rules.

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Above: A little penguin inside a MET nesting box.

Richard said MET has also been working on technology to help monitor traps and nest sites.

“We’ve been trying to develop nest box monitors which have temperature sensors in them, which will tell us when penguins are present, right down to whether that’s a single bird, or a parent with chicks.”

The monitoring devices are ingenious – they make use of a small self-contained computer chip called an ESP32, which is tiny enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand.

Various modules can be installed on these ESP32s, including accelerometers, thermometers, light sensors and more.

The devices convey a wide range of information back to MET using long-range low frequency radio signals, which pass through 4G relay stations installed by volunteers.

“Our plan is to open source the code and schematics so that it can be implemented by other groups in the future,” Richard said.

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Above: Technology develop by MET to monitor penguins in Muriwai.

While little penguins are found in most parts of New Zealand, Richard said colonies on the country’s west coast will be crucial to the preservation of the species.

“West Coast penguins are really important, because they will face less problems with marine heat waves due to cooler water coming up from the Tasman Sea,” he said.

Little penguins generally only dive to a depth of around 30-40 feet to forage for food, and warmer ocean temperatures are pushing their prey species to deeper, depriving the kororā of food.

“Our population, and the science we’re doing, is really important to the wider conservation effort,” Richard said.

MET, like many other charities, is constantly on the lookout for funding to help get new projects underway, or just to keep current projects going.

“We’ve had amazing support from entities like Auckland Council and the Department of Conservation, as well as from organisations like WWF, the AI Forum of New Zealand, Predator Free NZ, Warehouse Building Supplies and the New Zealand Penguin Initiative.”

Another recent donor was the ANZ New Zealand Staff Foundation, which gave $9900 to help pay for nest box materials, predator control supplies and monitoring equipment.

“That ANZ Staff Foundation funding has really helped us develop that remote nest box monitoring technology, which is going to be so important for us in the future.”

Richard said the ANZ funding had also led to about 50 new nesting boxes being created.

Looking forward, Richard said MET wants to see the Muriwai penguin colony restored and protected for generations to come.

“The ultimate goal is to have a really thriving, sustainable kororā colony – hopefully hundreds of birds – and to be recognised as a haven for them on the west coast,” he said.

And Richard also has another lofty long-term goal – returning kiwi to the area.

“The thought of my kids, who are 13 and 15, being able to hear kiwi at night in this area – it’s incredible to think that we may be able to do that.”

This story was first published in Forest & Bird Magazine