Bird monitoring in the northern forest block started in 1999 when 5-minute counts were set up with the assistance of the Wellington Branch of the Ornithological Society of NZ. The intention of the monitoring is to establish what bird species are present in EHRP and what is happening to these species over time, especially in response to predator control in the Park.
The most common birds recorded in the Park are silvereye, grey warbler, tui, blackbird, fantail and bellbird. These account for over 80 percent of all birds recorded, but over 30 species are represented in the Park which has a number of species that are now relatively rare in Wellington, especially tomtit, rifleman, whitehead, kakariki and the falcon.
Overall bird numbers recorded have been showing a gradual increase, and silvereyes in particular as might be expected from the predominant species.
Tui