Latest News from Friends of Onoke Spit

The fifteen signatures for the Incorporated Society of Friends of Onoke Spit (FOOS) have been obtained and will be sent away shortly with the other paper work required. This will allow the FOOS to apply for funds from various organizations, as well as receive donations, for the work to be carried out on the Spit over the coming years with weed and pest eradication being the main requirements for funds.

Caspian Terns at Onoke Spit

The Caspian Terns have decided to relocate for the third time this season and are now closer to the wreck of the Addenda so hopefully they will be able to settle and produce some healthy offspring before it is to late. After a discussion with local resident Joe Houghton the only reason we can come up with for the shift is a few days of heavy rain and strong winds earlier in the month. Thanks to those 4 wheel drive and ATV owners for respecting the “Temporary Closed” signs which give some chance to not only the Caspian Terns but also the Banded Dotterels and Variable Oystercatchers nesting sites all along the Spit.

The Greytown Lions recently gave the FOOS group $350.00 towards work on the Spit and we were able to show some of their members what it is all about when they visited the site in late November and they were able to see for themselves how hard it is to see a Banded Dotterel nest with three eggs lying in a small hollow on the gravel!

Joe Houghton and Dougal continue to monitor a series of traps along the Spit and were successful recently with 2 rats, 2 hedgehogs and a small cat caught in the traps. This was on top of 4 other hedgehogs and 1 ferret already caught this season.