The aggressive actions of a pair of nesting falcons has resulted in the temporary closure of part of an Albert Town public park popular with walkers, bikers and picnickers.

Recently the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) advised it was temporarily closing a portion of Templeton Park to the public after two injuries caused by the falcons were reported.  

A pair of kārearea (New Zealand native falcons) defending their nest have reportedly swooped on hikers and the Department of Conservation (DoC) has erected signs and safety fencing to keep the public away from the nest site.

As a result, the trail connecting Templeton Park to the track running alongside the Clutha River is fenced off as are the picnic areas at the confluence of the Cardrona and Clutha Rivers.

The closure is to protect not only people passing through the area but also the kārearea from further disturbance, the council said, and the park could potentially remain closed until the end of January.

QLDC senior communications advisor Rebecca Pitts said native falcons will nest in the same general area year after year and this aggressive behaviour is in defence of the birds’ eggs and chicks. 

DoC has erected warning signs and fenced off a portion of Templeton Park to protect the nesting falcons. PHOTO: Wanaka App

“They have sharp talons, so strikes can cause lacerations to people and dogs; it can also cause injury, fatigue and stress to the falcons,” she said.  

DoC staff will monitor the area around the nesting site regularly and it will remain closed until council has been advised by DoC that the breeding season is over or the birds have left the area, Rebecca said. 

Templeton Park can still be accessed off Kinnibeg Street for walkers and cyclists wanting to use the Pawson’s Crossing, Halliday Road, Stevensons Road and Shortcut Road trail as well as the Cameron Creek trail to Hook.

This is not the first time public areas have been fenced off in the Albert Town area because of nesting kārearea. In 2015 a portion of the Albert Town Recreation Reserve was fenced off to protect a pair of falcons which had chosen to nest in a fallen log near the Hawea River swing bridge. They successfully raised chicks that year and returned to the same log the following year but the breeding female was killed, reportedly by a cat.

Kārearea are endemic to New Zealand and are considered nationally vulnerable to a multitude of threats ranging from predation, habitat loss and disturbance to development impacts, human persecution and electrocution. 

Last year the Cardrona Alpine Resort established the Cardrona Kārearea Conservation Project to better understand the kārearea population known to inhabit the Cardrona Valley.

The project includes targeted observations of breeding pairs, leg-banding and tracking of individuals to gain insight into habitat use and territory size, and predator control. 

Once DoC has a better knowledge of the habitat, they will be able to identify the most effective predator control strategy, project coordinator Ewan Mackie said.