Paul van Klink and Hoki at work up the Routeburn.

CAROLINE HARKER

The passions of Paul van Klink are an unlikely combination of birds and bikes. The birds are the feathered kind, preferably native and usually endangered; and the bikes are ideally motorised, often step-through, and generally small - no more than 50CC.

A Wanaka resident for the past five years, Paul’s longest home base to date has been the West Coast. He lived there for 15 years working in conservation, but came to Wanaka five years ago. Two years ago he took a job with Fish and Game, hoping it would give him more time at home.

Conservation is his greatest passion, but back-to-back field trips meant he was always away.

As a wildlife contractor on the coast, Paul spent most of his time in the bush. He still loves the bush, and spends a lot of time there, when he’s not tinkering on old motorbikes, that is.

"Bikes have been breeding in my garage,” he said. "There are five of them there now.” His favourite is a 1971 Suzuki 50. Paul is passionate about classic scooters, mopeds and 50CC motorcycles. He’s the man behind the annual Upper Clutha Scooter Hooter. The sixth event is scheduled for September 23.

However birds were, and will remain, Paul’s first love. While his job at Fish & Game involves managing numbers of game birds (mainly ducks and quail) and sports fish (trout and salmon) he doesn’t shoot birds himself.

"I prefer bigger game, such as deer. I can’t bring myself to shoot birds. But I love fly fishing, and whitebaiting.”

The main bird species Paul has been involved in helping protect are whio (blue ducks), weka, kiwi and kea. On Thursday (June 29) he gave a public talk on surveying whio with the help of his conservation dog Hoki. He also spoke about the declining national kea population - down to between 3,000 and 7,000 birds - which is largely due to predators. Although kea have been legally protected since 1983, Paul said they are facing a wide variety of threats to their survival. He hopes to give a talk in Wanaka devoted to kea later in the year.

Paul has been working on whio protection since he was 17-years-old, and that work alone has taken him all over the country. 

Male whio on guard.

"Whio are the iconic bird of backcountry rivers,” he said. "But there are only about 3,000 left. And they are crepuscular, which means you won’t often see them out and about except early in the mornings, or late afternoons.” Paul’s whio surveying work involves monitoring numbers, and locating nesting whio, which he couldn’t do without the help of his springer spaniel border collie cross, Hoki.

Hoki has been specifically trained for whio and can pick up their scent when Paul can’t see them. "They’re usually hidden away, often under river banks, so it’s very hard to spot them. Hoki will let me know there’s a duck nearby and then it’s my job to find it. I wouldn’t have a show without her.”

Paul said traps targeting stoats on both sides of rivers, together with the use of 1080 for possums and rats, has been very effective, and whio numbers have stabilised or are increasing where predator programmes are in place. Paul said taking eggs off whio nests very early on in the breeding season and hatching them in captivity, while leaving the ducks to renest, has increased numbers too.

Monitoring whio involves a lot of time walking up and down backcountry rivers, so it’s no wonder Paul’s happy to be in his garage tinkering with old bikes when he’s got some spare time. Not that he’s got much of that. If you see a tall slender man on a very small Suzuki around town or heading up a backcountry river with a large white and black dog, chances are it will be Paul.

PHOTOS: Supplied