Backyard Legends #4

Roger lives up in Māori Hill and has been trapping possums in his backyard for the past two years.

“We could hear them at night racketing around in the garden and they were having a go at some plants.”

“Once when my grandkids were over from Australia they left some plums out on the table and the next morning the possums had taken them!”

Roger says there has been an increase in bird life at his property since he moved there in the 1980s, but he adds “I’m not taking all the credit for that!”

Tui, kererū, bellbirds/korimako and waxeyes/tauhou are common visitors.

Kererū visiting Roger's property.

“There’s a few kowahi trees that the wood pigeons love and they also get into the cabbage trees at the right time of year.”

Trapping possums is a fairly easy process Roger reckons.

"In the beginning I was using a post hole digger [to bury possums] but after the fourth or fifth possum I thought 'too much effort', so now I bag them and they go out in the rubbish."

"The Trapinator trap is good because the possum is dead and it's killed instantly."

And what's his dream for the area?

"More bird life would be great. I've like to see more native trees planted to keep the native birds happy and fed over winter."