Wood pigeon high on PhD student's radar

Alice Baranyovits encourages Aucklanders to look out for kereru, although they can be hard to spot.

Walking about Auckland's streets holding up a rather large antenna, Alice Baranyovits isn't surprised some bemused onlookers have asked if she's searching for aliens.

But in fact, the Auckland University PhD student has been listening out for another little green creature - New Zealand's noisy native pigeon.

The mobile antenna she has been using picks up the high-frequency signals sent by tiny transmitters that have been attached to a handful of kereru flying around the city.

But keeping track of the birds doesn't have to be so technical for everyone else. She encourages anyone who spots kereru to report the sighting to her, or even just share what plants they have growing in their backyards.

Kereru can be hard to spot.

The bird is particularly important to New Zealand conservation as it's the principal disperser of seeds of larger fruiting plants, such as the karaka and taraire, vital for the regeneration of native forests.

Ms Baranyovits' Auckland Kereru Project, which investigates the spread of these fruits as well as those of introduced plants, began with surveys using the antenna.

"Once you get a rough idea where you think it is, you then move to different areas to triangulate the signals," she said. "As I discovered, it's very difficult to get an idea in an urban area like Auckland."

The surveys also made for an intriguing spectacle, and many curious passersby couldn't resist asking what she was up to. "I did get a lot of strange looks and comments - some people joked they were sure my phone signal wasn't that bad - but as soon as I started telling them about it, they were really interested."

She encouraged Aucklanders to look out for kereru, even if they thought they'd never seen one in their garden. "Despite being really big birds, they're not actually that easy to spot, because they spend most of the time sitting around in a tree."

*People can get involved by visiting: http://aucklandkereruproject.weebly.com/

Spot the pigeon

• Alice Baranyovits has tracked kereru around two suburbs, Mt Eden and Birkenhead.

• The Auckland Kereru Project she is running looks at how kereru disperse seeds and fruits from native and introduced trees around the city.

• The seed-dispersing birds play an important role in nature, helping regeneration in native forests.