Bird Songs, Volunteers And a Chorus on the Web - Brief Article

International Wildlife, May-June, 2001

Ray Walter (photo below, with his wife Barbara) was the last lighthouse keeper on tiny Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand. His light guided ships into Auckland Harbor with what was once the most powerful beam in the Southern Hemisphere. Then in 1980, his facility was automated. Ray was out of work.

All wasn't lost, however. Forward-thinking conservationists had bigger plans for Tiri-and a new job for Ray. They hired him to oversee volunteers committed to restoring the island from the desolate scrubland it had become to the paradise for birds that it once had been.

Ray married Barbara a few years later, and she joined him as a full- time island resident (in the photo, they're inspecting the crimson, nectar-producing flowers of a pohutukawa tree). Together they have helped turn the conservation dream into reality. In just nine years, the volunteers in their charge planted 280,000 trees of 32 species-all on an island of just 550 acres.

Today, as our story on page 12 reports, Tiri Island is again a haven for New Zealand's native birds. Visitors can hear one of the world's wildest musical performances-a chorus of bird songs erupting at dawn.

The story is a tribute to people who donate their time-and make a difference. The volunteers who transformed Tiri came with shovels and spades to do hard work. They represented schools and senior-citizen groups, nature clubs and churches. In all, the value of their labor translates to about half a million U.S. dollars.

The story also gives our magazine an opportunity to tap into electronic technology to help readers get the full picture. Now you can actually hear some of the glorious bird songs described in the text by calling up our Web site. To listen to the avian chorus made possible by volunteers, check out www.nwf.org/intlwild/2001/tiri.html. The Editors