Last weekend we tried a new method to prevent kea from chewing on the lead flashings of an Arthur’s Pass bach. The previous weekend while on a banding trip we watched a fledgling kea (White P on Pink) nibble on the lead. In 2017, five Arthur’s Pass kea were treated for lead poisoning, two of which later died. We suspect many more kea that we haven’t had sightings of, for over 6 months, may have also come to the same fate. On a positive note, two kea, Wananga and Kerewa, who were treated for lead poisoning in October last year at the South Island Wildlife Hospital, have been recently sighted fit and healthy.
This is the third house in Arthur’s Pass to have the lead either removed or covered in an area of the township where the kea congregate. The other method that can be used is to remove the lead flashing and insert corrugated, tar covered bitufoam under the top plate to make it watertight.