In late January, the Kea Conservation Trust will set up cameras in and near about five kea nests in the East and West Matukituki Valleys, mainly to find out what is eating their eggs and chicks.
Trust chairwoman Tamsin Orr-Walker told the Otago Daily Times last week kea nested under the roots of large trees or rocks anywhere between sea level and the bush line, and were "quite vulnerable to predators''.
To find the nests, trust members will catch females and attach transmitters to them, she said.
"Females are probably the most difficult birds to catch, adult females. They're much more stand-offish than the males.''
Once nests are located, cameras will be put inside and outside to record breeding progress and"predator visitations''.
One of the challenges will be making sure the cameras are not interfered with by the kea, which are renowned for their curiosity.
Ms Orr-Walker said the trust had been monitoring kea nests in various parts of the country since 2009 and had found another problem was possums "messing with the cameras''.
"Possums are so heavy, they will come up to the camera and actually sit on them when they are attached to a tree, and we have had a few collapse with last photos of possums up close and personal.''
Ms Orr-Walker said the Department of Conservation and the Matukituki Charitable Trust had done a lot of predator control work in the Matukituki Valleys and the Kea Conservation Trust "just really want to have a look now at what's happening with the kea there''.
The project is funded by Auckland Zoo ($15,000) and a local private donor ($5000) and is understood to be the most intensive study to be done of kea in the area.
Ms Orr-Walker said trust members attempted in May to locate kea nests in the East Matukituki Valley but saw only one female and some juvenile birds.
The largest recent sighting was of 30 birds around Gloom Gorge.
It would not be possible to live-stream pictures from the nests because of the lack of signal in the Mt Aspiring area.
Ms Orr-Walker said there were opportunities for very fit volunteers to be involved, and reported sightings to the trust's website were always welcome.
