Birdfeeding in urban gardens is a popular pastime in Aotearoa New Zealand. Recent research shows that while feeding has potential benefits for native birds, there are also risks, so it’s important to do it right. We spoke to Dr Daria Erastova to find out why people use sugar water to feed birds on their property. … Continue reading Help not harm: tips to feed birds in your backyard
Experienced predator control specialists are in hot demand, and we’ll need even more to successfully achieve the Predator Free NZ vision. The Predator Free Apprentice Programme was formed to help fill this gap, and provide a career path for people wanting to work in predator control and eradication. The programme is funded by DOC Jobs … Continue reading Cracking into a career in conservation
Photo-booths for lizards, long-lasting lures, and a trap that can recognise what it’s caught – if you want creative, hi-tech yet practical solutions to predator control problems, talk to Critter Solutions. Meet the brains behind the company. Dr Helen Blackie, biosecurity consultant at Boffa Miskell, has more than twenty years of experience working in wildlife … Continue reading High-tech predator control solutions for today, not tomorrow
Controlling introduced mammal predators can lead to an increase in native birds, lizards, and invertebrates – but could fewer predators also lead to an unwelcome increase in rabbits? You might expect so, but in Aotearoa New Zealand rabbit populations usually influence the number of predators, rather than the other way round. Let’s look at the … Continue reading Rabbit control could help us towards a predator free future
In many wildlife sanctuaries around New Zealand fences make it almost impossible for most introduced predators to get in. But mice can still sneak through – and without those larger predators, their populations can explode. But is this fact something we should be worried about? A five-year research project led by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare … Continue reading When it comes to predator free, do mice matter?