Feisty petrels still at risk from predators
When it comes to predation risks, it helps if you’re big and have attitude – especially if your breeding colony is on the mainland. Westland…
Volunteers are vital at Orokonui
A dedicated team of volunteers contribute an impressive 13,000 hours of work each year to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, just north of Dunedin. “Our volunteers help with…
Tools for a predator-free future
The technology associated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is getting smart and sophisticated. These intriguing little machines are more than just Christmas toys. High-end models…
App launch tops successful year for Squawk Squad
A while back the Squawk Squad team were thinking about how they could get people more interested in birds in the lead-up to the December launch…
Detecting predators in the city – what works best?
Tracking tunnels, chew cards and WaxTags© are commonly used to detect predator presence and monitor abundance, but in recent years there’s been a new tool…
Bush savvy volunteers have ‘a bit of a scramble’
Field co-ordinator, John Caygill reckons it’s “a bit of a scramble” checking the traplines on the Rainy Creek Project, “And on some lines there’s a…
Takahe protection benefits the neighbours
How much trapping does it take to make a difference? Sometimes even a small difference can make all the difference to a species that is…
Sanctuary raises profile of endemic lizards
In Central Otago the locals are becoming increasingly proud of their giant lizards. “Reptiles are our megafauna,” says Grant Norbury, a Landcare Research scientist based…
Urban possums – it’s not just about the roses
When possums live in an urban landscape, their fondness for fruit, flowers and foliage quickly makes then unpopular with gardeners. They can be noisy on…
Urban kaka – how are they adapting to city life?
As kaka become a more familiar part of everyday suburban lives in some parts of New Zealand, the city-living parrots are also attracting the attention…
New podiTRAP a long time in the making
Inventing a new kind of trap can be a slow kind of process. Sometimes you don’t even know you’re on that journey until you’re well…
Rat bait resistance – should we be worried?
Anticoagulant poisons are commonly used to kill rats in New Zealand and around the world. But at least 18 countries in Europe, America and Asia…
Kiwibank Predator Free Schools announced
Predator Free New Zealand Trust has selected the ten schools that will take part in the inaugural Kiwibank Predator Free Schools programme. Over 75 schools…
Possums sorted – look out Omaui rats
A few years back, John Collins of Omaui got sick of shooting possums every night. He decided more needed to be done. Omaui is a…
Narrow escape makes horror reading
It could have been so much worse… red foxes, Patagonian foxes, mongooses (or should that be mongeese?) – even badgers were proposed as a solution…
