Avian malaria – is it a threat?
We’ve got a pretty good idea of the damage being done to our native wildlife by introduced predators, but when it comes to introduced diseases,…
Windy Hill restoration brings employment for community
Conservation projects can benefit more than just the local wildlife. There can be significant community benefits too. When a community benefits, their support for conservation…
Predator scent may be key to developing long-life lures
When scientists Patrick Garvey (University of Auckland), Alistair Glen and Roger Pech (Landcare Research, Lincoln) tested the response of 18 wild-caught stoats to the scents…
Shakespear volunteers welcome new birds to park
Observant visitors to Shakespear Regional Park recently, may have observed a sheep wearing a transmitter. They might even have spotted volunteers, dressed in high-vis vests,…
Long-term study reveals bat response to predator control
As our only native land mammal, bats are both vulnerable to introduced mammal predators and potentially vulnerable to the methods used to control those predators.…
Call of the wild
Shona Riddell travels to some of New Zealand’s precious and isolated subantarctic islands: the Snares, Enderby Island, Auckland Island and Campbell Island. Halfway into our…
Canadian researchers come up with innovative rat-luring techniques
Rats are a uniquely serious problem on islands such as New Zealand where there has been a rodent-free evolution of our wildlife and plantlife, but…
Conserving biodiversity – what should be prioritised?
Lack of forest habitat or introduced predators – which is the biggest barrier to native biodiversity in New Zealand’s lowland landscapes? Can they even be…
Remote Blue Duck Station is haven for whio, kiwi and bats
At Blue Duck Station, in the Ruapehu District, you’ll find (no prizes for guessing)… blue ducks! In fact Blue Duck Station has one of the…
Survey reveals public predator control efforts
Rats are the introduced predator that homeowners are most likely to combat, according to the results just out from the 2016 ‘Public Perceptions of New…
Tāwharanui success is model for open sanctuaries
One day last month Alison Stanes, Chair of the Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc (TOSSI) was at Tāwharanui monitoring New Zealand dotterels. During the course of…
Serendipity helps Hochstetter’s Frogs
When planning began for Maungatautari Ecological Island Sanctuary, no-one knew that a population of New Zealand’s endemic Hochstetter’s Frog lived within the sanctuary’s planned fenceline.…
New skink species is one of many Bream Head discoveries
In 2013, rangers at Bream Head Scenic Reserve, in the Whangarei Heads area, discovered a species of skink completely new to science. It is just…
Frass drop – finding clues from the poos
If you want to measure the abundance of birds in a forest you can count how many you see or record the birdsong you hear.…
Raptors vs aliens – might it work?
‘Raptors vs aliens’ – it sounds like the latest Hollywood blockbuster, but it’s actually the title of a paper published in the NZ Journal of…
