Maungatautari Ecosanctuary is overflowing with tūī. They’re spilling over the predator proof fence into the surrounding community, according to an article just published in Notornis – the research journal of BirdsNZ. It’s great news for those who live near the sanctuary – especially those whose … [Read more...] about Tūī spill out from Maungatautari
Success stories
Remembering Don Merton and a bird called ‘Old Blue’
Don Merton (1939-2011) was a passionate pioneer in the conservation of endangered birds. His work was recognised world-wide and for 30 years he worked with the kakapo recovery programme. But there was another, even rarer bird that he and his team brought back from the very brink of extinction – the … [Read more...] about Remembering Don Merton and a bird called ‘Old Blue’
National survey looks at ‘worldview’ and public attitudes to gene drive technologies
What do you know about gene drive technology? How do you feel about it? Would knowing more make you feel more supportive of gene drive as a future means of eradication? DNA strand. These were some of the questions posed in a recent study looking at public opinion towards gene drive and how it … [Read more...] about National survey looks at ‘worldview’ and public attitudes to gene drive technologies
Researchers surprised by petrel numbers on ‘refuge’ islands
A survey of 71 islands in southern Fiordland in the summer of 2017, by researchers from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Department of Conservation, found forty breeding colonies of three petrel species spread across 35 of those 71 islands, according to a report just published in … [Read more...] about Researchers surprised by petrel numbers on ‘refuge’ islands
New book tells story of ‘Disaster on Four Small Paws’
Dr Carolyn King has spent a lifetime studying New Zealand’s introduced mammalian predators and is recognised as an international expert on mustelids. Meticulous historical and scientific research, along with a lifetime of practical field experience come together in her latest book, Invasive … [Read more...] about New book tells story of ‘Disaster on Four Small Paws’
Native plants show potential as future rat toxins
Tuhoe researchers recently joined other scientists in evaluating naturally occurring toxins in native plants. Could one of those toxins provide a culturally acceptable alternative to existing rodenticides? The results of their study have just been published in the New Zealand Journal of … [Read more...] about Native plants show potential as future rat toxins
Hot News from the Cold South: An update on Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island
As 2019 ends, so does the feasibility stage of the Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island project. This ambitious project proposes to eradicate pigs, mice and cats from Auckland Island (46,000 ha), the largest island in New Zealand’s World Heritage listed Subantarctic region. This is a significant … [Read more...] about Hot News from the Cold South: An update on Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island
Video camera study reveals rare birds in ruru diet
The ruru (morepork) is a predator – but it’s certainly not on the ‘predator-free’ hit list. Those slots are just for introduced mammal predators which haven’t co-evolved with our vulnerable native species. Ruru do prey on other native wildlife however, including endangered species, as a recent study … [Read more...] about Video camera study reveals rare birds in ruru diet
Lance Richdale – first protector of albatross at Taiaroa Head
The world’s only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross – at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula – might not exist at all if it weren’t for one man. His name was Lance Richdale. Lance Richdale weighs the first albatross chick to successfully fledge at Taiaroa Head, 23 April 1938. … [Read more...] about Lance Richdale – first protector of albatross at Taiaroa Head
Kaikoura red-billed gull study reveals predator impacts over 52 years
If you park up at the beach with a feed of fish and chips it can seem like red-billed gulls are common and thriving. But 52 years’ worth of observations and monitoring data from New Zealand’s biggest gull breeding colony on the Kaikoura Peninsula tells a somewhat different story. Mammal predators … [Read more...] about Kaikoura red-billed gull study reveals predator impacts over 52 years