Illustrator, Melissa Boardman celebrates overlooked native birds Melissa Boardman is an illustrator passionate about native birds, conservation and the environment. She frequently visits predator free sanctuaries across Aotearoa where she spends her time observing and photographing birds in their … [Read more...] about Appreciating what lies beyond the forest’s edge
Success stories
New home for barking geckos in successful penned release
Small, slow-moving in cold weather and with limited defenses other than camouflage and hiding, our skinks and geckos are vulnerable to predators – but efforts to relocate some of them to sanctuaries haven’t always been successful. Researchers have been refining their methods, however, and a recent … [Read more...] about New home for barking geckos in successful penned release
Burning questions, conservation conundrums – kiwi researchers share insights on key research challenges
What don’t we know? What challenges need further investigation? In January of this year, Predator Free 2050 Ltd announced two funding initiatives – one for doctorate and post-doctorate research at tertiary and research institutions and the other for ‘Products to Projects’, where the aim is to … [Read more...] about Burning questions, conservation conundrums – kiwi researchers share insights on key research challenges
Multiple methods demonstrate wetland restoration benefits
Once we called them swamps and thought of these places – if we thought of them at all – as potential farmland and subdivisions, muddy, boggy and waiting to be drained. Nowadays they’re ‘wetlands’ and its not just the labelling that’s changed. Our attitudes are slowly changing too. Wetlands are … [Read more...] about Multiple methods demonstrate wetland restoration benefits
What’s outside the fence matters too
Fenced sanctuaries don’t come cheap – but they do offer a way to create areas of rich, predator free habitat for vulnerable species. But what about the habitat outside the fence? Most research to date has looked at ‘inside the fence’ habitat and bird populations, but good habitat beyond the … [Read more...] about What’s outside the fence matters too
New book invites children to be ‘nature heroes’ too
New Zealand Nature Heroes by Gillian Candler (Published by Potton and Burton) is a book I would have loved to have received as a child. Intended for an 8-14 years age group, it is pitched as ‘inspiration and activities for young conservationists’ and the book is exactly that. Each section … [Read more...] about New book invites children to be ‘nature heroes’ too
Goat Island rat abundance measured in multiple ways
Markus Gronwald and James Russell from the University of Auckland recently measured rat relative abundance on Goat Island, 70km north of Auckland. Both camera traps and digital strike counters for Goodnature A24 self-resetting traps were used and the results compared. A total of 7155 videos, more … [Read more...] about Goat Island rat abundance measured in multiple ways
Volunteers monitor kiwi dispersal for 8 years
Between 2010 and 2016, the community group Friends of Flora Inc., in partnership with the Department of Conservation, translocated 44 roroa (great spotted kiwi, Apteryx haastii) to the Flora Stream area in Kahurangi National Park. But that was just the beginning of the project. Each kiwi was fitted … [Read more...] about Volunteers monitor kiwi dispersal for 8 years
A strange tale of a bat and a ‘rose’
New Zealand’s short-tailed bats are tiny – but their appetite is massive. They can increase their bodyweight by a huge 30% in just one night’s successful foraging. That’s some serious pigging out! So just how tiny are they? Well, head to tail their body length is only 6-7cm, but across-wise, … [Read more...] about A strange tale of a bat and a ‘rose’
Plastic nest material is potential threat to gannets
Ocean plastic is a worldwide problem – and its impacting wildlife here in New Zealand too. A recent study checked out how much plastic is turning up in gannet nests at a Hauraki Gulf gannetry and found an alarming 86% of nests had at least some plastic included in their construction! Australasian … [Read more...] about Plastic nest material is potential threat to gannets