46Mar 13, 2015
Hana (10 years old) asks: I am researching Kiwi adaptations for homework. We have to come up with some questions about them and then find the answers. One of my questions was: were kiwis always flightless – if not, what was the benefit of losing the ability to fly? The internet didn’t have the answers […]
47Mar 4, 2015
World Wildlife Day this week highlighted the desperate situation faced by many wild creatures around the world. It’s a good reason to look at a native species that few New Zealanders will have ever seen and some work being done to save it from extinction. Hochstetter’s frog is one of our four native frogs, which […]
48Mar 3, 2015
Mike Creed asks: Two Tui have been visiting our feeder over the past couple of days. They are very noticeable because of their unusually fluffy collar feathers. Are these old birds? Do the collar feathers normally develop like that? They seem to be a couple. Any info would be appreciated! Colin Miskelly from Te Papa says: These do […]
49Feb 19, 2015
“The Batting Season” has nothing to do with cricket. It is the term used by chiropterophiles (bat lovers) to describe the busy summer weeks when bats are out foraging in the warm, insect filled evenings. Such days are so long, bat researchers often won’t get home to sleep until after midnight. This summer in the […]
50Feb 17, 2015
Sixty of the 198 pilot whales that beached themselves in Golden Bay over the weekend have made it to safe water. Over 300 volunteers came from around the country to help stabilize the whales and keep them alive until high tide when they were re-floated. One of those volunteers was Forest & Bird’s fundraiser, Adria […]
51Feb 17, 2015
This article was originally featured in November edition of the Forest & Bird Magazine. If you would like to receive a copy of your own, please consider joining us. Otago’s native fish are in crisis. The latest Department of Conservation-appointed review has found the region has the highest number of threatened native freshwater fish in the country. […]
52Jan 22, 2015
As of yesterday there are still 16 signals that our monitor Heidrun picked up at the wetland. There had been 15 for a while but one bird returned after an absence of 7 weeks. Another early departee has not returned but with some birds returning after long intervals who knows what will happen. At the […]