19Nov 28, 2013
Crawling out of my tent at dusk, I noticed the erratic flight of a long-tailed bat high above the kahikatea trees surrounding the Pelorus Bridge Campground. That sighting led not only to five years of surveys for these elusive creatures across the top of the South Island, but also the instigation of a pest control […]
20Nov 7, 2013
If the directions had just said “Turn off State Highway 4 and drive to the very end of Oio Road” I would have got there much sooner. Our small convoy of cars lost touch with other, one went up and down State Highway 4 looking for Oio Rd, another was going up and down Oio […]
21Nov 5, 2013
Our sooty shearwaters, or titi make one of the longest migrations on the planet and I was enlisted to stand on a windy cliff-top, arms outstretched in a hope of netting them (and their data loggers) so we have a fuller understanding of their flight path. Eighteen months ago, DOC scientist, Graeme Taylor, had put […]
22Sep 30, 2013
Our native parakeet karariki won the Bird of the Year in 2010, and we think this little beauty has the charisma and style to take the crown again this year. This wee gem packs a lot of punch with their bright green plumage and upbeat attitude, just like their political namesake, the party Green. Kakariki […]
23Sep 30, 2013
For many years I lived at Portobello, on the Otago Peninsula, near Dunedin. At the weekend I’d often head out on my bike to Taiaroa Head, at the tip of the peninsula. What drew me there were the albatrosses – the only mainland colony of albatrosses anywhere in the world. As I approached I’d start […]
24Aug 23, 2013
Snapper are one of New Zealand’s most popular fishes, and are highly sought after – both recreationally and commercially. They are found around the shallow waters of the North Island, making them an ideal fishing target. The Kaipara Harbour, north of Auckland, is one of the largest harbours in the world. It is a large […]
25Aug 5, 2013
In part 1, I had just ordered a cat bib online after our cat Ruzz caught a waxeye. It’s now a few weeks later and I thought it was time for an update. The bib arrived a week after the order via catbib.co.au (which was hassle-free) and Ruzz seems to find it no problem at […]
26Sep 28, 2012
The rock wren – it wakes up to “100% Pure” views (for now), it has some serious eyebrows and it hops to the beat of its own drum. Vote rock wren for bird of the year 2012. Rugged The (petite) Edmund Hillary of the bird world, the rock wren is our only true alpine bird. […]
27Apr 30, 2012
It was a four-day whistle-stop tour of the top of the south. There were long-tailed bats, fantails, royal spoonbills, pukeko and a whale. It was definitely a whale, and definitely not a rock. Forest & Bird’s National Volunteer Co-ordinator Heidi Quinn had spent the last seven weeks on the road visiting almost every single Forest […]