New Zealand Wildlife
- www.theguardian.com New Zealand rushes vaccination of endangered birds before deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu arrives
Small trial on native birds is part of preparations for arrival of deadly strain of H5N1 avian flu, which has not yet been reported in New Zealand
- www.rnz.co.nz Water dragon on the loose prompts biosecurity warning
The discovery of a water dragon in the wild in the Tasman district comes with fears over invasive species.
- www.rnz.co.nz Dead weasel found inside Zealandia sanctuary
A dead weasel has been found in the Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, leaving staff wondering how it made its way in.
- www.rnz.co.nz Expert Feature: predator control 101
As we all know the Government has set a goal for Aotearoa to be predator free by 2050. One of the organisations doing the most work in this space is of course Predator Free NZ. Cam Speedy is a wildlife biologist and predator control specialist. He answers questions from Jesse and the listeners.
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Drone pictures of White Island in level 3
WHAKAARI / WHITE ISLAND The Volcanic Alert Level has been raised to Level 3 at White Island and the Aviation Colour Code raised to orange.
Aviation Colour Code Orange indicates that a volcanic eruption is underway but with little or no ash being produced.
On Geonet's website, duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said the volcano had produced "a more vigorous plume" on Friday afternoon, moving volcanic ash to the east of the island.
Today, 10th August, Whakaari exhibited vigorous activity at the vent, which maintained a constant plume that was visibly depositing ash into the sea. The latest official information is available from GeoNet at https://www.geonet.org.nz/mbl/news/6C...
Just to clarify, a drone has no sound, from the brief times we could hear the sound it was identical to Dukono in Indonesia. This was the sound used in this video.
- www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week: Globular springtails
Behold! globular springtails (Dicyrtoma spp.).
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Mangrove trees are on the move, taking the tropics with them
www.scientificamerican.com Mangrove Trees Are on the Move, Taking the Tropics with ThemAs the climate warms, mangroves are migrating farther poleward, transforming the coast as they go
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.smeargle.fans/post/202712
not a NZ story, but I suspect that are on the move here as well
- www.theguardian.com New Zealand’s sea temperatures hit record highs, outstripping global averages
Experts say the new figures dispel the notion that the country is protected from extreme temperatures and raise fears for local marine life
- gardenbirdsurvey.nz Home | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey
Get out into your garden, count the birds, and build a build a picture of the state of our environment by taking part in the NZ Garden Bird Survey.
Only one more day
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Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/11868928
> Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs during Matariki’s longer nights? Turn the lights down low > > https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520796/want-to-help-our-precious-nocturnal-bugs-during-matariki-s-longer-nights-turn-the-lights-down-low
- thisnzlife.co.nz 4 plants in the New Zealand bush you can eat in a survival situation
Gathering water is a top priority if trapped in the New Zealand bush, but dining on native edible plants can provide additional energy and sustenance to survive. Words: Mieke Couling You’d be a bit silly to enter the bush unprepared to face unfortunate circumstances, but if you ever do find yoursel...
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/11310760
> Stumbled on this and thought it was worth a share. I had no idea you can eat gorse!
- www.rnz.co.nz A Northland island has a very unusual problem...too many kiwi
Residents on Moturoa, in Ipipiri, have been forced to relocate the reclusive birds after their population swelled into the hundreds.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/10239601
> > The residents of an island in Northland are grappling with an unusual problem - they have too many kiwi. > > > > Seven kiwi captured near Waitangi, when their bush habitat was about to be cleared for pine forest, were released onto Moturoa island in the 1980s. > > > > Since then, kiwi numbers on the island, near Kerikeri Inlet in the Bay of Islands, have grown into the hundreds - and that has put pressure on the limited habitat and food available for the protected birds. > > > > As a result, 21 kiwi caught on the island were released in Opua State Forest on Friday, easing the island's population boom and boosting kiwi numbers on the mainland at the same time. > > > > The operation would not have been possible even a few years ago but a massive pest control effort in Opua forest, which cloaks the hills behind Paihia, has made the area safe for the flightless birds.
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Cool short video about unique Archey's Frog
m.youtube.com Archey's FrogBrylie and Nikita investigate the threats to this special creature's survival and travel into the Coromandel Forest to catch up with Dr Ben Bell who is monit...
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/9439658
> Was just talking about how cool New Zealand's rare frogs are and wanted to share. These frogs evolved to have no ears, so they also have no croaking noises (what's the point if the mates you are trying to attract are deaf) which is unique! > > NB: There probably is a bit of "political" content insofar as some of the people are talking about threats to the frog and opposing its habatat destruction but I think this still belongs in general? > >
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New Zealand Geo: Batfly
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/8254485
> This is a really good read about one of my favourite weird animal facts!
- www.rnz.co.nz Argentine ant sniffer dog averts potential disaster on Matiu / Somes Island
A Welsh springer spaniel has saved Matiu / Somes Island from potential disaster after sniffing out an Argentine ant nest on building materials destined for the island's new wharf.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/8125118
> I didn't actually know they were building a new wharf on Somes, it's great that the island is getting more infrastructure. And great they caught the ants, obviously.
- www.rnz.co.nz Kahukura red admiral butterfly named NZ's Bug of the Year
The kahukura red admiral butterfly has been voted in by nearly 17,000 bug lovers.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/6840745
> The kahukura red admiral butterfly has been named New Zealand's Bug of the Year today, after nearly 17,000 bug lovers voted for their favourite insect. > > Twenty bugs were vying to be New Zealand's favourite, with 11 of the 20 nominees listed as at-risk, endangered or declining. > > The competition - run by the Entomological Society of New Zealand - was created to give bugs the same kind publicity seen in the popular Bird of the Year race. > > The winning insects receive research funding and promotion about their conservation.
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2024 bug of the year
www.rnz.co.nz Bug of the Year competition helping Kiwis learn about native insectsThe Bug of the Year competition is back for the second year running.
- www.rnz.co.nz New species of Gecko on Auckland's West Coast named
A new species of Gecko discovered on the Auckland's West Coast at last has its own official name: the Korowai. The species was first found in 2014 and after a decade of research the reptile can officially be, as the scientists put it, 'described' With just 30 living in Muriwai Regional Park, the Kor...
- www.rnz.co.nz Bumper breeding season for NZ's rarest bird after disastrous season last year
New Zealand's rarest bird looks set for a bumper breeding season this summer with five fledglings already striking out on their own and as many as eight more chicks to follow.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/6377991
> > New Zealand's rarest bird looks set for a bumper breeding season this summer with five fledglings already striking out on their own and as many as eight more chicks to follow. > > > > That might not sound like many but given that the total world population of tara iti, or fairy terns, is less than 40, that is a huge boost to the species' chances of survival. > > > > It is also a much-needed morale boost for volunteers and Department of Conservation staff looking after the birds, after the disastrous 2022-23 season in which Cyclone Gabrielle killed five adults and all but one chick. > > > > DOC supervisor Shelley Ogle said the current season was tracking to be the best since 2013-14.
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New Zealand Giant Stick Insect
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/5503861
> New Zealand Giant Stick Insect - Argosarchus horridus > > Was visited by this not so wee one yesterday. Never seen a stick insect this big outside of the zoo - was probably close to 18cm long (judging size against weatherboards). > > My daughter named it Dave.
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Critter of the Week - vampire-squid
www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week: Vampire SquidThe vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) might sound scary, but it's more like a soft-bodied floating Christmas tree than a blood-sucking creature of the night. This deep-sea creature has some out-of-the-box defensive strategies: it shoots a cloud of glowing mucus to disarm its predators and tr...
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Critter of the Week: vagrant spiders
www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week: Vagrant spidersThe vagrant spiders are unique to Aotearoa. They are big and hairy, and they like to roam around in search of a meal. When they're not wandering around at night in native forests or suburban gardens, they hunker down under logs or stones. Ellen Rykers joins Jesse to tell us all about this fascinatin...
The vagrant spiders are unique to Aotearoa. They are big and hairy, and they like to roam around in search of a meal.
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Some sort of stick caterpillar?
Hard to get a good photo due to the size of this little guy, so apologies for the blurriness
- www.rnz.co.nz Sea lion killing in Dunedin 'devastating for community'
The shooting and killing of a New Zealand sea lion near Dunedin is upsetting and horrific, the Department of Conservation says.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/4592838
> So sad to read. What is wrong with some people?
- www.1news.co.nz Wētāpunga return to NZ mainland after almost two centuries
Auckland Zoo ectotherm curator Don McFarlane described returning wētāpunga, one of the world's largest insects, to the Bay of Islands as "a real homecoming".
- www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week
Bryozoans have been called 'the world's best-kept secret'; that might be why we don't know much about this week's critter. The cyclostome bryozoan Spiritopora perplexa is only found off the coast of Piwhane Spirits Bay in Te Tai Tokerau and is an endangered species.
- www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week: New Zealand earthworm
This week's critter is a bioluminescent member of our underground network of soil engineers. We're talking about the New Zealand earthworm, Octochaetus multiporus.
- www.rnz.co.nz Critter of the Week: the devil's coach horse beetle
This week's critter is the devil's coach horse beetle, Creophilus oculatus. Despite its ominous common name, this beetle is a helpful member of our corpse fauna - a group that includes all the different animals that recycle the dead.
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Glow Worms at Otari-Wilton Bush
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/573262
> Possibly a little known / under appreciated gem in our city. > > Did an unofficial (you can pay for guided tours) glow worm walk this evening in Otari-Wilton Bush - organized via my kids Childspace. I've lived nearby for years, and walked those trails many times without realizing that they were there. > > We walked a short walk from the Northern carpark and all along the trail there were hundreds of glow worms right on the trail banks. I've never seen so many, so close (aside from Waitomo). Would definitely recommend for those with kids or anyone really.
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Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't - Van Life in Auckland
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/241295
> First part of the video is a hilarious appraisal of freedom camping and wellness influencers.
- www.stuff.co.nz 'We've been played'. Locals' fury as 'jewel in the crown' marine reserve stalled
Frustrated conservationists say DOC is making ocean protection impossible, after iwi stall fourth sanctuary.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/170276
> The Hākaimangō-Matiatia marine reserve would cover a 2350ha area northwest of Waiheke Island, but it's been stalled after opposition from the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust. However, the Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board supports the reserve. This is the fourth marine reserve to be delayed or cancelled recently after opposition from iwi groups.
