From the President Spring is here again and the wetlands are bursting into life with fresh plant growth and increasing breeding activity among the birds. This was well illustrated recently when I visited James and Jane Hunter’s property at Porangahau, Central Hawke’s Bay. They are DU members and recently received a grant from DU Wetland…
Published in
Issue 169
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Published in
Issue 169
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A chance to show off your photographic skills. Flight will have space for three winners from each of four categories. So take your camera where ever you go these coming months. We are looking for photos of ducks and other water birds. Or good scenic shots of the wetlands where they live. Categories are: Ducks…
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Issue 169
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Keen predator hunter protecting Whio The Ruahine Whio Protection Trust (RWPT) is a registered charity formed in late 2014 and functions though the efforts of a small group enthusiastically lead by chairwoman Janet Wilson. Its purpose is to raise funds to help protect and raise the number of Whio in the Ruahines and surrounds. Janet…
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Issue 169
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For the first time since the final bund wall was installed the wetland is full of water. Water runs the full length from the Oporua stop bank in the north to the stage one bund wall in the south, and in parts from the Parera Rd to the edge of Lake Wairarapa. The water ranges…
Playing mother duck comes naturally to Judy Fentress, the woman who can’t say no to an egg. Therefore it is not surprising she recently hatched three Whio ducklings – in an incubator. Well what did you think? Judy has been in the hatching business for some time and in 2012 Flight ran a story about…
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Issue 169
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The weather was not wonderful, but Robin and Heather List are seasoned birders and the pair set off to Wario to check on birds and do a count. Robin said “The expedition consisted of Heather and me. We have the gear and do wetlands in squalls right cheerfully, so there was no grumbling in the…
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Issue 169
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Long seen as a logical extension of Forest & Bird’s Matuku Reserve, the property adjacent to Habitat Te Henga became available after many years. Although a large donation was received nine years ago, from a generous benefactor, with the rising cost of Auckland property more fundraising was needed, and three of us from the Native…
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Issue 169
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AGM 2016 was at Manuel's in Taupo
Izembek Lagoon is 330,000 acres of National wildlife refuge halfway down the Aleutian Chain in Alaska. It is a staging ground for millions of birds on their migration from the Arctic to points south. Home to one of the largest natural eel grass areas in the world it is also home to almost the entire…
Northland farmer gets help with bittern sanctuary Living Water - the Fonterra/Department of Conservation partnership – is helping Ian Lupton create a sanctuary for an endangered native bird on his Northland dairy farm. When Ian bought his farm - eight kilometres north of Dargaville – he saw no native wildlife on the property. This changed…
Two small migratory shorebirds - Grey Plovers from the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary - made it once again all the way to the remote Wrangel Island off the coast of Russia near the Arctic Circle. On their annual migration to breed the birds fly over 13000kms from Thompson Beach, north of Adelaide, including an incredible…
On July 17 this year, the Marshlands of Southern Iraq, often referred to as the ‘Garden of Eden’, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mesopotamian Marshlands in the lower floodplains of the Euphrates and the Tigris are the largest wetland in the Middle East. The source of the water is upstream in the…
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Issue 169
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Amazing how keen some folk are to get out there on opening day, rain or shine, they have the kit ready to go and hope to catch something in their sights…. An inter-generational hunt on Opening Day, with 11 hunters, plenty of camo, (and ammo presumably) and lots of enthusiasm, but no ducks. But out…
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Issue 169
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A DU shoot was held at James and Di Martins place at Waitawa just north of Martinborough on October 9. There were 50 shooters, so plenty of competition. Paul Hullet top scored with 84 out of 100. Weather was overcast with the odd light showers, but a great day.
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Issue 169
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