Ducks Unlimited NZ
Issue 181

Issue 181

June/July 2021

Cover: A young black swan at Anderson Park, Napier.
Photo: Alison Murray

  • Zealandia calling
  • Wairio guided tour
  • Planting for ponds
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The duck shooting season is upon us so I would like to share some observations I have made. Some long-term hunters (50-plus years) say the season has been one of the worst they can remember. Fish & Game has been telling us that the bird counts are 15 per cent better than last year. Frankly,…
It's time to send in your registration for DUNZ's 47th Annual Conference and Dinner, which will be held in Wellington on August 20-22. The conference venue, the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor on The Terrace, has direct access by lift down to the shops on Lambton Quay. Saturday's field trip to Zealandia promises a glimpse…
DU Director Dan Steele hosted a DUNZ Board of Directors meeting at his place – Blue Duck Station on the banks of the Whanganui and Retaruke rivers – over Queen's Birthday Weekend in June. The visit included the formal board meeting and a tour of the station, including a trip up by ATV to see…
About 30 people braved squally rain on Sunday, May 9, for a guided tour of Wairio Wetland led by Ducks Unlimited NZ President Ross Cottle and Director Jim Law. The event was a Rural Women New Zealand annual event to raise money for the Associated Country Women of the World to help fund community projects…
Farmer and conservationist Russell Langdon is philosophical about the recent flooding that swept through his property. Russell Langdon, 89, has had his share of challenges at the wetland reserve he has established on his farm in Mid-Canterbury, near the South Branch of the Ashburton River. The May floods were the latest hurdle. “The river broke…
By John DyerNorthern Gamebird Manager Auckland Waikato Fish & Game Council Nearly 50 years ago I started planting around my pond on a lifestyle block. There has been plenty of time since to observe and reflect on which trees and shrubs lived up to my expectations and what I might do differently if I started…
A seldom-seen carnivorous species has been found during a survey of rare plants at Waikato’s Whangamarino Wetland. It’s been more than a decade since threatened plants have been surveyed at Whangamarino Wetland, with the last survey in 2009. Waikato District biodiversity rangers Lizzie Sharp and Kerry Jones, and plant expert Britta Deichmann waded into the…
With international travel off the agenda for now, it may be time to check out some of New Zealand’s public-access wetlands. One such gem can be found on the Southern Scenic Highway between Manapouri and Tuatapere. If you are heading south from Manapouri, take a right after the sign for Rakatu Wetlands and at the…
Mammalian predators rely primarily on smell as their main cue, enabling them to detect food from a distance. Smell is usually a reliable strategy for food location. As part of long-running research into the behaviour of introduced mammalian predators in New Zealand and Australia, researchers from Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research and the University of…
Restored wetlands on private farms deliver ecosystem services and increase diversity, with varied results, a recent study has found. Shannon Bentley, a master’s student at Victoria University and the first recipient of a Wetland Care Scholarship funded by Ducks Unlimited NZ, is studying how wetland restoration on farms changes plant, soil, and microbial characteristics. In…
Diana (Diny) Dermer, a long-time DUNZ member and wife of Director John Dermer, passed away, aged 75, at her home on March 1. Diny played an active part in running their farm at Cheltenham, 15 kilometres north of Feilding, before the couple retired to Palmerston North in 2019. She was born in Pahiatua, as her…