Here are 10 things that you can do that could help bring native birds back to your garden.
Continue Reading...Archives For 30/11/1999
We look back at our native species that have captured the attention of the internet world this year.
Continue Reading...
It’s New Zealand Fashion Week.
If you missed getting tickets to see the latest looks from designers such as Kate Sylvester, NOM*d* and Juliette Hogan, we’ve got your back, with this exclusive show from our very best designer…
“There is no better designer than nature.” Alexander McQueen
Tui on trend in billowing florals
Choose romance for spring in ladylike lace
Orange is the New Black
So, for the best fashion advice:
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd Wright.
It’s also a lot cheaper than net-a-porter.com.
Aucklanders, Magda Smolira and her daughter Jane, have been busy fulfilling their Conservation Week pledge and turning their backyard into a haven for New Zealand native species. They tell us what they’ve been doing…
We are so pleased to take part in Conservation Week—mainly because we have been doing many things to invite native species into our backyard and it gives us a chance to share our story.
Building bug hotels
When we were getting rid of an overgrown hedge and broken fence we encountered a family of weta.
We presumed that they were not very happy to be evicted and we tried to make it up to them by building two ‘bug hotels’.
A weta household
We used logs of privet that we had cut down and replaced with pohutukawa, a broken clay pot (that the pohutukawa used to grow in), and some left over paving stones.
We hope the hotels are occupied by insects and reptiles, not mice, but to make sure of it we put some Ka Mate traps in the vicinity of the bug hotels and around our compost bin.
A bug hotel
Tracking and trapping rats
Last year, during winter school holidays Jane took part in ‘Eco Warrior Workshop’ (organised by Kaipatiki Project). She made a tracking tunnel and was given the paw print chart.
Tracking tunnel
We were finding rat prints until the day Mr. Rat decided to try a pistachio nut from one of our ka-mate traps!
We were wondering whether Mr. Rat had a family, but we found only snail trails in the tracking tunnel for the rest of the school holidays.
Traps are still in place in case another adventurous rodent visits our backyard.
Attracting the birds
Our neighbours have beautiful kowhai tree and we have some kind of ornamental plum that attracts tui and silvereye when in bloom.
A silvereye in our backyard
On our last visit to Tiritiri Matangi we bought a nectar feeder that will hopefully give those birds extra support and stop them raiding my fig tree.
A young puriri tree is our Fathers Day gift to our dad. We hope to see wood pigeons feeding on it in the not too distant future.
Welcoming wildlife
We haven’t seen any reptiles in our backyard yet. We are hoping to though. We grow organic vegies, made bug hotels and are currently planting plants that will attract insects so we are hoping that geckos and skinks will move in. The concrete tubes from Habitat for Humanity shop (anybody knows what they are for?) should make good hiding places.
Lizard home
Proud to pledge
We are proud and privileged to celebrate Conservation Week. We still have to do the online bird ID course to fulfill our pledge.
The backyard
It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear that people love visiting our native animals online at www.doc.govt.nz. What may surprise you are the native animals people like visiting the most.
#10 Kaka
This amusing, social and boisterous parrot seems to be as much fun to hang out with online as in the real world.
Kaka
#9 Frogs
New Zealand’s four species of native frog may be cold-blooded, but they’re warmly regarded, and well visited, on the DOC website.
Hamilton's frog
#8 Tui
It’s not too much of a stretch to see why this pretty and popular song bird made the list.
Tui feeding
#7 Kakapo
This eccentric New Zealand parrot has a huge following, partly due to their high profile ambassador Sirocco, who regularly makes news headlines around the world.
Kakapo chicks
#6 Tuatara
The only survivor of an ancient group of reptiles that roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs, tuatara are internationally famous and endlessly fascinating.
Tuatara
#5 Bats
Maori refer to bats as pekapeka and associate them with the mythical, night-flying bird, hokioi, which foretells death or disaster. Despite this rather gloomy association we still love visiting them.
Short-tailed bat cluster
#4 Kiwi
The kiwi is New Zealand’s national icon and unofficial national emblem. The only surprise about kiwi would’ve been if it didn’t make our top 10.
Kiwi
#3 Weta
Beating many a fair and feathered creature, New Zealand’s most recognisable creepy-crawly takes third place.
Giant weta
#2 Eel
These slimy and snake-like creatures obviously have more love out there than we give them credit for.
Longfin eel
#1 Gecko
One look at the photos on the gecko pages and you’ll understand why these gorgeous creatures made it to the number one spot.
Marlborough green gecko
So, that’s the top 10 native animals of 2011, based on the number of visits each of them received on the DOC website during the year. Do you think visitor numbers have given us an accurate picture of popularity? Did your favourite make the list? Let’s take a quick poll to find out…
