The seasons are on the turn and the first adult kuaka have returned to join the overwintering flock of about 20 birds. The flock now numbers 96 (as of 11/9/24) and will increase over the coming weeks as more adults and then this year’s juveniles return to Aotearoa. The tōrea have left for their breeding grounds down south and only…
Category: General
Read all about FOOB’s activities over the past year, and join us for a great line-up of events on 21 July 2024
Ahead of our AGM (Sunday, 21 July), we are pleased to share with you our AGM report for 2024. We hope you enjoy reading about our activities from the past year, including: – our community planting and weeding events – predator control initiatives (incorporating our traplines, and backyard trapping in Stillwater and Okura) – property pest plans – how our…
The Ruru Guru – Guest Speaker Rowan Nicholson & FOOB AGM – 21 July, 3pm
Friends of Okura Bush is excited to welcome Rowan Nicholson as a guest speaker on Sunday 21 July. Dubbed the ‘Ruru Guru’ by fellow bird enthusiasts, Rowan Nicholson has become renowned for his beautiful photography and ground-breaking footage of our native owl (the ruru). As wildlife photographer, gaming animator, storyteller and biodiversity advocate, Rowan’s story has something for everyone. Rowan…
Fundraising appeal to publish history of Dacre Cottage & the Weiti Block
The history of Dacre Cottage, the 2nd oldest building in Auckland, the people, and the place. A fully-illustrated book telling the story of the Cottage, the Dacre family, and the natural history of this stunning coastal strip between the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and the Long Bay Regional Park has been written by Felicity Goodyear-Smith. Dating from 1855, Dacre Cottage is the…
End-of-year Roundup
Well, it’s been a very successful year as far as the tūturiwhatu/NZ dotterel are concerned because 11 chicks fledged from the three breeding sites. It wasn’t so good for the tōrea pango/Variable oystercatcher with only four chicks fledged. It was a strange year for the tōrea pango as they were very late starting to breed and produced fewer eggs. It’s…
Local Conservation Hero Barrie Hepburn – Gone, but not forgotten
Barrie sadly passed away last month, and we wanted to do him honour as he has been a real local legend protecting our natives. When Barrie moved to the area and teamed up with another local resident Danny back in 2020 they were unstoppable! They installed over 150 traps at the boundaries of the Weiti Bay Village development which border…
Bird news for the 2023/24 Season
I’ve been meaning to report on the birds this year for some weeks, but the buggers keep breeding so this is an interim report. Summer Migrants The kuaka arrived from their Alaskan breeding grounds in mid-September and reached maximum numbers – about 320 birds – on 1/11/23. Many of these birds were juveniles who leave Alaska later than most of…
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all our Volunteers and Supporters Here is a special picture of one of the 4 dotteral chicks at the Weiti River mouth. Thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters, without you the incredible work that is being done couldn’t happen. Special thanks to Jo Crawford for tirelessly heading the team…
Spring News
The photo shows the largest flock of kuaka/bar-tailed godwit I’ve ever seen at Weiti – an estimated 320 birds. Most of the newcomers were juveniles, this years youngsters fresh from Alaska in their bright, spangly plumage. They probably won’t stay long but will disperse to places like the Kaipara or Manukau harbours or the Firth of Thames. You can see…
Urban Widlife Areas
Despite our strong rural roots, Aotearoa/New Zealand is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, and Auckland is (on a local scale) a mega-city with close to a third of all kiwis living here or hereabouts. Research is clear that urban peoples’ mental wellbeing is much improved when they have access to open spaces where nature flourishes, but…
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