Wishing all our volunteers and supporters a very Meri Kirihimete & a Happy New Year! A huge thank for helping and enabling us to do the good mahi that helps to restore this outstanding pocket of paradise. In spite of it been a challenging year, we have achieved some big milestones. Cancelling the Okura Forest Festival was a big shame,…
Category: General
Brown Teal/ Pāteke successfully breed again
The resident pair of locally rare and nationally recovering pāteke at Weiti lagoon have produce four ducklings this year. This is a tremendous result for the trappers because these endemic ducks only survive and breed when mammalian predators (cats, mustelids, and rats) are controlled to low levels. I noticed the ducklings when they were disturbed by a Banded Rail/moho pererū,…
NZ Dotterels are breeding (8/11)
Great news on the breeding front with a two-week old (approximately) NZ Dotterel chick at Karepiro Beach, and pairs of NZ Dotterels with nests (both with single eggs) at the Weiti and Okura cheniers. No sign of the Variable Oystercatchers nesting yet, but the Paradise Duck pair have four ducklings on the lagoon at the Weiti chenier and Pete Townend…
Spring Bird News
International migrants The Bar-tailed godwits or kuaka have returned. These waders breed in Alaska during the brief arctic summer and then fly non-stop back to us to spend the southern summer recovering and preparing for the next breeding season. You can read more at Tracking godwits to understand the migration of birds to New Zealand. We are very lucky to…
Changing seasons
Some days you can almost feel spring in the air – and then the next squall comes over to remind us that winter is still with us. The pied oystercatchers certainly think that spring is here as many of our winter flock have departed for their breeding grounds on the braided rivers of the South Island (or Hawke’s Bay). There…
AGM 2021 Reports
from Friends of Okura Bush AGM held 15 August 2021 at Okura Hall, Okura River Road. Chairperson’s Report Welcome everyone. It’s great to see you all. Thank you for coming this afternoon. Tena koutou katoa. Just a briefing of what FOOB has been up to over the last year and we’ll then go on to listen to our inspiring guest…
AGM 15th August 2021 at 3pm
Friends of Okura Bush warmly invite you to their Annual General Meeting. A short meeting reporting back on activities and achievements over the past year will be followed by a talk from our Guest speaker: James Dale, Professor of Zoology at Massey University. When: 3 pm Sunday 15 August 2020 Where: Okura Hall, Okura River Road, Okura Topic: The Wildlife…
RIP Peter Buckley
RIP Peter Buckley We would like to acknowledge the tremendous generosity of Peter Buckley not only to the community but to our environment. Peter was always so accommodating, sharing his wealth of knowledge of the area and helping FOOB transport so many plants out to the cheniers on the Wade River over the years in his buggy. He was a…
AGM Chairperson’s Report 2020
For those that missed out on our previous AGM….. Friends of Okura Bush AGM 16 August 2020 @4pm Okura Hall, Okura River Road Chairperson’s Report Welcome everyone. It’s great to see you all. Thank you for coming. Just a briefing of what FOOB has been up to over the last year and we’ll then go on to listen to our…
Weeding report for May 2021
For the month of May 2021, together Chris and I, we worked on both Deborah and Stillwater Reserves, doing pest plant management. For a few days we were joined by a volunteer Tadgh for the Japanese Honeysuckle and Privet control in Deborah Reserve. Kane Kvasnicka joined us for the Stillwater Reserve work.
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