A long-term planning process for the Hauraki Gulf called Sea Change is under way. It is intended to secure a healthy, productive and sustainable future for the Hauraki Gulf.
The first stage involves finding out which places people visit – sea, coast, and islands – and why they value these locations, and you can give your input with this online survey. If you value the Gulf please fill it in and encourage your friends to have their say as well.
Plans are well advanced for the reintroduction of Little Spotted Kiwi to Shakespear Open Sanctuary in 2017 . While SOSSI has made good progress in securing the necessary funds, we are still short of the our total (around $35,000) and so are seeking your support for this project. The smallest of our five kiwi species,…
A comprehensive digital encyclopedia of NZ birds is now available online. To quote Graeme Taylor, DOC Principal Science Advisor: This new website has an excellent function that can be used to identify birds where the people concerned know very little about birds in general. It uses a system of habitat groups or broad plumage patterns…
Now that whiteheads have been successfully re-introduced to Shakespear the next step is to bring back the North Island robin (toutouwai). These are very sociable little fellows, often to be seen foraging just a few meters away. They are also known to sing loud and long so we expect they will be a popular attraction….
Pampas grass is our featured pest plant this month, because right now its seed heads are evident everywhere in our district. The plants form large grassy clumps with a dead leaf base. Its erect and bushy flower heads are quite attractive and easily recognised, emerging January to March, but unfortunately they are prolific producers of seeds which then blow…
There are some gregarious new residents at Shakespear Regional Park! While other birds have repopulated the area naturally since pests were removed, recent events saw the first release of native birds behind the predator-proof fence. In July 2015, after many months of behind-the scenes work, a group of bird translocation experts and experienced volunteers caught…
In a recent visit members of the Auckland Botanical Society identified a native orchid growing in the Park. Corunastylis pumila is a tiny orchid which is described as being naturally uncommon and easily overlooked because of its small size and autumn flowering.It is most often recorded from Northern North Island south to about Kawhia, East…
