Ducks Unlimited NZ
Subscribe to this RSS feed
Issue 174

Issue 174

February 2018

 

  • Canada’s Common Goldeneye
  • Aireial trend counts
  • Ambitious wetland project
View PDF

From The President

John Cheyne
Best wishes to members and supporters for 2018.   While DU has achieved many great things over the last three decades there are always challenges that need to be addressed. Organisations like DU are dependent on members so declining membership is a concern and one which is a priority for Directors over the year ahead.…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Alan Jervis Wilks

Alan Wilks
Ducks Unlimited stalwart, and Greytown screen actor   DU has lost another of our long time members, Alan Wilks, born in February 1930, and sadly died October 2017. One of our stalwart members, willing to help, and always cheerful and pleased to have a chat. In recent years Alan had made it his special occupation…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Takahe – a very special bird

Juvenile Takehe
First Takahe egg in 20 years   Pukaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre staff were quite amazed last year when after more than 20 years of no takahe laying eggs in the lower North Island wildlife centre, staff were surprised to find the mother sitting on an egg. Two eggs were finally laid in October…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Canada Geese at home on Stock Pond

Ian Jensen’s pond birds
Ian Jensen’s pond birds  “The two clutches used this ‘Stock Pond’ as home for some weeks, often sharing it with my Labs. The Labs use it as a cool off spot during our morning walk.  One clutch was there until they were fully fledged.” Said Ian. Ian says he really enjoys Flight when it arrives, and he almost always fully reads…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Birds of a different feather

Birds of a different feather
Here are a couple of birds most of us have heard of. Many of us have seen them, and their colours and in some cases, their secrecy make them very interesting.   There is the Pukeko or Swamphen  You often see them running into the long grass at the side of the road as you…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Starling and Myna birds caught interfering with duck nesting

Myna keeps watch
Roof Cams Two “roof cams”, one on a ‘selfie-stick’ beside, and another built inside an extended grey teal nest box lid showed a myna bird carefully checking the coast was clear, then repeatedly over several weeks trying to add paper, plastic and other litter to cover up the resident grey teals eggs as the duck…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Kahutara School’s Ambitious Wetlands project

Kahutara project: Ross Cottle (DUNZ chair) left, presents a cheque to Hamish McRae on behalf of Ducks Unlimited NZ to assist in developing the Kahutara School Wetlands project. Ross and Hamish are accompanied by senior pupils from Kahutara School.
Featherston farmers Fraser and Margaret Donald have set aside an area of their property and made it available to Kahutara School to use for developing a wetland. This initiative will give students the opportunity to watch first hand, as their efforts turn a swampy piece of paddock next to their school, into a thriving habitat…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Wetlands of New Zealand

Marching Pukeko
Ready to explore New Zealand – here are a few ideas of places that might interest you – especially the wild life.   Before human settlement (from around 12501300 AD), freshwater wetlands covered about 670,000 hectares of New Zealand. Now it is reduced to 89,000 ha – a loss of 90 percent. Fertile lowland swamps…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...

Good news for good shots

A DUNZ member has provided the following information. From a recent Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) newsletter. Please circulate and if you are not a member of COLFO and Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand please consider joining. The bar stewards are not going to give up trying to take our hobby, sport and interests away…
Published in Issue 174
Tagged under
Read more...