Newsletter #86
Bird Surveys
“Ngā mihi nui to Jean Jack for your organisation and those who were able to take part in the surveys.
“The Waiau it is one of our larger rivers and it takes many keen folks to make this happen. A big thank-you to our jetboat drivers Brendon and Alex who kept people safe and happy on the river. We will be doing it all again next year, so if you missed out this year or want to help again keep it in mind – and keep up those recently sharpened bird ID skills!” – Miles Burford
News
- NMIT and DOC are offering a Predator Trapping Methods course and a 5-minute bird count course at several locations in Canterbury, including Geraldine, and online in early 2024.
- Forest & Bird have launched a Cat Management Act campaign
- Avian Influenza (H5N1) has reached the sub-Antarctic Islands. While Aoteara’s isolation has kept us free to date, the virus has jumped to marine mammals. Kelp gulls (same species as Korero black-backed gulls Larus dominicanus) are considered to be one of the two most likely carriers of the virus further into Antarctica and elsewhere. Please be alert for birds that appear ill, don’t handle them or dead birds without PPE, and report it to DOC immediately:
“If the virus arrives in New Zealand, we have a mitigation options guideline to help protect native species. This plan uses good biosecurity to reduce or prevent the spread of the virus.” – DOC
“While this strain of avian influenza (H5N1) is an old foe, the genetics and epidemiology of the virus have shifted.” –
- The Guardian on extinctions in 2023: ‘Grief is a rational response‘:
Press release:
Research
- Xie et al; The episodic resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus. Nature 622, 18 October, 2023
- Brower et al; New Zealand’s braided rivers: The land the law forgot; Earth Surf. Process. Landforms. 2023; 1–5, 20 November, 2023 (open access)
- McQueen et al; Birds are better at regulating heat loss through their legs than their bills: implications for body shape evolution in response to climate, The Royal Society Biology Letters, 22 November, 2023 (open access)
- Conroy: Humans might have driven 1,500 bird species to extinction — twice previous estimates, Nature News; 19 December, 2023, (open access)
- Bertola et al; A pragmatic approach for integrating molecular tools into biodiversity conservation, Conservation Science and Practice, 25 December, 2023 (open access)