Newsletter #116
Tēnā koutou katoa,
While you are out and about doing surveys over the next few months, could you please keep an eye out for banded tōrea SIPO? Different coloured flags indicate the location of where they were banded. Knowing where they are being seen would be enormously helpful. The banding colours are illustrated below. You can download the file as a PDF or *.png file. Please send any sightings to Dr Anne Schlesselmann: SchlesselmannA@landcareresearch.co.nz
Some of you may have heard about a global vulnerability found in websites that use PHP (database). That includes BRaid’s website. From a security point of view we do not keep anyone’s emails on the website. When you sign up for these newsletters or become a member we hold those emails in an off-line spreadsheet. Similarly, this newsletter is not sent through third party software such as Mailchimp. Rather, it comes from my computer, hence there is no automated ‘unsubscribe’ button. . If you wish to unsubscribe, please reply to the email.
As for our website, I’ve updated everything but there is an inconsistent glitch with some of the hotlinks. Thank you to those who pointed out some of these. Please do let me know if you stumble across any more broken links so that I can fix them.
Ngā mihi,
Sonny Whitelaw
News
- Newsroom: Dairy consents appealed as pioneering Mackenzie farmer eyes solar “The frailties of the resource management regime are exposed in the fragile ecosystem of the South Island’s ‘weeping waters’.”
- H5 bird flu updates: From Sandy Yong. “There are still only the 3 confirmed detections of H5 in NZ. The last in August 21 in the North Island. The migration season is still in progress so please remain alert.” The DOC website has plenty of information including a highly recommended pest species trapping factsheet.
- ECan: Older than the dinosaurs: rare kanakana spotted in Waimakariri River.
- Birdlife International; State of the World’s Birds 2026. You may need a stiff drink before reviewing.
- Mongabay has also written a review: Migratory bird species increasingly at risk, report finds, but there is still hope
Upcoming events
- 3 November 12.00pm: The NZ River Managers Special Interest Group has commissioned new Riparian Management Guidelines, building on the Room for the River Guidelines: webinar registration
- 4 November 3-4am: (3-4pm in the UK…) Carbon Brief will be hosting a free live event to discuss the key outcomes of COP17, the UN’s biodiversity summit. As most of you probably won’t feel like such an early start, you may like to check their YouTube channel, as it should be recorded.
- 6 November 1-2pm: Register for the DOC H5 bird flu community webinar
- 14-15 December: 2 day course in Wellington and Waikanae: Strategic Overview of Rivers & Catchments: Geomorphology & River Management. Please contact Rachael.armstrong@teurukahika.govt.nz for more details
Reports & research papers
- 2026: Schori & Turner, Black-fronted tern (Chlidonias albostriatus) pair fail to raise biological offspring following adoption of conspecific chick, Notornis 73 | 3 pp304-307
- 2025-2026: CHET Summary of activities (covers Lake Coleridge and the Rakaia River)
- 2025-2026: Waiau Toa/Clarence and Wakaputawatea/Acheron rivers tarapirohe/black-fronted tern monitoring project
