Blog – Page 12 – Southern Light

A welcome increase in native bird populations in Mt Aspiring National Park

It was back in 2013 that I was introduced to the Matukituki Trust, the brain child of Gillian and Derek Crombie. They’d been climbing annually in Mt Aspiring National Park for many years and had become increasingly disturbed by the diminishing bird life in the West branch of the Matukituki river valley [which hosts the… Continue reading A welcome increase in native bird populations in Mt Aspiring National Park

Lake Wanaka’s grebes

For a few years now the grebe, an endangered species, has been in the news regularly making a name for themselves nesting on floating nests tethered to the Wanaka Marina. The whole wonderful story of what is essentially eco restoration, with a decidedly lateral thinking twist can be had by going to the link below.… Continue reading Lake Wanaka’s grebes

Goldfish crisis in Wanaka | Stuff.co.nz

A heads up for residents of Wanaka and Albert Town, and all who care about the health of rivers such as the Clutha… Goldfish believed illegally dumped into Albert Town’s artificial wetlands are breeding and some have found their way into the natural lagoon beside the Clutha River.Now, environmental agencies are concerned the bottom-grazing pest… Continue reading Goldfish crisis in Wanaka | Stuff.co.nz

DOC seeks sightings of rare kakī / black stilt October 2016

One of the pair of black stilt/kakī that were recently sighted – the left bird is the more common pied stilt. Photo credit DOC

Above left: One of the pair of black stilt/kakī that were recently sighted – the left bird is the more common pied stilt. Photo credit DOC This is pretty exciting and it rather amazes me that these birds have crossed the Southern Alps at presumably their highest point across Aoraki Mt Cook National Park, flying… Continue reading DOC seeks sightings of rare kakī / black stilt October 2016

Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h and catching prey larger than itself, the falcon / kārearea is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular birds.

This older male is engaged in courtship ritual and is perched on an old tree stump that at ground level has been used as a nest previously. The female a few hundred meters away was very aware of my presence, and at the time of taking this photo both were engaged in a rowdy discussion, probably about myself whom they know quite well, perhaps questioning whether or not I should be "warned off" in relation to nesting soon.

The photos in the gallery below are extensively captioned, so if you’d like to read more of “their” falcon story, click on any one of them, and please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. All photos by Southern Light..