by Evita Zarina | Nov 19, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka, November 2025 edition There are only two migratory land birds in Aotearoa New Zealand, and both are cuckoos. There’s a story that early Ma ori noticed cuckoos flying south every spring and...
by Evita Zarina | Oct 1, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka, October 2025 edition Do you know which bird is depicted on the $20 bill? It’s the kārearea, New Zealand falcon and Bird of the Year 2025. The kārearea, Falco novaeseelandiae, is New...
by Evita Zarina | Jul 21, 2025 | Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka, July 2025 edition Look out for pollinators aka Save our Bees! Considering that the mass of all insects on the planet is 1 gigatonne, compared with 0.06 for humans, it seems hard to believe...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 15, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka, June 2025 edition Possums were successfully introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1850s to provide fur, food and ‘sport’. Not particularly valuable in any of those roles, they have...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka Many Russellites might be surprised to learn that Weka are rare birds, particularly in the North Island. Pycroft, the station master at Opua, wrote a survey of local birds in 1895,...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka One of our most voracious predators, stoats are a member of the mustelid family, which includes everything from weasels and ferrets (also in New Zealand) through mink and polecats to otters...
