Welcome swallows/warou - heralds of spring and adobe nest builders
Welcome swallows/warou (Hirundo neoxena) are New Zealand's newest native bird - having arrived here from Australia under their own steam in enough numbers to breed sometime in the 1950s (although there are records of them here as far back as the 1920s). They can be found in many places throughout the Hutt around coastal areas and along our waterways. You can see them hawking for insects over the Hutt River in the early evening between the Ava Railbridge and the Ewen Bridge. They are brilliant architects, building adobe-style pudding-bowl-sized nests often on the sheltered and shaded sides of human buildings. Talk about adaptation. I watched a pair patiently scooping up beakfuls of mud, disappearing, and returning moments later for another beakful. It must take them hundreds of beakfuls of mud to get the nest finished – which is lined with comfy grass and feathers once the mud shell is complete. I've yet to get a good photo of a swallow in flight, but here are two briefly standing still. The second shows one of a pair scooping mud for a nest a few weeks ago.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Moe mai rā, Nicholas.
We're sad to announce the passing of Nicholas Boyack, our Hutt Valley reporter who has long written for The Dominion Post, The Hutt News and Upper Hutt Leader.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.7% Yes
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14.7% No
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2.6% Other - I'll share below
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