Banded dotterels - precious Hutt beaches residents
At the moment there are banded dotterels to be seen on our beaches. They are quite hard to spot so you have to get your eye in - check along the strip behind the Settlers Museum. It is important not to disturb the nesting sites around Eastbourne and Wainuiomata - these are roped off, and definitely please keep your dog on a lead in the middle section of Petone Beach (as all the signage where the dotterels like to hang out says!). Not going inside the roped off areas at nesting sites is really important - the chicks and eggs are so well camouflaged that it would be easy to step on a nest before you realised it was there. Unfortunately these little guys haven't had a lot of luck with their nesting with successive generations being wiped out by predators (usually domestic cats, but sometimes hedgehogs and rats in the Hutt), they are now listed as Nationally vulnerable and their numbers are declining. I'd hate to see them go extinct, which could happen in my lifetime if we don't take better care around their nesting sites. You might notice that some of the birds that turn up on Petone Beach have little tags on them - this is so researchers can track their movements and know which birds are successfully breeding. It's how we know that some of these little guys like to go spend the New Zealand winter in places like New Caledonia. The nest photo is taken when I was helping the Mainland Island Restoration Operation (MIRO) with their monitoring programme, but the rest were taken on Petone Beach just yesterday - they don't nest there fortunately, they just come around to Petone to feed.
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 ⬇️
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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82.3% Yes
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15.2% No
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2.6% Other - I'll share below
Test Your Wits! Today's Riddle Will Keep You Guessing!
Only one colour, but not one size,
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies.
Present in the sun, but not in rain,
Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.
What is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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