Capture: BOTY Potty.
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There was a discussion about endangered species on the quality little TV3 programme Think Tank this morning. Featured the wise Mike Joy, among others. Worth watching on line if you can find it. Abut one third of 10,000 NZ species is currently threatened.
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Thanks Hilary. Link to show is here.
Will take a look.
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Islander, in reply to
Kakapo have an almost honied ferny smell that even clings to their feathers.
I love ’em* but will probably vote for a much less well-known bird (teaser – has never bred in Big O as far as we know.)When I first came here, there was at least one extant track & bowl system, and in what was recognised as a good feeding year for them, 3 of us heard what could only be a kakapo booming…
An especial hateful set of thoughts to the farmers who thought it a really good idea to introduce stoats et al into the southern lake district area that was the last stronghold of kakapo…
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I voted for the bird with its own brand of coffee. Seemed only right.
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Islander, in reply to
Kia ora Hilary – the currently known number of species of birds in ANZ – which includes all
the introduced (including self-introduced)species, as well as the ‘rare & accidental’ subset = 203 species…It does not include extinct species (there are plus 45 of these.)
I dont know where Joy got his figures from but -they are ludicrous.
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I showed my wife. Her choices were piwakawaka (she loves the sound of its name, the way it so joyfully rolls off the tongue) and kea, I told her to chose one. The one she saw in action and, even more impressively, in video at Rainbow Springs won. "Kea because they're so smart!" she said.
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Islander, in reply to
I tautoko your wife! (Altho’ I didnt vote for kea.) I love parrots!
Were you aware that piwakawaka has at least twenty other names? (piwaiwaka/tiwhaiwakawaka etc. etc. etc.) -
The spokesbird has been positively raving in the last little while about Mr Morrison's attitude to commercialisation in conservation.
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
I think he was talking about all NZ species - not just birds.
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JacksonP, in reply to
I think he was talking about all NZ species – not just birds.
Yes that was my understanding. John T started by saying there are around 600 of our indigenous species (all creatures great and small) that are endangered, and Mike correcting him by saying closer to 2800 of 10,000 species. Although he goes on to say that more than 4000 lack sufficient data to make that judgement (if memory from one viewing serves me correctly).
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
piwakawaka has at least twenty other names?
20?! wow! And 'at least'. I note that the two other names you posted are just as melodious as piwakawaka. I hope the others all are, too.
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I voted for Rifleman because it didn't have many votes. Neither does the Mohua/Yellowhead, possibly because so few people will have seen it. They're rare and endangered. There's one on the $100 note, which is also rarely seen by many of us.
Riflemen/Titipounamu are our smallest bird at 8cm and 7g, smaller and rounder than really seems feasible. They're like tiny feathered spheres that dart around and sing. They used to be on the money too.
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Islander, in reply to
But but but – we have *no idea* -yet – how many species there are in ANZ: an example- there is a springtail specialist who comes here: thus far, he has advanced the known numbers of springtails by *nearly 20 %*!!!
I’ve found 2 new species of spiders since I’ve been here!
Dont let me started on fish & seaweeds, mosses and fungi…
Those are total ball-park figures, and the ‘one third threatened’ simply a wild guess. (It could be 2/3rds under threat: it could be much less. We simply dont know.)
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I'm kind of in love with the kereru at the moment because our newish house is surrounded by plum trees (which Wikipedia tells me is the introduced tree they love) and the other day I counted four in various places around our garden. They're so elegantly stodgy. My photos of them aren't up to much, though.
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Islander, in reply to
Lillith - one of the real joys of Big O is the very large number of bird species that live here/visit here/or have just been recorded here (transients of strange kinds, windblown or windwrecked mainly...) Last sheet of recorded sightings has 96 plus...and both riflemen & mohua are found here...
It is an interface of sea & lagoon & rivers, bush & closeby mountains...but my choice
isnt found here... -
Islander, in reply to
When the kereru eat your trees to death (they've killed 4 of mine to date) you may find them less stodgy and more, erm, appetisingly podgy...
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I fondly remember lots of kereru flying around North East Valley and Opoho when I lived in Dunedin. Beautiful birds. Don't recall them killing trees, but then again, most of my life has been pretty nomadic...
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Islander, in reply to
Beautiful birds. Don’t recall them killing trees,
Depends on number of food trees (they love kowhai for instance) and number of kereru – we have a high population.
They *are* beautiful birds and censored censored too…
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I voted for the skua: the bird for our times, rapacious, high-flying and capable of making its rivals vomit. A key bird, you might say...
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
He was not being dogmatic - just correcting the impression from some of the vox pops earlier that the number of endangered was under a handful.
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Islander, in reply to
OK – but the figures are all wrong, and should be corrected – at least to factor in the uncertainties…
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Islander, in reply to
And a fucking southern ocean wide predator - o! Wait...
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bsd1,
So many worthy birds but had to vote for the Karearea, I've spent a lot of time over the last few years watching a pair at Zealandia and they're a wonderful looking bird. Having one of the pair (the male) land a few meters away, perfectly comfortable with my presence, was a great experience.
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Islander, in reply to
Lovely pic! And welcome!
We have a resident pair round the village (and they make sure they are the only resident pair.)
The favourite perch is on top of our flag pole...
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Biobbs, in reply to
Skuas look very majestic when they're on the ground. This one's guarding its nest on the McMurdo ice shelf, keeping a wary eye out for predators while its mate is away food-hunting.
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