Our homes' silent kereru killer
A Queenstown gardener is appalled she's now seen three dead native wood pigeons, or kereru, in Kelvin Heights as a result of glass collision — the latest early this month.
Brenda Gosling, a gardener for 18 years, is calling on homeowners to implement bird-safe glass treatments like frosted glass stickers.
Gosling says she stopped working for a Kelvin Heights client when he refused to take action after a kereru died flying into his glass balustrade.
"Wood pigeons are swooping down and smack into these glass balustrades and break their necks.
"Many of us choose glass balustrades to keep our views unobstructed, but those same surfaces are a silent killer for our kereru."
She notes kereru are vital to the health of our forests. "As one of the only birds capable of dispersing large native seeds, they play a crucial role in regenerating native bush."
Local ecologist Dawn Palmer's aware of glass collisions involving kereru.
"At this time of year, some of our trees, rowans, hawthorns, holly trees, they're producing seed and if the kereru sit on these trees and gorge themselves on fruit, they can become a bit heavy.
"They can sometimes have some difficulties taking off, and sometimes that leads them to collide with glass."
Palmer says there are a number of products that can be put on windows "so the birds perceive the window as a solid object rather than a fly-through space in the reflected image on the glass".
She recommends people check out on YouTube a recent Cornell Lab of Ornithology webinar, 'It's Clear — Glass Kills. How to Prevent Bird Collisions at Your Home'.
She adds people can also join online a free Birds NZ Otago branch talk this coming Tuesday, 7.30pm, on 'Reflections on Bird Window Strikes in the Philippines'.
Palmer adds anyone finding a dead kereru could take it to Department of Conservation so it can learn more about the bird.
Anyone else aware of birds colliding with glass can email Brenda Gosling — brendagosling45@gmail.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Cat monitoring details shown
Rats, cats, possums, kiwi, tītī and white tail deer star in the first round of camera monitoring on Stewart Island. Details of the monitoring which took place during two weeks in May can be found on the Department of Conservation's Conservation blog website. About 300 trail cameras have been set up across 2300 hectares to record the presence of feral cats, rats and possums before, during and after the aerial 1080 poison operation. Last year the Department of Conservation announced a two-phase operation to drop 1080 bait to reduce the feral cat population endangering the Pukunui/Southern NZ dotterel. Phase one in about 6000 hectares of the island was completed earlier this month. The cameras are set up from sea level at Doughboy Bay to up and over the tops of the Tin Range where one of the last pukunui breeding grounds is. There are also cameras set up outside of the 1080 drop area to serve as a comparison. A lure, often containing rabbit meat, is set up in front of the trail cameras which are programmed to take bursts of photographs when they sense movement. On the blog it states the photographs show there are "lots of cats". The Otago Daily Times asked if Doc knew how many cats were in the area and could it be the cats were featuring in more than one camera and being counted twice or more. Doc Rakiura operations manager Jennifer Ross said the purpose of the monitoring was not count the number of pests. "Our aim is to measure the relative abundance of feral cats, rats and possums in the operational area before, during and after predator control. "This will help us to measure the results of the predator control operation." The results of the monitoring were what was expected and are similar to the non-drop area at Ruggedy Range, she said. Kiore, (Pacific rats) , Norway and ships rats feature in the photographs. Rakiura Tītī Islands administering body member Tāne Davis said kiore were smaller and less common than ship or Norway rats but they still had major impact on insects, land snails, lizards, bats and smaller land and seabirds. It is thought kiore arrived in New Zealand with the first Polynesians about 100 years ago, he said. While Ngāi Tahu acknowledged the cultural importance of kiore rats to some groups its position as kaitiaki or guardians was to eradicate them, he said. ZIP operations director Duncan Kay said Norway rats were a formidable predator. "They can grow much larger than kiore and ship rats — up to 25 cm, including the tail." They were also better swimmers and could easily swim 2km. "While they're not such good climbers as ship rats, they can still reach birds' nests above the ground."
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Fiordland Bird Sanctuary future under discussion
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. The sanctuary is home to 16 birds. Photo / Supplied The public has under three weeks to determine what the future of the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary could look like, and while the Department of Conservation (DoC) says the locally loved Takahē will stay, it can't confirm other birds will. Following a 2024 review, the Department of Conservation decided it would no longer manage the sanctuary. Doc Acting operations manager Elicia Milne said that there were no plans to rehome takahē pairs from the sanctuary. But Milne said it had not decided on a management plan for the other species. 'DoC is working through next steps, and we will communicate any changes once a decision has been finalised.'
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Girl who died in Fiordland drowning missed 'every moment, every day'
By Liu Chen of RNZ The mother of a 10-year-old Australian girl who drowned during a visit to New Zealand says a coroner's report into her daughter's death has spurred feelings of overwhelming sadness as well as some comfort. Tegan Chen, of Lindfield, New South Wales, drowned in the fast-flowing Marian Creek in Fiordland National Park in January last year after she fell in and was swept downstream. In findings released July 9, Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale described Tegan as "a very active and happy girl". Tegan's mother, Deb Fung, said she missed her daughter "every moment, every day". Fung said pictures in the coroner's report showed how easy it was to walk out onto the rocks from the track. The Department of Conservation installed warning signs immediately after the incident, with permanent signs installed later. A viewing platform that had been planned prior to Tegan's death had also been completed in June, covering the rocks that were previously accessible. Barriers had been constructed on all sides of the platform. "I'm glad that they've done that and, gosh, if that had been in place before ... which, when you think about it," Fung said, tapering off as she considered other outcomes of their visit to the national park. She said the family had been processing their grief and were grateful for the support of their family and friends. "Holding the memories of her very closely ... building memories with her in spirit differently," Fung said. "I guess facing the pain rather than trying to escape and trying to forget has been ... our approach ... and that's really helped." Fung said her daughter's passing had changed the family's perspective on life. "Just learning to try and embrace whatever days we have ahead of us and projects or things that have meaning and purpose rather than just going about life like nothing has changed or nothing really matters," she said. Tegan's father, Adrian Chen, said the family were constantly reminded of what they had lost, but they were also looking at opportunities to make a difference to other people with what they had experienced. "There is a lot of grief and a lot of traumas out there, not just for us, ... that a lot of people are going through," he said. "If we can be an encouragement to others ... and I guess almost helping people to see difficult circumstances is not just something to mourn and grief, but something that can also reshape us. "Like there's strength and resolve even amidst the tears and grief." Adrian Chen said it could be difficult for men to open up if they encountered difficult situations, but it was important for them to "take time out and to reflect and to face those emotions". "I think without the chance to do that, then ... I think what often happens is that we will bottle it up and then we'll have an eruption, like a volcano exploding," he said. The couple were planning to build a memorial garden outside of Sydney in which people could plant trees to mark the birth and passing of loved ones, which, at the same time, would be a reforestation project that helped the environment, Fung said. Aaron Fleming, director of operations in Southern South Island at the Department of Conservation, said the department looked closely at its facilities, systems and processes following a tragedy like this to identify room for improvement and ensure steps were taken to reduce the likelihood of similar things happening. "On behalf of the Department of Conservation I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Tegan's family and acknowledge the terrible loss they have suffered," Fleming said. "We have an ongoing programme of reviewing of similar sites across public conservation lands to identify any that need further hazard warnings in place."
