A joint annual survey of kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeets has delighted Department of Conservation rangers with close to 300 birds counted at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson. A large team of rangers and volunteers take part in counting and recording…
Hūperei/ uhi perei/ perei or potato orchids (Gastrodia) are very unusual plants. Gastrodia spend much of the year underground as a starchy potato-like tuber, gaining their nutrients from fungal “associates”. Many plant species form a symbiosis (a biological relationship) with…
During our annual kākāriki karaka survey, Sanctuary Biodiversity Ranger Chelsea spotted some suspiciously glossy, deeply lobed leaves. A small sapling growing high up the trunk of a kātote tree fern. These leaves, plus the fact the plant was growing as…
Kākāriki survey crashed by local kea! On the 1st and 2nd of September the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary held the kākāriki karaka population count. Led by the DoC kākāriki karaka team, alongside Sanctuary staff and volunteers. The method used a recorded…
Trapping and kākā Since kākā were reintroduced to Nelson, they are increasingly being observed beyond Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. While pest control remains an important tool for protecting native wildlife, traps can also pose a risk to kākā if they are…