In 1910 one story caught the imagination of the United States – a tale of an Iowa man who lost sight in one eye after his prize-winning duck exploded. As we enter a summer of duck feeding it serves as precautionary tale for New Zealand.

Interesting news from the plant and animal world over the last month has been collected here.

We’re seeing evidence that there’s a lot less bread being fed to ducks both in backyards and local parks and gardens around New Zealand. This is great news!

Clearly, when it comes to a balanced diet and a healthy environment for our avian friends, bread is not all it’s quacked up to be.