News & Tips

Martin Barwood is never happier than when he has a bird in the viewfinder. We caught up with the photographer to learn about what it’s like to encounter rare and reclusive bird species up close.

Stuck indoors? The next best thing to forest or sea bathing might be a well written article about the natural world. Here are a few gems for your reading pleasure.

It turns out your little bird swooning habit can contribute to an important, global scientific and environmental movement.

With high levels of energy, nutrients and water content, fruit is an excellent food to keep hungry birds flying, foraging and flocking. However, when helping your backyard visitors with fruity snacks, it is important to consider the types of fruit you are feeding and how you’re feeding them.

We love seeing a kererū in a kōwhai or tūī in a tawa gobbling fruit and nectar. Even better if we can supplement the birds’ natural food sources by hanging a feeder to get them through times of food scarcity. But what if trees aren’t an option at your place?

While some experts adhere to a school of thought that discourages feeding birds, seeing it as a disruption of nature’s course, others disagree, taking the view that our natives need a helping hand. So... who’s right?

The results are in for the 2021 New Zealand Garden Bird Survey. At 5894 results nationwide, 2021 saw a near-identical number of submitted surveys as 2020. 

Waking up to a chorus of bird song is one of the great delights of living in Aotearoa. But can you differentiate the chime of a korimako (bellbird) from the tūī in that kōwhai tree?