Bay Harbour: August 26, 2020

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 14 Wednesday August 26 2020 BAY HARBOUR Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz BIRDS OF THE ESTUARY Tanya Jenkins is the manager of the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust, a non-profit organisation formed in 2002 to protect one of New Zealand’s most important coastal wetlands. Each week she introduces a new bird found in the estuary. Her column aims to raise the understanding of the values and uniqueness of the area. Skylark the subject of poets for centuries WHEN YOU hear the skylark or kaireka you know for sure that the bird breeding season has arrived. Yet another introduced bird species from England, when between 1864 and 1879 just over a 1000 skylarks were released around New Zealand. While in England the skylark population has declined to only 30 per cent compared to a few decades ago luckily here in New Zealand they are doing well. We do not see large numbers around the estuary but we do have a few resident pairs and you can hear them around the Linwood Paddocks, Charlesworth Wetland and Bexley areas but you may have heard them elsewhere as well. This tiny bird which is only about the size of the common house sparrow is the composer of one of the most beautiful and complex songs of any bird expressed by the male from mid-August during the most-odd mate attracting spectacle. It will soar straight up in the sky where it can hover and fly in circles for as long MUSICAL: The skylark can vocalise 300 different ‘syllables’. as 5min before it dives back to earth. This hovering is done at a height of up to 100m and way out of our sight. All the while singing of what experts call “in syllables.” The skylark can produce 300 different syllables without repeating any of them. No wonder that the skylark has been the subject of many poets for centuries. Famous Scottish poet James Hogg (1770-1835) described the skylark as a “musical cherub” and its song as being “an emblem of happiness.” Once the male has found his mate they will produce up to three clutches of two to three eggs per season by building a simple nest on the ground among long grass. Predation by rats is as once again a main threat to any ground-nesting bird and while predator control around the estuary is undertaken by the city council but we can all help by placing rat traps in our gardens to support this. Sumner possum trapping successful IT’S AMAZING what asking for a little help can do. What started as two possum traps in Sumnervale Reserve at the head of Sumner Valley more than two years ago has expanded to a 4km, 120 trap line that almost makes its way to the sea. Members of the Sumner Trapping Group have been walking the line in the red zone up to twice a week since a Facebook page asking for help had a group of six turn up to help in October. “The people that have turned up have amazed me with their dedication, innovation and good humour,” co-ordinator James Young said. “It just started a snowball effect, Land Information New Zealand, Traps NZ, Predator Free Sumner, and locals have all donated traps to the network of possum, stoat, rat and mice kill traps to a line that just keeps on growing.” Possums were even being plucked to generate money for more traps. The group has caught more than 160 possums and lots of rats and mice, Young said. “Our goal is to have the length of the valley protected, essentially we can create a ring around Sumner and we can be living in our own reserve,” Young said. A recent spotlight survey picked up five animals in the trapped area, so there was more work to be done. The programme continues to catch one-to-two possums a week, but the group asked anyone with home traps to especially set them in October and November. That is when birds are nesting and possums become a lot easier to catch. He assured people worried about their pets that the programme was operating safely. “We have trapped for around 3000 trap nights and have not caught any cats or dogs – we use non meat baits. “A good thing to do is to tell your kids not to interact with the traps for their own safety and we have suffered a little vandalism of late.”
Wednesday August 26 2020 Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz BAY HARBOUR PAGE 15 BUY NOW ONE-OFF SPECIAL! TWO BEDROOM VILLAS From $299,900* (were $359,900 - save up to $60,000) PLUS! Move in and pay no weekly village fees for 2020. COMING SPRING 2020 8 new 2-bedroom villas also at Thorrington Village Secure your villa now STUDIOS / CARE SUITES *Thorrington Villa Special runs until 31/8/2020 or earlier if all allocated villas sold. Villa must be under contract by this date. It's better than we could have imagined. We’ve got a beautiful garden outlook, fantastic facilities, access to daily meals, and the Nurse’s Wellbeing Clinic. What we offer: • Nestled in the attractive "Beckenham Loop" • Weekly fees are fixed for life • Award-winning gardens • Maximum RVA certification achieved • Resident day trips & overnight tours • Free weekly Wellness Clinics • Nutritious meals available daily in our dining room or delivered to your villa • Make new friends, feel supported and safe • We are 100% non-profit & locally owned • Rest home & dementia care at Thorrington with hospital care available at Archer Village • Our full-time care service offers either Standard Rooms with no additional daily room fee or a Premium Care Suite with additional daily room fee 51 Birdwood Ave, Beckenham For inquiries: Sue (Sales Manager) M: 021 902 626 W: 03 943 6006 E: sue@archer.org.nz www.archer.org.nz DON'T DELAY!
Page 1 and 2: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 Connecti
Page 3 and 4: Latest Canterbury news at starnews.
Page 5 and 6: Wednesday August 26 2020 Latest Can
Page 13: Wednesday August 26 2020 Latest Can

Bay Harbour: August 26, 2020

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?