Saturday, December 31, 2022

YEAR END 2022

Good to feel that things have returned to near normal after the pandemic disruption of the last couple of years. For many of us this was nothing more than inconvenient. I hate to think how we would have coped if a full-scale war was on our doorstep as in Ukraine...

Protection of the environment continues to be a challenge with the onslaught of poorly planned development in and around Auckland. Trees have been decimated and at every turn the powers that be resist discussing any meaningful tree protection. Unfortunately, trees get in the way of unbridled development and development rules in Auckland!

2023 will be a continual concern from those that care and have a vision of reducing our war with Nature and following the Science that has shown that if we protect our environment, it will protect us.

A Happy New Year to All.

 

Monday, December 19, 2022

AT LAST!

 The 'powers that be' have finally woken up to the fact that inconsistent signage since 2013 has not helped keep dogs off a designated 'SEA Marine 1' Chenier shell bank in Shoal (Oneoneroa) estuary. This habitat is important to ground nesting and roosting shorebirds.

Frustrated by this inaction of 'duty of care' & constant sign changes I sent Council staff a pdf of photos and dates of all variations of signs that I had recorded at this edge of Shoal estuary since 2013. I asked why the clearest 'No Dogs' signage was removed in March 2020 only four months after it was installed following Council asking me what sign should be used. It was then replaced with yet another ambiguous sign. Signage should clearly reflect the 2012 (amended 2015) dog bylaw.

Good to see that quite recently these three newly designed signs have appeared.  We are hoping that now there is no excuse for dogs being taken on the shell banks at this location.

Now Three NO DOGS signs.

Clear & concise signage is essential.

The next challenge is to get these new signs into other sensitive habitat sites at Shoal and Ngataringa estuary.  How long will that take????

Friday, December 2, 2022

Northland Coastal Escape



First to  Ruakaka for a couple of nights to enjoy the estuary and wildlife reserve. Eleven Royal spoonbill feeding at the estuary edge. Later in the afternoon as the tide came in at least one hundred gannets plummeting out of the sky almost colliding as they go after shoals of fish. 



Little shags roost in a favoured tree between fishing expeditions and the tides.



It was fun watching this young Welcome Swallow eagerly waiting to be fed. Its parents were away for some times more than 15 minutes searching for food to bring back to the young one's perch point on an old fence post. 



Then further North on to my happy space for more nights, more walks and swims in this secluded beautiful bay with back hills and bush to explore.




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