A blog post by Emma Sundews (Genus: Drosera) The name ‘Drosera‘ comes from the Greek ‘drosos‘ meaning ‘dew’ or ‘dewdrops’. They are one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants in the world. Like all members of their family (Droseraceae), they lure, capture, and digest insects using a thick, gluey substance called mucilage which they have on stalks covering their leaves. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which the plants grow. Drosera stenopetala The photos in this post were taken by Tom and I during our stint voluntee ..read more

A blog post by Emma Lockdown 2020 In March last year, New Zealand was in its first lockdown because of COVID-19. Tom and I had been due to head back to England but couldn’t. We were lucky enough to have work we could do from home (I had a lab set up in our garage for my NZ work and Tom had UK desk-based work). In our free time, we also had a long list of projects and renos to occupy us, as well as our almost one year old son, Ezra. One of the many projects we were excited about was to make some insect hotels for the critters in our garden. A few months prior, we had picked up a sheet of clear ..read more

A blog post by Tom The genus Mohoua is a small group of three birds species endemic to New Zealand: the pīpipi/brown creeper (Mohoua novaeseelandiae), the pōpokotea/whitehead (Mohoua albicilla) and, the subject of this post, the mōhua/yellowhead (Mohoua ochrocephala). Emma and I have had encounters with pīpipi and pōpokotea before but, until visiting Whenua Hou, the mōhua had eluded us. All three species look similar in their shape, rough size and general mannerisms, but the mōhua is arguably the most striking. We heard the mōhua before we saw them. Like our experiences with their cousins, the ..read more

A blog post by Emma For two weeks over the New Zealand 2018/2019 summer, Tom and I volunteered with kākāpō on Whenua Hou Island. You can read about the trip and some of the other species we encountered in our blog post, here. Whilst we were on the island, we were extremely lucky to have a couple of kākāpō sightings. We also saw plenty of kākāpō sign. Today, we want to introduce you to this charismatic critter and to share a few of our own observations. One of the many stunning views on Whenua Hou The Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) are a critically endangered noctur ..read more

A blog post by Emma Parenthood, work and life have been keeping us very busy. So much so that it has taken a pandemic and a countrywide lockdown to get Tom and I back in front of the computer again! We hope that everyone is keeping safe. We are well, but it looks like we’ll be spending the next year here in New Zealand and missing this year’s UK ecology season, but that is for the best. How are you all doing? This next series of posts will be about our time as kākāpō supplementary feed-out volunteers on Whenua Hou Island during their last breeding season. We’ll write about our trip, as well as ..read more

In November last year, on our way down the South Island, New Zealand, we stopped at Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve. Taiaroa Head/Pukekura is especially known for its northern royal albatross colony, the only mainland colony of albatross in the Southern Hemisphere. Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) Click to zoom in Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve is located at the end of the Otago Peninsula. It is just under a 40 minute drive from the Dunedin city centre along a picturesque coastal road. Taiaroa Head is named after Te Matenga Taiaroa who was a 19th-century Māori ..read more

A blog post by Emma We thought it was about time to say ‘hello’ again after not being around for the best part of a year. A lot has happened whilst we’ve been away, and we’d like to share some of these exciting events with you. Since our last post, we’ve made our annual migration from the UK to New Zealand and back again. We have been as busy as anything with work, volunteering and our most recent life-endeavours. The most significant piece of news being that our team of two now has a new explorer… A Little Critter In May this year, Tom and I welcomed our very own little critter into the world ..read more

The last time we wrote about the hazel dormouse was this time last year, just as the UK ecology season was drawing to a close. You can check out that post here. Now, we’re at that time again and we’re not quite sure where the year has gone. In fact, we’ve just made our annual migration south, touching down in New Zealand yesterday. It has been a successful season of newting, “reptilizing” and batting in the UK. We’ve also made many new friends along the way. It was actually one of our new friends, a fellow freelance ecologist, who invited us to join them on their local dormouse nest box check ..read more

After a long night of both dusk and dawn bat surveys, being home and about to hop in a hot shower was just what I had been wanting.  I had not long put down my prescription glasses when I noticed a dark speck on the white grouting between the tiles that make up the walls of the shower. Squinting, I could just make out what looked like the world’s tiniest scorpion. With a steady hand, a few small British coins as a size reference and the aid of my macro lens, I was able to get a little closer. Sure enough, I had been sharing my shower with a pseudoscorpion. Click to zoom in What are ps ..read more

A Morning Stroll After a dawn bat survey at the end of May this year, we stopped by Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve for a stroll. The early morning is a wonderful time to watch wildlife with the dawn light bringing out the best in the landscape. We had gone there to see the birds, but this bee orchid caught our eye. Click to zoom in We’ve been hoping to see one for a long time now. We’d even driven out to locations specifically to see them, but had never had any luck. Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all! The Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) Order: Asparagale ..read more