Kākāpō: New Zealand’s Flightless “Owl” Parrot

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…

Volunteering with Kākāpō on Whenua Hou Island

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…

New Zealand’s Smallest Endemic Bird isn’t a True Wren, it’s the Rifleman

Despite being known as one of the New Zealand wrens, of which it is one of only two surviving species, the Rifleman actually belongs to the ancient Acanthisittidae family. They are often called “wrens” due to similarities in appearance and behaviour to the true wrens of the family Troglodytidae.

World’s Heaviest Insect: Hunt for the Giant Wētā

We were lucky enough to meet the Mahoenui giant wētā on this expedition. The story behind the endangered Mahoenui giant wētā is an interesting one. The Mahoenui giant wētā was long considered extinct on the mainland, until it was rediscovered in 1962 .

Greenhood Orchid Survey

Working with greenhood orchids from the genus Pterostylis was an interesting experience for me. Most of my paid and voluntary encounters with wildlife have, historically, been with those of the animal kingdom. So, it was about time that I helped survey some of our greener kin.