2024 NZ Bird Conference – Registrations close 10 May

April 26th, 2024

The 2024 New Zealand Bird Conference and AGM of Birds New Zealand will be held in Nelson from 1 to 3 June (King’s Birthday Weekend).

Conference details

PLEASE NOTE: Registrations and dinner bookings close 10 May!

REGISTER NOW

Field trip options are limited and filling on a first-come-first-served basis!
Conference attendees are invited to enter their photos into the 2024 Birds NZ Photo Competition.
Special offer: Delegates receive a 10% Discount off the full range of books published by Potton & Burton. Details

We aim to continue the fine work of previous conferences in making this the premier event for the communication of new research findings about birds in New Zealand, and for providing opportunities for discussion, networking and field trips for professional and amateur ornithologists, students and others who are interested in birds and their habitats. We will be presenting talks on a wide range of topics, and look forward to bringing together researchers and all who are interested to share their knowledge and findings to make this conference a dynamic, informative and memorable event.

We look forward to hosting you in Nelson for a fantastic weekend of birds and birding!

Conference Flyer

To find out what is happening in the local birding world read the latest Nelson newsletter

March Birds New Zealand magazine published

April 19th, 2024

The March 2024 Birds New Zealand magazine has been published with a cover photo featuring a New Zealand Fairy Tern Tara Iti taken by Darren Markin. This issue contains news of Tara Iti breeding success and the results of bird research projects funded by the Birds New Zealand Research Fund, including satellite tracking Red Knots, GPS tracking of Kororā Little Penguins, an assessment of monitoring kiwi with remote cameras, and a Tara White-fronted Tern diet and population survey and photo competition.

It also reports on a partnership between Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, the Department of Conservation, Birds New Zealand, Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust and Otago Regional Council to better understand the population dynamics and movements of Tōrea South Island Pied Oystercatcher, and the successful recent Makarora Field Camp organised by Aspiring Biodiversity Trust with Birds New Zealand.

Illustrated feature articles include Cruising Sub-Antarctica by True Young Explorer scholarship recipient Bradley Shields on a cruise to the Subantarctic Islands with Heritage Expeditions; reports from the 2023 Australasian Ornithological Conference held in Brisbane by Birds New Zealand Vice President Natalie Forsdick and three recipients of Birds New Zealand’s 2023 Student Travel Grants (Katie Gray, Kamaya Patel, Katie Vanderstok); and In Search of Kororā by Hiltrun Ratz of the New Zealand Penguin Initiative, which is providing support and expertise for groups working on Kororā, and bringing together information about the Kororā population into a centralised database.

It also reports on the appointment of Dr James Savage as the new editor of Notornis, the presentation of a Meritorious Service Award to Phil Rhodes for his long-term contribution to Birds New Zealand’s work in Southland shortly before he died, and the appointment of two new regional representatives, Dawn Palmer (Otago) and Anita Spencer (Canterbury).

This issue also includes the regular quarterly report of Birds New Zealand President Bruce McKinlay, the bi-annual Bird News report on interesting bird sightings over the past six months, illustrated quarterly reports from Birds New Zealand’s regional representatives, and binocular and book reviews.

Link to the magazine: https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Birds-NZ-Magazine41_March-2024.pdf

Birds NZ Research Fund 2024 – Applications

April 15th, 2024

Applications are invited from individuals, groups or organisations who are prepared to make a difference in bird research in New Zealand!

Details and an application form are available here. Applications close 15 June!

A list of preferred themes for research projects for this year’s funding round is available here

Wairarapa Atlas Expedition April 2024

April 15th, 2024

The Atlas team will be running a Toi Toi Wines funded Atlas expedition to Wairarapa this April!

The group will be based in Dannevirke from Wednesday 24th April 2024, and finishing up on the Sunday 28th. The aim is to increase Atlas effort, day and night, across as much of the Wairarapa region, targeting low effort areas. This is a fantastic opportunity to join the team and contribute valuable bird observations to an under-surveyed area of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Please see the flyer for details, and you can register your name and details via the link here.

Registration will close on the 7th April at midnight.

We hope you can join us. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The Atlas Team
New Zealand Bird Atlas
PO Box 607, Blenheim 7240. Mobile: 022 406 7028
https://ebird.org/atlasnz/home