Friday Feathered Friend
Hey Neighbourly folk, this week something a bit different - a lizard.
Photographer Louise Thomas snapped the image on a recent expedition to photograph some new bird species.
"I've had an amazing 24-hours. Yesterday, my faithful porter and I went out to Matiu/Somes Island. We saw sooty shearwaters, kākāriki, aka red-crowned parakeet, numerous skinks, and on the way back a spotted shag near the Days Bay wharf.
All three birds are new species for me. I'm afraid I have no idea what sort of skink this is, I think common skink, but it has a dark iris? Suggestions from those in the know much appreciated - I'm going cross-eyed trying to work it out on the internet.
Funny story, both Chris and I thought this was a railway spike holding up the wood on the edge of the step, then Chris said "wait, that spike has little hands."
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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56.5% I avoid spending money on coffee
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34.8% I still indulge at my local cafe
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8.7% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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