582 days ago

Friday Feathered Friend

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

It has been a while since I posted a Friday Feathered Friend. This week it is a contribution from Louise Thomas.
"This is not the best photo of a variable oystercatcher - it's not even the best photo I took that day, but it is interesting. I noticed he/she was tagged - meet CT7. I snapped him/her in the Hutt Estuary on 12 January and sent a report off to the Banding Office as you do and got back a very interesting report about the bird.
He/she was banded on Bell Island, Waimea Inlet, Tasman on 28/05/2022 in his/her 2nd year. Sex is unknown. CT7 is a busy chap, since banding this bird has been re-sighted at Saxton Field, Stoke, Nelson on 28/06/2022 and 19/07/2022. This bird is part of a research study on the morphometrics, population trends, longevity and movements of variable oystercatchers in the Golden/Tasman Bays region.

So, if you see CT7 don't forget to report him/her to the banding office.
Variable oystercatcher/ tōrea (Haematopus unicolor). Bird #14 in 2023.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Same Again Dan

Michael from Trentham

Who else besides me has gotten annoyed well before now with TVOne weather presenter, Daniel Corbett constant use of the term: SAME THING AGAIN.

Dan uses this term at least two-three times on any evening he is doing the weather presentation. A year ago and it wasn't in his vocabulary.

Ok, NZ is not a huge country and therefore the weather region by region, city by city can be pretty similar. But to use the same terminology when there is either no need to or many alternatives, rankles me anyway.

His weather colleagues have never used this Corbett habitual three worded expression.

Another thing Dan does with so much more repetitiveness of late is the frimmp, woosh, voomb sounds of noise he makes to describe rain, wind, impending climatic conditions or whatever.

Come on Dan. You weren't doing or saying these things in the UK.

1 day ago

Poll: Is it okay to grocery shop in your PJs?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

I'm sure you've seen it while doing your weekly shop... In fact, it may have even been you.

What do you think about people heading to the supermarket in their pyjamas?

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Is it okay to grocery shop in your PJs?
  • 14.5% It's fine!
    14.5% Complete
  • 75% It's questionable
    75% Complete
  • 10.6% Other - I'll share below
    10.6% Complete
1557 votes
2 days ago

UPPER HUTT SETBACKS

Michael from Trentham

Upper Hutt has been on an upward spiral over the last several years not seen to the same extent in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Porirua, Kapiti, Horowhenu and Wairarapa.
But further progress and stretching out the bump in population has come to a stop - albeit temporary.

The bold planning of multi storied apartments on a part of the Trentham Racecourse site accommodating a few thousand people and ensuring the conrinuation of top level racing has been placed on hold. This comes after a glitch of the Silverstream Spur housing development which could draw in several thousand residents. The SS is also likely to evenrually go ahead but not right now.

The one thing publicly announced in the last day is the increase of prison accommodation due to start in the ever growing mini city that is Rimutaka Prison.
This Upper Hutt facility is the largest prison in NZ and harbours thousands of prisoners and over a thousand staff.

Not the kind of progress Upper Hutt really wants though there are good benefits from employment opportunities, ancillary services needed for the prison and demand for local rental properties.