It’s been a month of promotional work & visits for Project members. While we sit out some unusual Orange autumn weather we’ve been spreading our wings a little ourselves (pun; terrible, sorry!). Fellow Project co-ordinator Dr Cilla Kinross has been sending back some amazing photos and stories from a whistlestop trip through France and England, with plenty of bird-watching, including some awesome peregrine photos from ornithological colleagues in Albi, France. Fellow England-based Project colleague, Dr Ian Grange, will also be receiving a visit from Cilla shortly and no doubt will be comparing some interesting notes and catching up with recent events.
Scott’s just returned from a trip to New Zealand, including a few days in Queenstown and over to the Franz Josef Glacier. While in Queenstown he was lucky enough to visit & acquaint with the good staff at Peregrine Wines near Queenstown who are very strong supporters of the Wingspan New Zealand Falcon research & rehabilitation centre up in Rotorua (North Island). We’ve had plenty of recent local travellers telling us to go to the winery and it was indeed worth the visit; really nice people with interesting stories & a love of wildlife to boot (wine’s fantastic too)!!
Just over two years ago the West Coast Wildlife Centre was established in the Franz Josef Glacier village as a joint project to breed and rehabilitate the extremely rare local “Rowi” kiwi. With only 375 individuals left on planet Earth it’s an amazing look in to a successful rare species breeding program. A highly recommended visit & well worth the entrance fee to see a couple of Rowi in their own nocturnal enclosures and the guided tour through the on-site breeding facility.
(entirely unsponsored promotions here! … Scott)