Friday Feathered Friend
This week we are featuring the kingfisher, with words and a picture from Louise Thomas. They are often hard to spot but are one of the most beautiful birds you will see.
"Sacred kingfishers/kōtare (Todiramphus sanctus) seem special to me. A lightning flash of brilliant blue as they nip down from the power lines over the river or one of the posts they like to perch on to snatch a crab or little fish – the strike operation takes only seconds, barely breaking the water. I’ve almost given up trying to catch one on my camera diving. They are ruthless with their food, smashing in on their post, presumably to kill it, before swallowing it whole. I haven’t seen him for a few months, but I had one who liked to visit the garden off and on. He was a loveable, if badly behaved, guest, throwing up indigestible crab bits and staking out the compost bin where a mouse lives – he used to watch it with such intensity, like he was trying to use his mind meld powers to make the mouse run out. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the mouse for awhile either. Hmmm. Here is a young chap (an immature) with his chest still mottled from Pauatahanui the other day."
Say goodbye to tyre waste
About 40% of the 6.5 million tyres Kiwis use every year are recycled, repurposed, or used as tyre-derived fuel. But the rest end up in landfills, stockpiled or dumped.
The good news is now there’s an easy solution to all that tyre waste. It’s called Tyrewise and is New Zealand’s first national tyre recycling scheme.
Tyrewise ensures that tyres in Aotearoa New Zealand are recycled or repurposed properly, saving millions from going to the landfill.
Find out more about the scheme online.
Anzac Day
There are opportunities across the motu for the public to come together to mark Anzac Day this year.
National Anzac Day events include the Dawn Service at 6.00am and the National Commemorative Service at 11.00am (both at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, Wellington), and the Atatürk Memorial Service at 2.30pm in Strathmore, Wellington. The Dawn Service and National Commemorative Service will be broadcast live by TVNZ 1 and RNZ National.
For those wanting to join the Anzac Day parade at the Dawn Service, veterans are asked to assemble on Tasman Street by 5.30am.
The Atatürk Memorial Service in Strathmore will include a wreath-laying ceremony. A shuttle service will be running from Bowes Crescent carpark to the memorial site for anyone who may require assistance accessing the site.
For more information about Anzac Day, visit the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage website or see the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park Facebook page.
To find out about events in your local community, visit the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association’s website or get in touch with your local council.
What's On: TALK - MAKING ENDS MEET
TALK - MAKING ENDS MEET
- Room 5, Johnsonville Community Centre