Starlings
Starlings are quite beautiful when you look at them closely, especially when the light catches their dark iridescent plumage and white "stars". They have a murmuration most evenings somewhere along the river, often up by the Ewen Bridge. Although common in New Zealand, their numbers have sadly halved in the last thirty years in their native Europe where they form an important part of the ecosystem, such as controlling insects like grass grub. I snapped this guy last Friday when the weather was not so good, but he still caught a few rays of light in the top of a pōhutukawa. The other picture is from earlier in the year when a group of young starlings (you can tell they are young by the brown heads) were wheeling around over the Hikoikoi Reserve.
Poll: Could we live without public bins?
Many public rubbish bins are being removed by councils due to the large costs of regularly emptying them. Do you think we can adapt and live without them?
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
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11.9% Yes
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87.5% No
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0.5% Other - I'll share below
Are you a first home buyer?
Hello!
Are you a first home buyer? Is your mortgage going up and up with rising interest rates and you’re now struggling to make ends meet? Have you lost the ability to save any extra cash?
We’re reaching out from the Tova show, the flagship weekly politics podcast on Stuff, as we prepare a special episode on the interest rate crunch and how it’s affecting Kiwis - we’d love to hear your stories.
Please comment below if you would like to share your story, or email tova@stuff.co.nz. We give you our commitment to treat your experience with sensitivity and care.
Healing isn’t linear...
Healing isn’t linear and it is okay to have moments of struggle alongside triumphs 😖🥳
Remember, every day is a step closer to where we want to be.
Commit, persevere. Embrace the journey 😤
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