Behavioural Ecologist who plays games with birds in Aotearoa. Senior Lecturer at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Pākehā, she/her. Toitū Te Tiriti thinkingbehaviour.org https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-8283
theconversation.com/beyond-the-b...
Beyond the beaches, Wellington’s catastrophic sewage spill could be bad news for coastal ecosystemsSewage spills are often seen as short-term public health crises. But the ecological impacts can be lasting, especially if combined with marine heatwaves and storms.theconversation.com
My wife and I were on a beach in the Wellington area and found this at a car park, in the grass. It is approximately the size of a person's hand,made of bone, and intricately carved. I've masked the lower half,as only the legitimate owner will be able to fully describe it. Please share this...(1)
Glad to be featured in @nzgeo.bsky.social, highlighting the importance of planting native species such as tree fuchsia, a major food resource for native birds. Based on a recent publication of bird-plant interactions in @zealandia.bsky.social @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social www.nzgeo.com/stories/want...
Want native birds? This fuchsia is by far your best betScientists who spent nine years birdwatching in Wellington ecosanctuary Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne report that birds visit the flowers of kōtukutuku, our native tree fuchsia, 16.4 times an hour. That pu...www.nzgeo.com
I am looking for a postdoc to work in our long-term system of food-caching mountain chickadees in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The expected start is April 2026. Please see details here: chickadeecognition.com/positions If interested and qualified, please contact me directly (email on the website).
POSITIONSdefault descriptionchickadeecognition.com
People urged to watch for exhausted birds and blown away nestlings in wild weather
People urged to watch for exhausted birds and blown away nestlings in wild weatherPeople are being urged to watch for exhausted seabirds and tiny nestlings blown from their nests in the wild weather.www.rnz.co.nz
PSA! have you dropped in your council voting papers? Do it today or tomorrow latest. And don't forget to vote YES to Māori wards.
Listening to and participating in the worldwide critical media commentary about the dire wolf 'de-extinction', one thing struck me. Indigenous voices, which have a vital role in this debate, were largely silent, leading me to co-write this theconversation.com/return-of-th...
Return of the huia? Why Māori worldviews must be part of the ‘de-extinction’ debateThere is nothing to stop de-extinction companies using specimens from museum collections, despite little Māori support for reviving lost native species.theconversation.com
Individual variation in spatial reference memory influences cache site choice in a wild bird #ProcB #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
RIP NZ CRIs. May your legacy be of a wholesome community that values scientific excellence, the natural environment and the people of Aotearoa.
🧪 #Conservation,#translocations & #Indigenous knowledge, and a wonderful emerging researcher leading this paper from #Aotearoa on #kākā.
Cilla WehiHistorical ecology has awesome tools to explore past relationships. In this case, we used place names and written historical sources to examine kākā distribution & ecology, to contribute to conversations about bio-cultural translocation. Ngā mihi e Fin mō tāu mahi ataahua. 9/9 tinyurl.com/53vse3hv
Advertising for an MSc student to work on a feral cat management project - stipend + domestic fees for research year. @aucklanduni.bsky.social Working with different iwi & community partners. More details here: stanleylab.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/opportunities/
The Royal Society Te Apārangi has sent an open letter to the Prime Minister about the importance of social sciences and humanities, following changes to the Marsden Fund terms that explicitly exclude research areas in the social sciences and humanities: www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/open-le...
Open letter on importance of research in the social sciences and humanitiesOpen letter on importance of research in the social sciences and humanities
Tēnā koe Prime Minister,
The role of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, as set out in the Royal Society of New Zealand Act,...www.royalsociety.org.nz
Just so we're clear, aside from the social sciences and humanities, this description excludes: - agricultural, vetinary, and food sciences - earth sciences - environmental sciences - information and computing sciences - ALL non-biomedical biological sciences
Ben DicksonIt turns out that JC's definition of science is even narrower than it appears. Biological sciences have been reduced to biomedical applications only. Presumably this is rushed by people who have no idea what they're talking about (i.e. JC didn't pay enough attention on school) Incompetence reigns!
"This decision defunds Māori research and researchers by stealth" Tahu Kukutai in my latest for @science.org on cuts to the Marsden Fund, NZ's only fund for "blue-sky" research; features Paul Spoonley, @nicgaston.bsky.social et al www.science.org/content/arti...
Amid cuts to basic research, New Zealand scraps all support for social sciencesScientists shocked as “blue-sky” Marsden Fund has half its budget shifted to research focused on helping economywww.science.org
It’s a dark day for research in Aotearoa New Zealand and the ramifications for the country are huge. Minister Judith Collins has just announced our blue-skies funder will no longer fund humanities & social science research and that 50% of what is funded must have economic benefit.
And oooph again 😢 Still a chance to do something about this one though…
An open letter about the future of The SpinoffAn important announcement from the CEO, the editor and the founder of The Spinoff.<br />thespinoff.co.nzNicola GastonReally gutted by this. Just the latest casualty of cuts across the board in AoNZ, in STEM research and education, but it’s still really sad to see. Am sure Michelle will pivot but this is well beyond canary in the coalmine stuff 😭