GR James

Managed to spot rare shorebirds in the #Auckland region this year: pectoral sandpiper, red-necked stint, greater sand plover & sharp-tailed sandpiper, but that's largely thanks to all the volunteers who plant, weed & undertake pest control #conservationvolunteer @Forest_and_Bird

1st trip to Muriwai gannet colony in over 10 years. Great restoration work after early 2023 storm damage. Fantastic to see so many Australasian gannet/Takapu close up - including juveniles & a few fluffy chicks - just a bit of a fishy smell! #birdphotography @Forest_and_Bird

Another successful visit to Bushy Park Tarapuruhi near #Whanganui: plenty of Toutouwai/North Island robin & Hihi/Stitchbird. A predator-fenced sanctuary hinting how much of #NewZealand looked before our species ravaged them in the name of 'economic growth'. @Forest_and_Bird

STOP fishing in High Protection Areas forestandbird.org.nz/petitions/stop… via @Forest_and_Bird

Had a great visit to @Zealandia in Wellington, spotting several Kārearea/falcon, plus plenty of tuatara & other natural taonga. The free EV shuttle bus was good too. Now we just need to make #PredatorFree2050 a reality throughout #NewZealand #Conservation #wildlifephotography

Tell the Environment Committee to pause Fast-track forestandbird.org.nz/node/2558/webf… via @Forest_and_Bird - Overseas tourists come to look at our beautiful coastlines, not open cast mines! All our citizens are environmental stakeholders, so why does the govt only care about shareholders?

Just voted in #BOTY2024 - a chance to publicise the plight of #NewZealand 's unique wildlife & how everyone can help. In addition, every vote for #VoteMiromiro means a donation to @Forest_and_Bird to aid their fantastic #conservation efforts - so don't forget to vote by the 15th!

My citizen science for the week: just entered results for 2024 #NewZealand Garden Bird Survey. A very quiet week on the bird front in my garden, especially a shortage of piwakawaka/fantail. Good to find out how our natural taonga are doing across the country. @NZGardenBirds

What do you get if you plant over 270,000 native trees? In the space of 2 hours at Māngere Bridge in #Auckland #NewZealand I spotted bar-tailed godwit/kuaka, wrybill/ngutu pare & royal spoonbill/kōtuku ngutupapa plus many other more common birds. #birdphotography #conservation

I've made a submission against the Resource Management (Freshwater & Other Matters) Amendment Bill – #NewZealand you have 2 days to tell @NZGovernment our freshwater policy is not to be meddled with. Prioritise the nation's health over shareholder bank accounts! @Forest_and_Bird

Had a fantastic day tree planting in the Hauraki Gulf yesterday with the @Motutapu Restoration Trust. Amazing to see the new native forest - thanks to 30 years work planting 500,000 trees! Heard tīeke/saddleback & saw kererū & dozens of piwakawaka/fantail. #conservationvolunteer

I'm calling on Christopher Luxon to keep his hands off freshwater protections! Will you join me? greenpeace.nz/6tpkb9 #protectfreshwater

Feel amazingly privileged to have been a guest of the #sanctuarymountainmaungatautari trustees & watched the fantastic professionals & volunteers translocating brown kiwi/Kiwi-nui. A great example of what could happen for many endangered species if we achieve @PredatorFreeNZ

Trip yesterday to @aucklandzoo was great for spotting natural taonga, including kaka, kea, takahe, fur seal, gecko & skinks, plus a fantastic keeper talk allowing close proximity to wētāpunga, tuatara & NZ's newest native species, the self-introduced barn owl. #conservation

I’m calling on PM @chrisluxonmp to make footage from the camera on boats programme publicly available, not owned by industry. greenpeace.nz/5fcuxc via @greenpeacenz

Given the coalition agreement promises evidence-based decisions, here's a scientific paper on the 20 worst ranked countries by proportional composite environmental rank. NZ is #1 worst for threatened species. Overriding envtal laws with fast track will drive more loss. #soloose

Sea lions are an endangered species and need protection. Shane Jones has decided to listen only to the fishing industry! Sign this petition to reinstate the mortality limit and support the call for more protection to #SaveTheSealions! community.greenpeace.org.nz/petitions/rein…

Just run a 2-week #sustainability engagement for 6,000 #NewZealanders nationwide, with competitions on reducing household waste, meat consumption & car use, etc. Only 2% of the audience entered. Why so much apathy in #NewZealand on #climatechange & #environmental degradation?

Sagan would be appalled, but not surprised, that we are still having these same discussions.

Thanks @Forest_and_Bird for the grebe model. Wonder how many #NewZealanders understand what you've done over the past century to protect our natural taonga? Keep fighting the current govt's policy of profits for the few ahead of the long-term survival of our vital ecosystems.