Search Results for: prion

How to DNA sex birds.

11 May 2013 – 2.13pm

The males and females of many bird species are difficult to distinguish by their appearance (peacocks are a notable exception). There are many situations where it is useful to know the sex of birds including captive breeding programmes, behavioural studies and even species delimitation in extinct taxa. DNA sexing provides a simple and quick way […]

By Lara Shepherd | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Seabird sampling strategies: a tongue twister

26 February 2013 – 10.44am

Genetic research requires a small amount of tissue from animal or plant specimens to be destroyed in order to obtain DNA. Te Papa’s bird team recently pondered the best way to sample tissue for DNA whilst causing a minimal amount of damage to seabird specimens. In July 2011 a period of unfavourable weather led to […]

By Lara Shepherd | Posted in Birds, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Sense and Sensibility in the Southern Ocean – A character-building story of albatross and researcher personalities in extreme conditions. Part 3. Arriving at the Crozet Islands

18 February 2013 – 8.59am

After a days delay while we took part in an exercise involving the French Navy, we finally sighted the Crozet Islands as the sun cast its water rays over a cold deep blue-grey sea. Suddenly the bird life around the boat changed from the occasional white-chinned petrel and wandering albatross, to flights of little prions, […]

By Susan Waugh | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Field trips | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Birds of the Poor Knights Islands

16 February 2013 – 8.04pm

Te Papa’s curator of terrestrial vertebrates Dr Colin Miskelly recently visited the Poor Knights Islands Nature Reserve, off the Northland coast, as part of a research team tracking the at-sea movements of Buller’s shearwaters. The project is led by Graeme Taylor of the Department of Conservation, and is intended to identify the marine environments used […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Field trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (7)

Green Island (Papatea) – 1941 and 2012 – In the footsteps of Edgar Stead (Part 8)

8 January 2013 – 11.19am

Te Papa’s curator of terrestrial vertebrates Dr Colin Miskelly is researching the life and work of the Canterbury naturalist Edgar Stead (1881-1949). This includes re-taking Stead’s photos from the same photo-point, taking other images to illustrate his diaries, and describing how the ecology and wildlife of each of 10 islands has changed since Stead’s visits. […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Field trips, Mammals, Reptiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments (8)

Pukeokaoka / Jacky Lee Island – 1932 and 2012 – In the footsteps of Edgar Stead (Part 7)

27 March 2012 – 9.48am

Te Papa’s curator of terrestrial vertebrates Dr Colin Miskelly is researching the life and work of the Canterbury naturalist Edgar Stead (1881-1949). This includes re-taking Stead’s photos from the same photo-point, taking other images to illustrate his diaries, and describing how the ecology and wildlife of each of 10 islands has changed since Stead’s visits. […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Field trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (9)

Rerewhakaupoko / Solomon Island – 1931 and 2012 – In the footsteps of Edgar Stead (Part 5)

26 March 2012 – 5.28pm

Te Papa’s curator of terrestrial vertebrates Dr Colin Miskelly is researching the life and work of the Canterbury naturalist Edgar Stead (1881-1949). This includes re-taking Stead’s photos from the same photo-point, taking other images to illustrate his diaries, and describing how the ecology and wildlife of each of 10 islands has changed since Stead’s visits. The […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Field trips | Tagged , , , , | Comments (10)

Zooming-in on New Zealand Storm-Petrel breeding sites

3 March 2012 – 10.34am

Teamwork during a Te Papa funded charter trip in the Hauraki Gulf got us a step closer in the hunt for the breeding grounds of the recently rediscovered New Zealand Storm-Petrel (Pelaeornis maoriana). The search team included Te Papa researcher Jean-Claude Stahl, Chris Gaskin who is part of the New Zealand storm-petrel research group, and Brett Rathe […]

By Te Papa | Posted in Birds, Field trips | Comments (0)

One step forward after three steps back – slow progress with restoring populations of New Zealand seabirds

13 January 2012 – 8.05am

2011 was a grim year for New Zealand seabirds. They suffered the triple-whammy of nuclear-fallout from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant affecting the North Pacific non-breeding grounds of at least four species, a severe winter storm that killed up to half a million prions, then the Rena oil spill believed to have killed several […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Bay of Plenty oil spill, Biodiversity, Birds, Field trips | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Riders of the storm – the severely depleted next generation

13 December 2011 – 11.29am

2011 was a terrible year for New Zealand seabirds. The Rena oil spill in October received the most media coverage and provided dramatic images (see Rena oil spill blogs). More insidious were the impacts of the Japanese earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March. A plume of radioactive fallout from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power […]

By Colin Miskelly | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Disasters, Field trips | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)
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