BirdsaPlenty FestivalThe BirdsaPlenty Festival is held in October each year in the Whakatane and Opotiki Districts. The festival is the first of its kind in New Zealand and has grown each year through the support of a dedicated group of bird lovers and conservation groups.
Probably some of the best bird-watching in the North Island is to be found in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, principally the Ohiwa Harbour for waders and Te Urewera National Park for forest birds. The diverse range of bird-life in the region includes an excellent range of sea birds, shore birds, marshland birds and forest birds.
The festival supports the enhancement of bird-watching locations: boardwalks, viewing platforms and marked trails and promotes the work of the different agencies and groups that care for birds. The community is encouraged to appreciate the bird-life and to enhance their habitat. Birders from around New Zealand attend the festival, as the area is one of New Zealand's best bird-watching destinations.
The 2007 programme is a series of events that varies from year to year and this year includes:
- Godwit Welcome at Ohiwa Harbour
- Tablelands Care Group Dusk Chorus Walk
- Kiwi Recovery Programme and kiwi listening
- Manawahe Kokako Recovery Programme
- Nukuhou Saltmarsh monthly bird count
- Field trips to Apanui Marshland, Uretara Island, Tablelands and Matata Lagoon
Watch this space for the 2008 programme!
Groups involved in the project include REAP, Forest and Bird, Department of Conservation, NZBirds.com, Ornithological Society of NZ, Whakatane Bird Rescue, Eastern Bay of Plenty Development Board, Environment Bay of Plenty, Nukuhou Marshlands Group and Manawahe Kokako Trust. Photo of Spoonbills kindly supplied by Warner Haldane.
Date: TBC October 2008
Location: Eastern Bay of Plenty
For more information: Jacqui Hughes 07 308 4098 |
