Ben Paris

Grateful to play a part in the response, to meet so many friendly people keen to help, and to the trees that gave us some much-needed shade today.

If you think you’ve seen a yellow-legged hornet or anything unusual, please report it to MPI straight away — early reports make all the difference.

What I did find was a renewed appreciation for our street trees. In the middle of a very hot day, those pockets of shade were a genuine relief — a reminder of how important urban trees are for our wellbeing, our communities, and our resilience to rising temperatures.

Out walking the streets in today’s heat as part of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ response work, door knocking and keeping an eye out for any signs of yellow-legged hornets. Thankfully, our team found none.

Meet the Tiny Bat That Hunts Like a Lion In Panama’s forests, researchers discovered that tiny fringe-lipped bats hunt with the patience and precision of big cats.

🦇 in the news.

#bats #lovebats #nature #wildlife

scitechdaily.com/meet-the-tin...

Couldn’t be prouder of the authenticity and passion they brought to the tent today. It was a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Thanks Natasha for shaping and mentoring this mahi!

🐟 🦇

#nzbats #nzfish #pekapeka #ika #community #conservation #kaitiaki #leadership

This is exactly what the Franklin Local Board mahi aims to enable — creating space for Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua kaitiaki to lead, to weave together science and their own mātauranga, and to tell their own stories about these precious taonga.

Had one of those real proud moments at the EcoQuest 25th anniversary celebration today. Watching Sky and Dani share the story of their fish mahi, and hearing Hayley talk so passionately about pekapeka, was something special.

Native fish resurfaces after being feared lost from Auckland wetland A native freshwater fish has been rediscovered after a decade long search, with a healthy population of both adults and juveniles found.

“This tiny fish may be secretive, but its survival depends on us noticing it, protecting and carefully managing its wetland habitats.”

www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/11/29/n...

#aklbiodiversity

Image of a woman walking away from the camera with long hair flying in the wind (fr CANVA) - with an image of a small bat flying in the upper right corner of the photo. Text reads "Bats do not get tangled in your hair" albertabats.ca WCS Canada logo - Alberta Community Bat Program

🦇A lot of people think bats try to “get tangled in your hair.”
Nope. These animals fly with precision that would make any fighter pilot jealous. If a bat brushes past you, it chose that line on purpose - and it could’ve flown through a smaller gap if it wanted to.

Fish thought to be lost from Auckland's wetlands found after decade of searching The black mudfish hadn't been seen in Auckland's wetlands since 2014 - but that all changes a couple of months ago.

"It was this year that we found two new populations so it's been quite an amazing year for us."

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Members of the public are urged to report suspected hornets or nests, but only if they have a specimen, a clear photo, or have located a possible nest.

Reports can be made by calling Biosecurity New Zealand’s hotline on 0800 809966.

#biosecurity #community #awareness #yellowleggedhornet

Today I was out helping Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) with their yellow-legged hornet response going door-to-door in the Glenfield area. Our team didn’t find any, but the best thing was most Glenfieldians knew about the hornets.

This sweet western red bat female got dislodged from her home after a storm but will be going back out into the wild again shortly. 🦇

#bats #arizona #wildanimals #cuteanimals #wildlife

And in case you didn’t catch it, the next AOC will be held in Auckland, NZ in February 2027! Looking forward to returning to Aotearoa and catching up with that Kōkako!

Next incredible speaker Josie Galbraith talking on her dad Mel Galbraith, a legendary ecologist who taught “by osmosis” with the “Mel effect” where you hadn’t realized you learnt something until you walked away. Glad his daughters are carrying his legacy @newzealandecology.bsky.social #nzes2025

Colin mentions birds 🐦 in Aotearoa NZ 🇳🇿 move around wider landscape (like Australasian bittern) quite a lot, some at night 🌙 or dawn/dusk 🌄. He concludes with knowledge gaps 🧠 that need more specific NZ research 📚. More tracking data and AI 🤖 will be useful! @newzealandecology.bsky.social #nzes2025

Colin talks about current hypothesis of why birds collide with solar farms. It could include bird vision 👀 , polarized light mimicking water 💦 or even reflecting moonlight 🌙 www.researchgate.net/profile/Grah... #nzes2025 @newzealandecology.bsky.social

Sian Crowley accepting her Ecology in Action award @newzealandecology.bsky.social

After lunch 🍕, 2024 Tahu Taiao award winner 🥇 Colin O’Donnell presents the potential effects of solar farms ☀️ on birds 🦜 of Aotearoa New Zealand 🇳🇿. A huge lack of data internationally is part of the problem with this rapidly growing industry #nzes2025 @newzealandecology.bsky.social

Next up Tom Trnski talks about the Ngāti Kuri iwi led research project on Rangitāhua/Kermadec Islands to lead ecosystem restoration with a Te Ao Māori lens to reconnect the people with the islands
#nzes2025 @newzealandecology.bsky.social

Brendan Dunphy kicks off the #Auckland @newzealandecology.bsky.social mini conference with an eye-opening talk on what studying seabirds are telling us about our marine and terrestrial ecosystems both locally and globally #nzes2025

Up close image of the face of a silver-haired bat caught with its mouth open in a wide yawn. image of musical notes shown being emitted through it's mouth. Text reads albertabats.ca WCS Canada logo Alberta Community Bat Program. Photo of bat by Jason Headley.

🦇Male bats in Alberta aren’t belting out love songs - but some species do produce complex ultrasonic calls that might be part of their mating strategy.
Bat dating is all about performance: up to 40 kHz of “check out my skills.” (see comments for audio!)

Supporting Finding Franklin Bats last night with the Wild Heroes film crew helping make these pekapeka TV stars 🌟 🦇

#nzbats #community #conservation #aklbiodiversity #pekapeka #biodiversity #pestfreeakl #wildheroes

They're 'killing machines', wiping out native species. So why is it so hard to fight back against feral cats? Feral: How millions of feral cats are creating a 'bloodbath' across our native heartland.

Incredible story by @kiwifarah.bsky.social on a man’s mission to control feral cats in Fiordland

“He knows his idea won’t eradicate feral cats completely but each cat removed is another hungry predator gone.”

www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/i...

‘A simple remedy’: 1930s call to unleash bats against grass grub Bats were suggested as 'the natural enemy of the grass grub beetle' in 1933.

Pekapeka being appreciated since ages ago 🦇

www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/...

Had an amazing time at the Regional Auckland Predator Free Hui today! The speakers were incredibly inspiring. But, the highlight of these gatherings is always the opportunity to connect with passionate individuals face-to-face
#PredatorFree #Auckland #pestfreeAKL #Community #Conservation #Networking

Imogen from Auckland Council speaks on the challenges of managing all pests in a growing largest city #predatorfreehui @predatorfreenz.bsky.social

Jessi for @predatorfreenz.bsky.social speaking at the #predatorfreehui about a culture shift and collaboration benefiting all of us 🐀

Definitely going to use this on my house 🦇🦇