Produced for Radio New Zealand

Tiny, rare and under the radar…some streams in the South Island of NZ, are home to one of the country's rarest freshwater fish - the lowland longjaw galaxias aka Jaws.

Featuring -

Dean Nelson - Senior Biodiversity Ranger, Department of Conservation

Martha Jolly - PhD Candidate, University of Canterbury

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Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Website : https://www.karthicss.com/podcast 

This episode was first broadcast on Radio New Zealand - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ourchangingworld/565617/our-changing-world-protecting-jaws

Red-billed Gulls are  declining nationally in New Zealand, but the story in Otago is different. 

Join us as we head out to one of the largest Red-billed Gull colonies at Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula with Dr. Chris Lalas, who has been monitoring these birds for over two decades. 

Featuring - 

Dr. Chris Lalas, Scientist 

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS ( @karthiscool ) 

If you notice Red-billed Gulls nesting in buildings around Dunedin please reach out to us on Facebook page - Tune into Nature Podcast or Instagram ( @tuneintonatureshow ) and we will pass it on to Chris. 

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Website : https://www.karthicss.com/podcast 

Funded by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin,  Science Communication, University of Otago,  Wild Dunedin NZ Festival of Nature.

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠ 

Earlier this year, a ferret attack wiped out over 40 tītī sooty shearwater chicks in one of the few places they nest on mainland New Zealand. Francesca Cunninghame and the team from Forest and Bird are working to protect the unique seabird colony. 

Featuring - 

Francesca Cunninghame, Projects Manager, Forest and Bird, Otago  

Graeme Loh, Nature Conservationist

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -Karthic SS

Learn more about Forest and Birds work to protect Seabird Colonies.

https://forestandbird.org.nz/projects/bring-back-seabirds-otago 

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Funded by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin,  Science Communication, University of Otago,  Wild Dunedin NZ Festival of Nature 
This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠

While many of New Zealand’s native wetland birds are in decline, one relative newcomer has been thriving…

Royal Spoonbill (kōtuku ngutupapa) made its way across the Tasman Sea and has found a new home in New Zealand. Join birders as they head out for a Nationwide Spoonbill Census to find out how the quirky birds are doing.

Featuring 

Anita Spencer (Regional Representative Birds New Zealand, Canterbury)

Josh Overend (Field Ranger & Wildlife Photographer) 

Megan Farley (Census Volunteer / DOC) 

Kenny Rose (Birds NZ Member & Parks Ranger)

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Report Spoonbill Observations to Birds NZ Regional Representative in your area -  https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/contact/ 

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Funded by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin,  Science Communication, University of Otago,  Wild Dunedin NZ Festival of Nature 

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠

In search of a rare Songbird…

Mohua were once one of the common forest birds of in the South Island of Aotearoa, but today most populations are declining.

Featuring

Marion Rhodes (Department of Conservation, Mohua Charitable Trust)

Joanna Hulsman (Department of Conservation)

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Learn more about the Mohua on Mohua Charitable Trust,  Department of Conservation   

Contribute to Mohua Charitable Trust -  https://givealittle.co.nz/org/the-mohua-charitable-trust 

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  https://www.instagram.com/karthiscool/

Funded by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR 105.4FM⁠⁠ Dunedin ,  Science Communication, University of Otago,  Wild Dunedin NZ Festival of Nature 

In the southern corner of New Zealand, a team is working to detect secretive, cryptic wetland birds… using sound. 

Matuku Hūrepo Australasian Bitterns are so shy and cryptic, that they are rarely seen. They are wetland birds and with a 90% loss of wetland area in New Zealand, their populations are in steady decline. A collaborative project is underway in the Otago region to understand more about these birds by detecting them using acoustic recorders. 

Featuring -

Dr. Scott Jarvie - Terrestrial Ecologist, ORC, Otago Regional Council 

Mary Thompson - Ornithologist, Birds New Zealand

Francesca Cunninghame - Project Manager, Forest and Bird

Petra Simpson - Forest and Bird 

If you’ve spotted an Australasian Bittern please contact  -Birds New Zealand at [email protected]

You can also log your Bittern & Crake observations on citizen science platforms like eBird or iNaturalist 

Learn about Australasian Bitterns

Episode Cover Art - @harshi.designs https://www.instagram.com/harshi.designs/

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Additional Sounds from 

Department of Conservation  (CC BY 4.0) & Birds New Zealand

Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago.  

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠

Velvet Worms or Peripatus have been around for 540 million years, way before the dinosaurs…but we know almost nothing about them.

Over 30 years ago, Dave Randle, a Peripatus Advocate accidentally found these fascinating creatures right in his garden in Dunedin and has been protecting them ever since. 

Recently Prof Peter Dearden (University of Otago) has been working to sequence the Peripatus genome for the first time in the world, with the aim of unravelling secrets about these mysterious creatures. 

Explore further about the Onychophora / Peripatus

http://www.onychophora.com/ 

Watch the 3 minute short film about Peripatus in Dunedin - https://youtu.be/NMKHmWT3dZg 

Featuring

Dave Randle-  Peripatus Advocate

Prof Peter Dearden (University of Otago, Genomics Aotearoa) 

Jo Carpenter  (Ecologist- Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research) 

Gabby Dale & Harriet Dale (Tainui School, Dunedin)

Marcia Dale

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Episode Cover Art - @harshi.designs https://www.instagram.com/harshi.designs/

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago.

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠ 

Ever since finding a colony of Fairy Prions, a type of small seabird on a cliff in Dunedin, Graeme Loh has been working to explore the birds for 30 years.

This is the only mainland colony of Fairy Prions in all of Aotearoa NZ, and Graeme has been consistently working to unravel interesting information on these secretive seabirds. 

Learn more about Graeme's Work and  the Fairy Prion Fence https://www.facebook.com/fairyprionfence

Featuring - 

Graeme Loh - Wildlife Conservationist and Fairy Prion expert

Episode Cover Art - @harshi.designs https://www.instagram.com/harshi.designs/

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by  OAR FM Dunedin, Science Communication, University of Otago and Wild Dunedin - NZ Festival of Nature.

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠ 

In the evenings in small town of Ōamaru, hundreds of people wait eagerly, to see the stars of the night… the World’s Smallest Penguins - the Little Blue Penguins.

The birds were once called ‘trespassers’ by some locals, but today they are icons of the town. 

Philippa Agnew has been working on research and conservation of the Little Blues for over 17 years, and her team is working to learn about the penguins in the growing colony and keep an eye on how the changing climate might impact these birds. 

Featuring - 

Dr. Philippa Agnew, Science & Environmental Manager, Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony

Beth, Tia & Tour Guides at the OPBC

Dawn Brown, Presence on the Harbour Gift Shop

Episode Cover Art Design- @harshi.designs https://www.instagram.com/harshi.designs/

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by  OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago. 

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠ 

In New Zealand, Lizards are as fascinating as they are endangered - there are 125 species and most of them give birth to live young …and they’re true wildlife underdogs - so rare and out of sight,  not many people know they exist.

In Central Otago, a team is working to bring back endangered Lizards to the drylands wilderness they once lived in. Otago Skinks, Grand Skinks and other native lizards had gone locally extinct due to introduced pests & habitat destruction and now they are making a slow but steady comeback within the protected space.  Welcome to Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary. 

Learn more about NZ’s lesser known reptiles on the sanctuary’s informative website 

You can support the sanctuary’s work by donating and stay updated by subscribing to the newsletters here 

Featuring - 

Grant Norbury - Ecologist, Chairperson, Central Otago Ecological Trust  (COET)

Anna Yeoman - Science Communicator, Trustee, COET

Carey Knox - Herpetologist, Southern Scales   

Kathryn Longstaff ,  Department of Conservation (DOC) Central Otago 

Ross Curtis , Senior Ranger, DOC Central Otago

Joanna -  Ranger, DOC Central Otago

Episode Cover Art Design- @harshi.designs https://www.instagram.com/harshi.designs/

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

Follow the Show 

Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠ 

Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠ 

Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠ 

Producer & Presenter:  ⁠https://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠ 

Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago. 

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠