Bird restoration reviving local community as well as birdsong

LISTEN:  what IS the Pupuke Birdsong Project?  Tabitha Potvin, environmental coordinator, explains more.

Restoring birdlife in natural habitats on the North Shore is also restoring a sense of community for those taking part.

It is an aim of the Pupuke Birdsong Project which covers the Takapuna North area, holding events such as restoration days for areas like Lyford reserve, a popular area in the Sunnynook community.

“It’s really important for a community to have a focus, and when a community has a focus, they can come together and make real change,” says Tabitha Potvin, the project's environmental coordinator.

“Pupuke Birdsong Project is restoring Lyford reserve -  [it] not only helps the reserve, but it brings people together, so they meet new people, have a collective goal, and have a good time at the same time.”

The initiative is in tandem with The Predator Free 2050 movement, to “reduce or eliminate rats, possums, and stoats out of our environment which will really help our birds to thrive,” she says.

Representatives from Sunnynook, Castor Bay, Forrest Hill, Milford and Takapuna form the steering group giving the Pupuke Birdsong Project expert local guidance, feedback and advice to its staff.