Show Notes
The owl of New Zealand was having a go at Bird of the Year. And it wasn’t just Pete Wolfkamp and I that voted for the Ruru… We're both supporters of Wingspan in Rotorua – it’s the place where falcons, harriers, and owls find a useful and caring home, especially when these birds have been whacked by a car on the road or flew into a glass window. It's not really something Ruru do a lot; they have phenomenal vision, especially at night. The Ruru that really became my friend was Whisper. I’ll never forget that owl. Whisper was at Wingspan for many, many years. She would come and sit on my shoulder, have a little nibble in my pockets, and was happy to be scratched and treated with some tickling. All despite her preference to be cuddled by ladies (not males!). It did help to give her some insects (beetles and weta) with every visit I made! Whisper passed away a couple of years ago and all our Wingspan staff miss her dearly. The lifespan for Ruru is around ten years – depending on their place of living, I suppose. Ruru occur almost everywhere in Aotearoa, including many offshore Islands. The drier regions, especially in the eastern areas of the South Island, do not seem to have huge numbers. They are not common in Christchurch, for instance. This is the time of the year (September) when these owls are getting together and thinking about getting some young ones. Usually two eggs are the beginning of it all, with eggs hatching after a month. The parents fly silently through the forests and even trough gardens. Their ability to detect possible prey is literally the result of their silence – it makes so much sense, they can hear mice, rodents, and insects from a great distance! The Ruru's serrated feathers allow it to fly silently. After about five weeks, the kids leave their nest cavity and learn to forage their own food. If you are ready to look after your own Ruru Owl population, the least you can do is create your own Owl Box in the garden. Guess what: Pete Wolfkamp has been making a number of excellent boxes that seem to be attractive to these birds. Imagine springtime and Ruru looking after their young in a sizeable tree in your garden! The kids are relatively quiet, but mum and dad will call from time to time, yelling “morepork” just when you want to go to bed… LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame
Witi Ihimaera Smiler has published over forty written works, including novels, memoir, non-fiction, and short stories, and he's not slowing down. This year alone he's already released three books – ‘Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer’, ‘The Star Path of the Whales: A Return to the Realm of The Whale Rider’, and ‘Ariā and the Monster Island’, the third children’s book in the Astromancer series. He broke new ground as the country's first Māori novelist and has inspired generations of writers to find and tell their own stories, shaped by Māori culture and identity. Ihimaera Smiler is appearing at the Nelson Arts Festival later this month, and joined Jack Tame to chat about his journey as an author and his work towards achieving his dream of writing a novel in te reo. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fontaines D.C. has released their newest album. 'Dopamine Chamber' follows on from 'Romance', continuing the alternative rock sound the band created in the 2024 album. Its garnered positive reviews since its release yesterday, and so Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Phoenix Palm Trees are fairly common in New Zealand, but what isn't commonly known is how dangerous they are. After hearing about Jack's experience with the trees, Ruud Kleinpaste decided to break down some of the problems with them and give a few tips around getting rid of them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver Livia Cable has made her peace with her marriage and modest livelihood in the farm country where she grew up, until a shocking phone call from an old lover shakes her to the core. Decades earlier, this man knew her as Livia Bohusz, a music conservatory student estranged from her home and family, uncertain of anything except her passion for music and promise as an extraordinary pianist. His request, now, to see her again stirs up ghosts she’s kept at bay for a lifetime. Shifting between past and present, Livia’s decision to meet or reject the reunion means confronting step by step, in memories framed as musical dances, the experiences of childhood loss, abandonment, self-immolating passion, and perilous attachment to a man who broke her belief in love and ruptured the course of her life.
"Purring through the tucks and folds of South Canterbury’s crinkled hinterland, the sense of anticipation was rising. Just west of Timaru, with the vast arc of the Hunters Hills backdropping the painterly landscape, my destination was Holme Station Homestead, set back from the Pareora River in Southburn. If you share my hankering for a grand historic escape, swathed in scenic seclusion, this is quite the address. Fresh from a monumental tip-to-toe restoration, the homestead has only been hosting guests since May – but the secret is spilling out to the world. Welcome to South Canterbury’s first and only luxury lodge. It’s the evocative sense of history that is a proud and constant refrain, caressing every aspect of an indelible stay here. History endures at Holme Station Homestead. It is a living, breathing link to our past, thoughtfully woven through to the present and fit-for-purpose for future generations." Read MIke's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.