THE FLOCK IS LIKE AN ICEBERG

The FLOCK is a bit like an iceberg. You can't see how big it is. 90% of the Flock isn't under water but it is under construction! It is hard to imagine just how great it will look when all of our birds are together. Here is a clue:

These 300 birds came to roost in Hamilton Gardens yesterday as part of the Waikato Enviro Schools event.

Krystal Glen, our PMNT educator (pmnteducator@gmail.com), was there to talk about two special birds, the wrybill and the bar-tailed godwit. She brought along binoculars for the students to use.

Hidden among the FLOCK were numbered birds. The trick was first to spy them and then to identify their species.
The "unseen" FLOCK members are being created near and far.Visit  http://issuu.com/devonportflagstaffnewspaper/docs/sept23devonportflagstaff?e=11678115/38970066 
And scroll through the Devonport Flagstaff to pages 42-43 for an article about the Devonport FLOCK. Every school on the Devonport Peninsula, Auckland North Shore, is involved. A big occasion is planned for November, more later.

Not so far away on Waiheke Island, the Hauraki Classroom has opportunities to paint birds at the Waiheke Library. They have developed their very own bird cut-outs. To find out more, and there is a lot more, visit https://www.facebook.com/Hauraki-Classroom-962701903849779/?fref=ts
New schools are joining all the time.Welcome to the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust Christchurch who have 5 schools helping them to build a FLOCK. It will roost at the annual Farewell to the Godwits in February and they hope to sell their birds to raise money to fund a permanent flock of giant godwits for New Brighton. A really great idea.

Also down in Christchurch the BRaid Flock has touched down at Christchurch airport and a few other places too! Watch out for them.

There is also news from overseas. FLOCKOz is making lots of cut-outs for schools in Adelaide and along the Samphire Coast. We look forward to seeing their painted birds.

Exciting developments from South Korea too.
A while ago David Lawrie sent a small parcel of cut out birds to Tomoko-Ichikawa of the EAAFP Secretariat in Incheon, S Korea. This group co-ordinates the groups in the flyway that migratory birds use from NZ and Australia, through the Yellow Sea and on to Alaska and Siberia. The folk there were thrilled to get their parcel and enjoying making their FLOCK.

 We also hear from Andreas Kim that an ECO-class in the Muan Mongtan Middle School http://mongtan.ms.jne.kr/user/indexMain.action?siteId=mongtan_ms will be joining FLOCKNZ soon. Andreas says that they would love to hear from some of you.For some of our migratory shorebirds the mudflats of S. Korea are very important re-fuelling stops on their journeys. A very big welcome to Muan-Mongtan Middle School.

 Just to finish here is a banner we have made to explain the situation our shorebirds are in. For the birds in the "Nationally Critical" group the next step is "Extinct". We know that our iconic brown kiwi is in trouble. It is 3 steps away from "Extinct", the same as the red knot on the poster. It is a real worry that so many of our shorebirds are only one step away from "Extinct"
 Thank you for being part of the FLOCK, for helping to spread the message and caring about these special birds.