New Zealand long-tailed bat with identification arm band in an outstretched hand as part of the Finding Franklin Bats research project in Auckland.

On International Bat Appreciation Day we celebrate pekapeka 🦇 From winning Bird of the Year to 180+ people gathering for the National Pekapeka Hui, it’s been amazing. Most of all, it’s about growing bat awareness and helping everyday New Zealanders appreciate sharing our world with bats.
#nzbats

Ukrainians find hope in war by releasing hundreds of bats into the wild | CBC Radio Over the weekend more than 1,000 spectators gathered in Ukraine to carefully open cloth bags and release dozens of rescued bats into the air. Alona Pryslutska, co-founder of the Ukrainian Bat Rehab Ce...

🦇A wee bit of bright light today. Our friends at the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center held a festival to release their overwintered rescues. A great organization (who has shared photos with us) - look them up online. They are awesome bat friends.
www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...

Five ways Franklin cares for its flora and fauna A total of $900,000 was allocated to protect Franklin's natural environment in 2025/2026.

Franklin Local Board has invested nearly $900,000 this financial year in a range of environmental and sustainability initiatives to restore and protect the natural environment 🦇 🐀 🌳 🐟
ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2026/03...
#community #conservation #auckland

🦇

'Unmitigated disaster': Weeds 'suffocating' council's native planting, resident says But a council spokesperson says the dense planting of roughly 4000 plants should eventually shade out the kikuyu weed once canopy closure occurs.

Restoration ecologist here with 20ish years experience with planting projects.

This planting looks absolutely fine, zero concerns.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/590...

This looks amazing!! Thanks so much @yesthattallulah.bsky.social for your artwork. Can't wait for the National Pekapeka Hui 2026 to start next week! #bathui 🦇

Flow chart to determine if you are a bat person. (spoiler - everybody is a bat person)

Are you a bat person? 🦇

🦇 Bats. Brews. Banter.

Kick off National Pekapeka Hui 2026 next Tuesday at The Kentish Hotel with our icebreaker and bat-themed cocktails🍸. Sip, mingle, & let the hui take flight!

🎟️ Tickets: pekapeka.org — don’t let this one fly away!

#BatHui #BatVibesOnly #nzbats #pekapeka #cocktails #Icebreaker

A New Zealand parrot – the Kākāpo, in a white black and red chapheron (a mediaeval hatch made by rolling a hood into a tube.

another marginalia for @pidj.bsky.social medieval marginalia inspired party game zine. The backers requested a Kākāpo in a hat to celebrate their bumper breeding season this year and I delivered with a fancy chapheron.
@nzbatman.bsky.social will know who to tag for appreciating this one.

@yesthattallulah.bsky.social I’m sure @digs.bsky.social would appreciate this! Boom boom!

They’re expensive and time-consuming to maintain, they’re sources of carbon emissions, and they make up an astonishing proportion of NZ cities. What else could we do with all of that green space?

www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026...

Come together with researchers, iwi, kaitiaki, and communities at Rereteewhioi Marae to learn, share, and help shape the future of pekapeka conservation. 2026 National Bat Hui - March 25-27th - Waiuku - hosted by Finding Franklin Bats 🦇
#bathui #nzbats #community #conservation

Family forest fungi foray, five finds!

#fungi #foray

Join Finding Franklin Bats for the pekapeka party of the year! Early-bat tickets close soon! 🦇

www.pekapeka.org

#bathui #NZbats #pekapeka #party #Community #conservation

Secure your spot by 7 March to get these great early-bat prices 🦇

#bathui #pekapeka #conservation #community

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

www.instagram.com/troymcdonald... 🦇

Don’t pass up the opportunity to nab some excellent merch at next month's National Pekapeka Hui!

Registrations are open: lnkd.in/eU8DQvzC and tee shirts are up for sale!

Limited run. No restocks.

Artwork by the incredible Troy McDonald: lnkd.in/e-crxr-g

#pekapeka #nzbats #bathui

So amazing to work alongside some amazingly talented artists who love to show pekapeka in different ways. Can’t wait until everyone gets to see this at the hui! 🦇

www.pekapeka.org

#nzbats #pekapeka #bathui

The ultimate super-mum: Ruahine the kōkako defies age in the Hūnua Ranges From brink to booming, still breeding at 21 - the kōkako matriarch tells the Hūnua comeback story.

“Auckland Council has proudly supported this mahi for decades, working alongside mana whenua, community groups and ecologists to restore the mauri of the Hūnua Ranges.”

ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2026/02...

#AKLkokako #AKLbiodiversity

We want your bat pics 📸 🦇

Franklin to host bat hui - Franklin Times Bats are set to take centre stage in Waiuku next month as Finding Franklin Bats prepares to host the National Pekapeka Hui. The native long-tailed bat, or Chalinolobus tuberculatus, is one of New Zeal...

Bats are set to take centre stage in Waiuku next month as Finding Franklin Bats prepares to host the National Pekapeka Hui.

franklintimes.co.nz/franklin-to-...

#nzbats #pekapeka #bathui #franklin

The National Pekapeka Hui is here! 🦇🎉 Join us at Rereteewhioi Marae from March 25–27, 2026, to connect, learn, and protect pekapeka with bat lovers from across Aotearoa.

Ready to be part of the kōrero? Secure your spot now!

🔗 events.humanitix.com/national-pek...

Out on a bat hunt with Auckland Council elected members and the awesome team at Finding Franklin Bats 🦇✨
#community #conservation #nzbats #batspotting #pekapeka

‘Petrelheads’ are restoring an eccentric native bird Opinion from Auckland University: More than 150 burrows now exist on the mainland at Te Henga – up from only two in 2014

“We spend a lot of time talking about how dire things are for native species. I’d love for us to talk more about the birds we’ve saved – and that’s happening with ōi right in front of us on the west coast.”

newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/08/p... #aklbiodiversity #pestfreeAKL

🚶‍♂️🌳 Off to the field today to track down pekapeka roosts around Huia Dam! 🦇 Over the past week, the team have trapped two tiny bats, and now it’s time to use a mix of ground & drone radio tracking to learn more about where they’re roosting. 🛰️ This data is key to helping us protect these little bats!

🔗 www.pekapeka.org/pekapekahui2... 🦇

We welcome you to submit a video up to 2 mins long to showcase your work at this year’s hui! 🎥

If you have a video showcasing your project, research, or a topic relevant to pekapeka conservation, we’d love for you to submit it as part of our Abstracts Expression of Interest.

#pekapeka #bathui 🦇

Submit your bat-themed photo for the National Pekapeka Hui—20 framed displays, one artist-chosen prize. Enter via email. T&Cs apply… 🦇 📷

👉 Enter by emailing franklinbats@ecoquest.co.nz
✅ Subject: Photo Display
📄 T&Cs: www.pekapeka.org/photo-comp

Te Ngāherehere o Kohukohunui / Hūnua Ranges pest control delivers outstanding gains for native wildlife Big wins for nature; kōkako flourish after pest control success.

“This work shows what is possible when science, experience and long-term commitment come together. The return of native birds nesting again in the Te Ngāherehere o Kohukohunui, is a powerful signal these forests are healthier and more resilient.”
ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2026/01...

Are you a hellraiser mite or a knobbled weevil? Take the quiz and vote for NZ’s Bug of the Year Take the personality quiz to match with one of NZ’s larger-than-life little creatures, then cast your vote.

Are you a hellraiser mite or a knobbled weevil? Take the quiz and vote for NZ’s Bug of the Year
theconversation.com/are-you-a-he...