Today I saw a kārearea (NZ falcon) in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, twice!

I only see kārearea in the city once every few years, yet this morning one whooshed by our house in the Cashmere hills, alarming the local kererū and korimako. Then, in the afternoon, I saw one exploring over Centennial Park (Pioneer Stadium) freaking out a couple of karoro (black-backed gulls). Perhaps it was the same bird.

I got a photo the second time. It has a distinctive notch in its left wing.

Keep a look out if you're in the city.

There have also been sightings of kārearea in May, June, and July between University of Canterbury, Riccarton Bush, and the Botanic Gardens (eating pigeons).

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/377987610

#birds #nz #falcon #kārearea #Christchurch #iNaturalistNZ

PARTIDO 4 | GRUPO B | #MundialDeR2026

David vs Goliat, version R.

{openxlsx} lee y escribe Excel sin complicaciones. El puente entre R y la planilla que todos conocen.
{ggplot2} es el paquete mas descargado de R. La gramatica de graficos. El que aparece en cada charla y cada tesis.

{openxlsx} viene de ganarle a {eph}. Puede con el titan?

#RStats #RStatsES

Environmental group urges tarakihi fishing ban amid steep stock decline
A staple of fish and chips and home-cooked meals could be on the brink of extinction around New Zealand.

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has released data that shows two of the country’s tarakihi stocks are declining rapidly.

The eastern stock has declined to 7.7% of its virgin biomass, while the western stock is at 29% and declining rapidly.

EDS policy director Raewyn Peart called the state of the stocks shocking.

“After 40 years of what we’ve repeatedly been told is a world-class fisheries management system, New Zealand’s third most valuable inshore finfish fishery is on the brink,” Peart said.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/environmental-group-urges-tarakihi-fishing-ban-amid-steep-stock-decline/B2FZQ42BUNAXTCQOSGLLGYLE6U/

#gatitos #cats #catsofmastodon #caturday

To add chart titles and update axes, simply pass in the text to `ggauto()` - you can even add markdown formatting!

My official petition is finally live: ask #NewZealand parliament to uphold the #ParisClimateAgreement #Aotearoa #Climate #Sustainability
https://petitions.parliament.nz/0cbe8214-89b7-45e5-3c5b-08dec98aceba?lang=en

Houseplant hacks: does putting gravel at the bottom of pots improve drainage?

The answer is "No".

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/23/houseplant-hacks-gravel-bottom-pots-improve-drainage

Does the method pass peer review?

#science #hacks #houseplant #bloomscroll

Lost memoir of Hiroshima survivor found after decades in US archive | Books | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jun/23/lost-memoir-of-hiroshima-survivor-found-after-decades-in-us-archive

#History #Hiroshima

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/06/19/scientists-working-on--r--win-global-award---.html

Nobel-style prize celebrates University's revolutionary `R' software

19 June 2026

Faculty of Science, Science and technology

Decades of work on programming language R, invented at the University of Auckland, is acknowledged in $1m award for statisticians.

#rstats #Science

The Nobel Prize-winning scientists who ruined their legacies by staying alive

History is replete with scientists whose brilliance won them a Nobel Prize – only to go on to tarnish their legacy by promoting quackery and pseudoscience.

https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2026/06/the-nobel-prize-winning-scientists-who-ruined-their-legacies-by-staying-alive/

#History #Science

🐥H5N1 bird flu has been detected in WA

Follow the link to read what Australian researchers have to say

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-first-detection-of-highly-pathogenic-h5n1-bird-flu-confirmed-in-australia

#science #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #birdflu #H5N1

The rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, with their taller hoods and larger blind zones, has contributed to a 75% increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths since 2009.

Until we design better streets and ban these vehicles, people outside these vehicles will keep dying.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/21/us/trucks-suv-pedestrian-crashes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sFA.I27_.RXJpxEQcJXSI&smid=nytcore-ios-share

pssst. *anyone* can add a "cute" tag to creatures on iNaturalist. When I found this list it had no arthropods, but that is changing.

Creatures tagged "Cute:yes"
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Cute=Yes

The complete loss of cold years in the Arctic since the 1980s is astounding. The last "blue" stripe was 1992, following the Pinatubo Volcano eruption in the summer of 1991. #ShowYourStripes #Climate #Arctic

What the heck.

#fifa #ecuador 🇪🇨 ¡Si se puede!

#MothOfTheDay did not hang around long. An attempted prize off the egg box and he was off into the nearest tree.

SWALLOW-TAILED
Ourapteryx sambucaria

One of our largest geometers (flat moths!) Common, but rather flighty nightflyers. Larvae primarily feed on ivy.

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #spring #June #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

A friend runs a small consulting business in Australia that pays to use GitHub to host private repos and the associated services for their commercial projects. I had been banging the digital sovereignty drum and now they are asking me about alternatives to GitHub for commercial private repos and services. (Bozhe moi! This, I know from nothing.)

I would greatly appreciate suggestions for alternatives to GitHub for this use case. (Pretty please to the professional computer touchers among my mutuals.) Thanks!

#FediHelp #DigitalSovereignty #GitHub #LeaveGitHub #Microsoft #LeaveMicrosoft

EDIT - Many thanks to everyone for the boosts and suggestions. As a token of appreciation, here are some nicely constructed banana plugs:

Hi Fedi—I'm working on a game I've wanted to make for a decade, and would like to share it with you (and ask for your help)!

Headlights is an endless runner about driving at night. All you see in the game world are sources of light, and gameplay is intended to be simple, one-handed, meditative (think 'Alto's Adventure,' but driving).

I would like to start building in public with a real soundtrack, and I have launched a Kickstarter to help cover the music license:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1861780569/headlights-0

The #Forensic Scientist Who Investigated 160 Murders & Lost Himself in th...
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9JEOJrnz9NI&si=VK9c7LyjlA3HSaQ8

Really good interview of NZ forensic scientist's journey.

#compassion #science