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Bringing Legendary Birds back with Street Art

  • You're Invited!

      6 May 2024
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    Kia ora!

    Thanks to you and many others pitching in their time, resources, and financial support, the Legendary Bird mural is complete! I'd like to invite you to join in celebrating the wonder of these incredible animals and their place in our shared history. I'll give acknowledgements to the wonderful people who made this project a success and talk about the symbolism behind it all.

    This particular mural, in part, pays tribute to the tireless efforts of natural scientists who strive to deepen our understanding and connection to the land we inhabit. It's a great opportunity for our local community members and visitors to reflect on our place in nature and spark meaningful conversations. I'm really excited about this project and can't wait to see the positive impact it will have on our community.

    This is also your chance to meet the artist and ask questions!

    This is an open event for all. Hope to see you there!

    WHEN: Saturday 11th, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM

    WHERE: At the mural next to Reburger and Sal's Pizza.

    Cheers,

    Paulina

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  • Now the Painting begins!

      13 February 2024

    Kia ora Koutou!

    Thank you all who have donated or are following this project. I never expected to received so much support, but you all have given me a new energy! The donations are now being organized to go towards the various materials I need to put paint to canvas. All the permissions are granted, the paperwork complete, the right people on board, and now it's up to me to get the job done.

    Last week I went an took a training course to operate an Elevated Work Platform safely and now I am certified! The next step is to order the right machine for the job.

    Stay tuned for more updates!

    Cheers,

    Paulina

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  • Last Week to Donate!

      29 January 2024

    Kia ora Koutou,

    This week is the last week to donate to The Legendary Birds Mural Project! The Give A Little Page may close, but you can still follow updates on this project by subscribing to my mailing list via my website (https://paulinabarry.wixsite.com/website/about). Subscribers will get the latest project updates and behind the scenes content on the Legendary Birds Mural Project that my social media might not cover, like I've been thinking over my tools and equipment choices, and have decided to use a Hydraulic Platform instead of full scaffolding. The cost is more affordable, and I love that people on the sidewalks will be able to see me and the painting coming along each day. That will be exciting! I'll be posting on the Legendary Birds Mural Project Facebook Page and on Instagram as well! This project really is just getting started! I want to thank everyone who has donated. I never expected such support and it means the world to me!

    Thanks again!

    Paulina

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  • Happy New Year!

      10 January 2024
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    Main image

    Kia ora koutou,

    Happy New Year! I'm hitting the ground running with work to be done on creating this mural! There is still time to spread the word about the Legendary Birds Project and how you can help by donating. The goal is in sight, but I still need to reach that goal to cover the cost of scaffolding, otherwise the project will be delayed for months. We are nearly there! Please keep sharing with friends and family.

    Today's Extinction feature is the South Island kōkako, otherwise known as the gray ghost. There is a note of hope that a few of these peculiar birds, with long legs, gray bodies, and orange wattles are still out in Abel Tasman National Park. If found, they're discovery would be as momentous as Geoffrey Orbell's finding of the South Island Takahē. Both species used to be plentiful through out the South Island, but as the story goes, rats, cats, stoats, and deforestation cascaded them towards extinction. DOC listed the gray ghost extinct in 2008, but in 2013 a confirmed sighting lead to a change in classification to "data deficient", spurring a new drive to to seek it out and prove their existence. You may have noticed that all the birds in my mural concept art are facing the same direction, but the SI kōkako looks into the face of the moa, a symbol of extinction. I'm tempted to go out and search for them myself, and if you are keen as well, consider logging a sighting to southislandkokako.org.

    I hope to be painting in February!

    Cheers,

    Paulina

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  • Goal in Sight!

      20 December 2023
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    Kia ora koutou,

    Thank you so much for your donations this week! The goal is in sight and the kind words about this project warm my heart! We are nearly at $2,000! Please keep sharing with friends and family. Every donation is going towards the materials to make this mural and raise the consciousness of the reality extinction. Today's extinction feature is of a real cutie that looked like an owl, hopped around like a robin, but was actually related to hummingbirds and swifts!

    Extinction Feature: Ruru hinapō/NZ owlet-nightjar

    The extinct New Zealand owlet-nightjar was most closely related to the New Caledonian species Aegotheles savesi which barely has 50 individuals left today. At 35 cm, it was the largest of the owlet-nightjar species, had long legs and short wings and an owl-like face. I imagine it hopping through the forest floor a bit like a toutouwai/NZ robin, going at bugs and reptiles in the leaves. We only know of it through a few partial skeletons that have been found. Their extinction in the 13th century occurred rapidly with the introduction of the kiore/Pacific Rat. I encourage everyone to see that what Aotearoa has lost, relatives can be found on other islands that are struggling today. They need the support that others didn't, otherwise entire taxonomic orders of animals will be lost for future generations never to know.

    More information at: https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/new-zealand-owlet-nightjar

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  • Let's keep the momentum! The New Zealand Raven

      4 December 2023
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    Thank you so much for the continued donations! There is still a ways to go to meet our goal, but I know enough people care about wildlife to support the cause. All we need now is enough to cover scaffolding!

    The New Zealand Raven:

    Crows and ravens are common where I grew up in Cascadia, but beyond continental North America, members of the corvid family are native all over the world. Aotearoa New Zealand had three subspecies of raven which evolved interdependence with other wildlife especially along coastlines. Like the Black-backed gull, they likely preyed upon nesting bird's eggs and chicks,snails,mussels, insects,skinks, and fruits before these ecosystems were disrupted by over hunting. Both the Chatham Islands raven and the Aotearoa New Zealand raven became extinct before Europeans started coming to these islands. Their remains have been found in middens along with other coastal birds. Most corvids are generalists, meaning they are adaptable to a variety of ecosystem and dietary pressures, but these birds faced pressures that ultimately lead to their extinction. Today there are no native corvids in Aotearoa New Zealand,but there are populations (some vulnerable to extinction) of corvids in other Pacific Islands. The alalā (Hawaiian crow) for example, is extinct in the wild. With only 114 individuals left, they may be extinct within this generation.

    Let's keep ravens and crows common! Spread the word about lost and endangered corvids.

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  • What Your Donations are Providing!

      27 November 2023
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    Kia ora!

    Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Because of your donations, we are 1/3 of the way to the goal, and that means my paintbrushes, paint sprayer, and most importantly, the paint is covered! That leaves the rest to go towards the biggest expense, which is scaffolding.

    Today I'm featuring a species that you might see on this mural and think " Hey, the takahē just had it's 75th anniversary of being recovered from Fiordland. It's not extinct!"

    Well, thanks to the extreme valleys of Fiordland, the South Island takahē managed to survive, and now with a breeding program, is up to 500 individuals!

    But, the North Island takahē, which was a distinct species, is not hidden in a valley waiting to be found. The NI takahē was taller and slimmer than our round Southern birds, but three times heavier than your average pūkeko. Evidence shows they lived all through out the North Island, living on forest margins, which would have been severely affected by burns to convert forest into tussockland. Their bones are also discovered in middens, showing they were a food source for Polynesian settlers. The exact date of their extinction is unknown, but in 1894, a European man named Morgan Carkeek killed a large blue bird in the Ruahine Range and showed it to local Māori , who called it mohoau. That was the last recorded sighting.

    Please keep sharing and spreading the word to people who care about remembering species past and protecting what we have today.

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  • For the 1000th dollar donation, here is a bit more about how I designed the image.

      21 November 2023
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    Illustration is in itself a way of knowing or learning. In order to accurately illustrate a feather, a person must examine the, structures, colours, textures, and density.The task of illustrating feelings and concepts can be even more challenging,taking to account history,social context,symbolism,and personal experience.The concept is extinction, my subject is Aotearoa New Zealand's extinct wildlife from the last ~500 years.During months of researching the history of human-influenced extinctions in Aotearoa New Zealand,I decided to include as many species as I could to not contribute to some fading into obscurity.Many of of them evolved to become flightless and were very well adapted to walking in the dense bush, so I though of a trek of species,almost like a procession.I hesitated to commit to a design before I had a wall because the size and shape of it could effect the composition.All of the birds are (will be) facing West with the sunset except the moa and South Island kōkako.The moa,extinct for so many years,is strong in the hearts of people,and there are those with hope that,like the South Island takahē, the South Island kōkako may be found again.The dramatic sky represents the fires that consumed the bush,which so many species relied upon and could not survive with out.This piece is not meant to accuse,shame,or absolve anyone as extinction is systematic.For those who are aware of biodiversity decline to feel recognized,and for those who didn't know,to learn.

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  • 1000$ Benchmark!

      21 November 2023

    Thank you to everyone who has donated to make this project happen! Word is getting out and support is growing. On Sunday the OTD published an article about the process of making the design and my hopes for how it will be received. I saw in the comments that the conversation is being sparked, the favorable, the uncertain, and the opposed. I'm just happy its out there and receiving support. I'm taking in valid criticism and moving forward! Thanks again for your support!

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/student-hopes-moa-mural-will-%E2%80%98spur-action%E2%80%99

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  • $800 Benchmark Acheived-Paint Sprayer covered!

      10 November 2023
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    Thank you for every donation! We are almost 1/3 of the way to the goal in such a short time! The first donations gave me the brushes I need. Now the $800 will cover the paint sprayer I need to prime the wall and block in shapes. I'm dedicating this update to the Whēkau/Laughing Owl.

    Facts about the Whēkau/Laughing Owl:

    The common name of the laughing owl referred to its call, described by a contemporary naturalist as a “loud cry made up of a series of dismal shrieks frequently repeated.”They were twice the size of a ruru/morepork and lived through out the North and South Islands. The kiore/Polynesian rat became a food source for the Whēkau after their introduction, further introductions of stoats, ferrets, and weasels overcame their ability to reproduce successfully. Just as the last of these owls perished in the 1930's, the British naturalists began excavating the bones of an impressively large bird, the moa!

    Learn more about Whēkau/Laughing Owl here: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/laughing-owl

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  • $400 Benchmark acheived!

      8 November 2023
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    Thank you so much for your donations that got us to $400. This benchmark is dedicated to the huia, who's story might be the most tragic loss of all of Aotearoa New Zealand's Extinct birds especially since it was only in the 1920s, 100 years ago that they became extinct.

    Facts about Huia:

    Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) were a strikingly beautiful species of songbird with shiny black feathers, white tail tips, and orange wattles. The females had long, slender and curved bills, and the males had shorter bills more like a magpie. These birds filled the forests with eerie song, but they are written to have mimicked human speech too. As the forests were burned and turned to tussock land, Huia didn't have the trees they needed to forage and raise chicks. Their feathers were and still are revered for their beauty by Māori and then by the British, which opened up a trade that ultimately ended with the Huia's extinction. To learn more about the Huia's story visit: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/huia

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  • First Donations!

      6 November 2023
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    Kia ora!

    Thank you to the first donors from the bottom of my heart! That first 60$ covers two high quality paintbrushes and the beginnings of the powerful Pouakai/ Haast's Eagle.

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