Getting closer to crunch time the pressure is kicking in. The end of the year and my degree are weighing heavy on me right now, but again, I am quite excited to see the end of this project.
This week as I mentioned last blog post, I've been focusing on the actual park environment, what's to go in it, and what birds will be using it.
Making this choice based off my own requirements to fulfill my research question "How might we redesign community parks and backyards to create a safe space for endangered native birds to combat habitat loss". This meant I was selecting from endangered birds in New Zealand, that were put in that position specifically from habitat loss and predation.
for example the Forbes parakeet, Crested grebe, and the hihi to name a few.
Using these birds and information found from both the "New Zealand birds online database" and the "Department of conservation", I was able to put together a table of living requirements of which to build my park.
My next challenges I figuring out how to represent this, right now I'm using Ai to try and create mock ups of it.
Lastly this week I began to work on my brand for the project looking into branding, and character creation. I wanted to create a character for a handout booklet that would teach people how they could transform their backyards into bird-friendly places. The character I came up with a friendly egg, meant to represent something fragile to care of, like the biodiversity of birds, as well as represent actual birds through the egg.
This booklet was full of tips such as
Eliminate Insecticides. Don’t spray insecticides. Insects are the primary source of food for most bird species and are a critical source of protein and fats for their babies.
Keep Snags. Standing dead trees called snags pro-vide cavity-nesting birds with places to raise young, shelter from bad weather, and a source of insects for food.
Remove Invasive Non-Native Plants. Invasive plants out-compete native species and destroy bird habitat.
As well as tips that linked more to the designs I had created
Fill a Feeder. Bird feeders can supplement natural food sources and create great bird viewing opportunities.
Add Birdhouses. Install nesting boxes, also called “birdhouses,” to offer cavity-nesting species a place to raise young. Boxes should have the right size entry hole and dimensions for the species you are trying to attract, as well as ventilation holes near the top and drainage holes below. Mount the box at the natural nesting height for the bird species.
These were tips I had found online from multiple resources such as the "department of conservation" and "Garden for wildlife".