In December 2011 a new bird hide was built several hundred metres south of the existing hide. Field courses Since 1999 each year a field course is held. These courses take a week. The 10 – 12 students, in an age span of 14 to 83, get an introduction on binoculars and telescopes, on wader watching and identification, on the ecology of the Upper Firth of Thames, on feeding behaviour of shorebirds, on conservation of wader habitat, on invertebrates and plant life of the Miranda area, on netting and banding, and so on. The courses are given by about 9 tutors and are held at the Shorebird Centre.<ref name=firstcourse>Woodley, Keith (2011) – 'From the Manager'. In: MNT News, issue 80 (February 2011), p. 6. Logs of the field courses since 1999 are held at the Shorebird Centre.</ref> References Footnotes Sources Chambers, Stuart. (n.d., c. 2000). The Story of the Miranda Naturalists' Trust. MNT: Pokeno, New Zealand. Chambers, Stuart & Adrian Riegen (n.d.) – Shorebird migration to and from Miranda. Leaflet, published by the Miranda Naturalists' Trust. Acquired 2012-01-15. Heather, Barrie & Hugh Robertson; illustrated by Derek Onley (2005) – The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand Published by Viking (Penguin Books), Auckland, New Zealand. Woodley, Keith (2009) – Godwits, Long-haul champions. Publ. by Penguin Group (NZ), North Shore NZ. . External links Miranda Naturalists' Trust Nature conservation organisations based in New Zealand Charities based in New Zealand 1975 establishments in New Zealand Firth of Thames