Tag: Native birds

Lockdown and our Native Birds

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

First of all, apologies to my followers for skipping last week’s post. It was a hard decision to make but I spent a lot of the week unwell and just didn’t have the energy to write. (Yes, I got a covid test, rather unpleasant, but great for peace of mind to know that I don’t have it)

I’m so grateful to those of you from around the world who check in each week to read what I write. I love sharing my stories, adventures and beautiful country with you all.

You may see reduced posts from me over the next few weeks. I had a plan of what I was going to write about, but we are currently in a lockdown after a case of the Delta virus was discovered in the community. This has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works for my blogging, as the only travelling I can currently do is laps around the block!

Nethertheless, I am so grateful that I get to call this place home. I am grateful for New Zealand’s fast, unified response to covid. Our team of 5 million have and are working hard to eradicate covid from our shores. This has meant that we have been able to spend the majority of this covid world with so many freedoms and the opportunity to enjoy exploring our own backyard with very few restrictions. For the most part of 2020 and 2021, life here has been reasonably normal.

We have a bucket list trip booked for early/mid September which we have been looking forward to for the last 6 months. I am hopeful that we will still be able to do this, but if we have to postpone it, I know that it is for good reason. To my New Zealand readers, hang in there. This is not forever, we are all in this together and I am confident that we will once again see covid eliminated from our communities and home.

I have been working from home this week and have enjoyed seeing the birds that visit our garden. We are lucky to have native birds around here, and I do see them frequently, but they are even more plentiful during lockdown, when there are far fewer cars and people out and about. So, I thought I would do a post on some of our beautiful native birds.

One of my favorites, and a frequent visitor to our garden is the Kereru. A large, chubby wood pigeon that defies gravity every time they fly. You hear them before you see them, the distinctive whooshing sounds of their wings trying to keep such a large body airborne, and the crashing about in the trees as they attempt to land on branches far to thin to support their weight. Their iridescent coloured plumage and striking white chest, makes them, I think, a really attractive bird. They were traditionally hunted for their feathers and meat but it is now illegal and their population numbers are good. I had an amazing experience earlier this year when a kereru landed on the edge of a spa pool my nephew and I were in. Seeing it that close, it’s feathers and colours in so much detail, it was such a highlight.

Image by Nel Botha from Pixabay – Kereru

The Tui is another frequent visitor to our garden. They love the nectar that is in the plants surrounding our home. I have always thought them very pretty birds, again their plumage is iridescent with distinctive white feathers adorning their neck. They also have the most beautiful song. I learned recently that they have 2 voice boxes. This enables them to produce such varied sounds and melodies. After observing them over the years I have noticed they are quite territorial birds, you will often find them chasing away other birds, including other tui, sometimes with quite a lot of aggression. For this reason, they have dropped a little on my favorite list! They are very common in New Zealand, although I have just learnt that there is a Chatham Island tui that is a threatened species.

Photos by my talented husband

Piwakawaka, also known as the fantail. You can’t help but love these cheeky, friendly, curious little birds. While I have seen them at home, you are far more likely to see them in the bush. I did see one last week at home, darting about the large tree in the neighbors garden. It was being chased by an angry tui. They make a distinctive cheep-cheep sound and have a striking striped tail which is revealed when fanned out.

Image by LorryM from Pixabay

The Tauhou, or Silvereye is another little bird that has just started to visit my garden. From time to time I will put wild bird seed out. It is the little Tauhou that seem to be attracted to this. (Which is good news, my bird feeder would break in a second if a Kereru tried to feed from it!) They are a mossy green colour with a silver ring around their eye and similar size to a sparrow.

Photo by Andrea Lightfoot on Unsplash

The Pukeko, also known as a ‘swamp hen’ to early settlers, is a bird I have always found a little unusual. Not so much in it’s looks, but in the way it moves. It’s long legs and big claws that move in such a distinctive way, that I think, makes them look prehistoric. They can fly, although not very well. They are pretty common in New Zealand. You will likely see them on your travels here. A work colleague of mine has one that has kind of become a pet, it visits his garden regularly to say hello and see what food is on the menu. These birds are also territorial, and much to my horror, I have learnt that they sometimes eat baby chicks.

Image by Montevideo from Pixabay

The Takahe is a bit like a pukeko, they are similar in colour and shape, but a heavier build and short legs. for 50 years they were thought to be extinct, but were then rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Since then, a lot of effort has gone into conservation and breeding programs. I have wanted to see one of these for a long time and finally managed to last year when I visited Zealandia

Image by Violet K from Pixabay – Takahe

A bird I don’t think I have seen, but definitely heard is the Ruru, also known as the morepork. They are a small owl, nocturnal and feed on large insects and small mammals like mice. The have incredible hearing, large eyes and can turn their head 270 degrees. You will hear them at night, making their echoey call which sounds like they are saying ‘morepork’. While I have heard them from time to time in residential areas, I remember their call more from my childhood when we would go on camping holidays.

Photo by Tony Stoddard on Unsplash

One day I hope to see a Kiwi in the wild. I have seen them in the zoo, but encountering an animal in it’s natural habitat is something quite special. I did a kiwi spotting tour at Zealandia a few years back. We heard their call, but didn’t see any. I was hoping for another attempt to see them earlier this year when we were in Okarito, but we had just missed the tour season. There are 5 varieties of kiwi, all needing help and protection not to become extinct. They are curious birds, flightless, nocturnal and don’t have tails. Stoats, ferrets, rats and dogs pose a big threat to our national icon.

If you want to get out and about to try and spot some of our beautiful birds, Zealandia in Karori or Kapiti Island are great places to explore.

A day on Kapiti Island

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Its a sight I have seen too many times to count. The long stretch of land off the coast of Kapiti. I know it’s shape well, low at one end with its bumpy mountain ridge, rising to a peak before sloping back off down to the sea.

Sometimes it looks so close you feel like you could just reach out and touch it. Other times it is barely visible under the low lying cloud.

Today, I will be getting a different perspective, viewing the mainland from Kapiti Island. I am joined by my dad, brother and 4 year old nephew as we embark on our adventure with Kapiti Island Eco Experience

Arriving at the check in point, we are asked to check our bags for any rodents or insects. Raumati has an issue with Argentine ants which would cause a lot of damage if they made it onto the Island. After cleaning our shoes we climb onto the boat, but not before stopping to say hello to a little dog who visits lots of nature reserves tracking down rats.

It’s a fairly smooth crossing and some seagulls join us for the sailing across. The top of Kapiti is covered in a blanket of mist. I hope this clears. We are planning to walk to the summit and would love to see the view from up there. As we near Kapiti Island, the water changes. There is a very distinct line where the murky sage green changes to a deep blue.

Once on the island we make our way to the DOC shelter for an introduction and orientation to the island. Originally, New Zealand was a country with no mammals except bats. With no predators, our bird life was abundant, with many species living on the forest floor, rather than high up in the trees. When the Maori arrived, they brought kunekune pigs and dogs with them. These were the first introduced mammals. Then the European settlers came bringing many other mammals and predators that would have a huge impact on our native birds. It didn’t take long before a quarter of our bird life was wiped out.

Resolution Island in Fiordland was set up as a reserve, but being so close to the mainland, rats were able to swim across. Kapiti Island is 6Km from the mainland, a distance that rats can’t swim, making it an ideal reserve. It was farmland up until 1897 and in the early 1900 it became a sanctuary.

Today you can visit this Island, or even stay the night (need to add this to the bucket list!) and experience what New Zealand bird life would have been like many years ago. The forest really does come to life. There are so many sounds, and not just bird song; the rhythmic call of the ocean, Tieke (saddlebacks) rustling in the leaf litter looking for their meal, the Kereru (wood pigeon) as they defy gravity and somehow manage to fly through the air. All these sounds combine to make up natures concert.

Kapiti Island is 3km wide by 10km long and 550m high. There are several walks you can do on the Island, but most people choose to walk to the summit, which is what we do. We take the Wilkinson Track which is 3.8km one way. It’s a 2 hours walk to the summit and we have a 4 year old in the party. 20 minutes in he is telling us how tired he is and that he needs to be carried. So we distract him with questions and pointing out birds and telling him that it not too far to go (A hour and a half isn’t long is it?)

We see a lot of birds on our walk; Tui, Kereru, Tieke, Kakariki and Weka, but my favourite was the little North Island Robin. They are quiet little birds but I would see some movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to find one, quietly watching us or looking for food on the forest floor.

The forest is gorgeous and I notice a change in the vegetation as we climb higher and higher. Near the base it’s more scrubby, then it starts to look a bit tropical with lots of palm like trees and then it turns into beautiful ancient looking forest. That type of forest, the trees have really have a presence, like they have weathered many seasons and have many stories to tell. I love this type of forest. I also become aware of the different layers in the forest. I have never really thought about it before, but with no pests to eat young seedlings, there are some very distinct layers of small saplings being shelters by tall mature trees.

As we near the top, the mist sets in. And the rain. And, it’s absolutely stunning! Our skipper had told us he likes the island the best in the rain and mist and I now understand why. The colours of the forest become so vibrant. It’s enchanting, slightly eerie and so incredibly peaceful.

We make it to the top and not a view in sight. It’s a bit disappointing, but the walk in the mist was well worth it! We sit down for a well earnt picnic lunch. We are joined by a couple of weka’s who are hopeful we will share some of our lunch with them.

We start the decent and about two thirds of the way down, the birds start sounding very loud. And then I see why. Food has been put in the feeding station and the Tui and Hihi are filling the forest with their song.

We make it back to the beach with about an hour to spare, so spend some time skipping stones and relaxing in the sun (yes the sun was out, but the mist was still hanging around the summit) This has been a great day trip.

I am so proud of my nephew Lachie. He walked ALL the way to the top and all the way down. On his own. He didn’t need to be carried once. What a champ!