Kākā - early morning photos

I spent a bit of time with the kākā at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary a couple of weeks ago. Light was rather poor, some very-high ISO shots. Anyway here are a few. Most I deleted.

These two males are sharing a piece of apple.

Nature provides plenty of natural food for these birds.

Flying in to the feeder for a snack on some nutritious parrot food.

Undercarriage down....

A perfect landing.

Sometimes poor light isn't so bad after all...

Mātātā - fernbird

I have a crook back (prolapsed lumbar disc again) so didn't go too far into the Brook Sanctuary yesterday, just as far as the home ground of the kākā. No kākā shots posted today (later!) but today I decided it was time on this long weekend in winter with beautiful weather to check out the Wakapuaka sandflats (I live closeby), a well-known home of our native mātātā (a.k.a 'fernbird). Mātātā are pretty well spread throughout New Zealand, but they (like many native species) are declining. One of their favourite habitats is dense, scrubby wetlands.

I found a pair quite soon after arrival. They're well camouflaged, but their duet as the pair chatted gave them away. I watched the pair for about an hour and snapped quite a lot of photos. Here are a few.

This one showing the characteristic scruffy tail feathers.

They're well known for being easily heard, but a bit harder to spot.

I've been spotted! Looking a bit suspicious of the invader.

Kākā - more feeding photos

On the way out of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary on Saturday I saw three of the kākā. Initially I didn't see them, but followed my ears, they were quite noisy. They were feeding in the canopy, I could not see on what, but perhaps coprosma berries. Then they moved on to mamaku (tree fern) sap.

Here one of them is chewing into a stem and seemed to be consuming the sap.

Chewing through a leaf stem and snapping it off entirely.

A good globule of sap here.

This guy here was having a rest.

... then a nap.

This guy preening while his friend took a nap.

... then nap time for him also.

Kākā - World Parrot Day

I'm a day late but who's counting? Yesterday was World Parrot Day (it's May 31st every year). Kākā are also one of the five birds in the World Parrot Trust's Parrot of the Year competition. You'll find plenty of information about this species at NZ Birds and plenty more on Wikipedia.

I stopped near the kākā aviary on the way out of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary on Saturday, and three of the six kākā turned up. (All the kākā are now free birds, the aviary has been opened up; the birds can return for some supplementary food or nostalgia if they feel like it.) They were snacking at the feeders (eating apple etc) but mostly eating wild food they found in the canopy or on tree trunks. I took far too many photos, here are a few.

Snacking on whatever may be in dead branches. Bugs, probably.

This guy has grabbed a piece of apple from one of the feeders (which is behind him) and is sitting on the viewing fence. That's the fence separating the feeders from the humans; it has viewing holes so that humans can observe the birds without being noticed. This bird seems like he couldn't care less who watches him eat. He's sitting on the fence with his apple looking down on the human viewers (in this case, it was only me).

Important note: The supplementary diet for these birds is very carefully controlled. Feeding kākā the wrong food is extremely bad for them. If you pay these birds a visit, please do not feed them anything at all, ever.

Here he is cleaning his beak on on the aviary roof after snacking.

This guy has spotted some tasty honeydew. He puts his upper beak over it then licks it up with his tongue.

This guy is chewing the top of a dead trunk for bugs. They can remove quite a lot of rotten wood quite quickly.

Peeling off the bark and licking up what's under each piece while he holds it. I'm a little unsure what he's eating, perhaps scale insects or perhaps some sap? (If anyone reading this knows, answer in the comments at the bottom of this post.)

There was something pretty tasty under this bark. These two spent quite some time there nibbling on it, peeling bits off then licking under each piece, then dropping it and grabbing another piece.

They could be snacking anywhere in the forest but chose to feed together and share whatever was there. Dining as a social event.

They weren't transferring food here, this was just friendly beak-touching.

A couple more feeding / nibbling shots, then a couple of mugshots.

A day with some birds

I didn't have anything in particular to do in the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in the weekend, so went in with my camera for a day with the birds. (I pretty much spend a day a week in the Sanctuary regardless of whether I have work planned.)

I saw a ngirungiru (tomtit) or two. First one is a male looking as cute as they usually look. Second is another male a bit later about to start preening/scritching.

Next up, no visit by me to the Sanctuary is complete without seeing plenty of kākāriki karaka. This guy is looking healthy and beautiful.

This is YO-O sitting on a branch snacking on a sunflower seed near the sole remaining auto-feeder. Anyone in Nelson who has ever followed a bus with a kākāriki karaka on the back? It's the same bird.

One of our older kākāriki karaka (he's 4.5 years old), born at Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust and released into the Brook when he was a few months old. Still looks very healthy.

Our kākāriki karaka seem to have stopped nesting for the season. Mostly they're snacking in the upper canopy, and in small groups of 2-3 birds mainly. Some are quiet, but occasionally chatter.

I was almost back at the visitor centre and spotted this ruru (morepork). Actually a member of the public had already spotted him/her, which helped! I may have walked straight past.

Decided to watch the other person present rather than me, for a change.