The Kaka & The Minister

Real-time

When the Minister for Conservation, Eugenie Sage recently made a pre-budget announcement that an extra $81.3 million would be spent on pest eradication, she announced it standing between two large banners. I'm tickled pink to say that one of the photos used was mine; a cheeky kaka feeding on our native flax/harakeke flowers.

As many of you know, I regularly supply photos to DOC (Department of Conservation) for use as they see fit. It's my 'volunteer without gumboots' contribution to conservation in New Zealand- that link is to a past blog with some of my photos from the DOC website.  If you click the DOC link above it you'll see the kaka photo is also on their front page at the moment.

I can just see my 'name in lights' here under the heading! My DOC contact sent me these photos yesterday.

And in case you're wondering, the other banner photo is of a NZ Bush Robin (and I can't read the photographers name).

Booming Beauties

Real-time

Can you guess what is hiding under the branches? They (there are two of them) are very well camouflaged...

No? Then try this one, where you can some tail feathers. 

These are two gorgeous and very rare, critically endangered Kakapo chicks; a female and a male (males are bigger). Pearl was her name and  I can't remember what the male's name was. That's Pearl with her head up below.

We are now in very elite company. With just 123 adult birds left in the world, there are very few people who will ever see a living Kakapo, let alone three living Kakapo!

The Kakapo is a large, flightless, nocturnal, ground dwelling parrot that is endemic to New Zealand. A combination of traits make the Kakapo unique among its kind; it is the world's only flightless parrot, it's the world's heaviest parrot, it's nocturnal and herbivorous, has no male parental care and is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds.

'Hey, who's that taking my photo?' 

You'll remember that we were lucky enough to visit Sorocco when he was in residence at Zealandia in Wellington, doing his bit as ambassador for his species. Well, when a blog post arrived from DOC telling me about the chance to see Kakapo chicks in Invercargill every weekend during the month of May, I jumped at the chance to visit them. The ten oldest chicks will be re-located back to their predator-free island homes during June and this was a chance for the public to view some of them and support the Kakapo recovery programme.

And because last Sunday was the first day of May and the first day of the tours, we were amongst the very first people to do the tour. The timing was perfect as we'll be gone by this weekend. 

DOC has a Kakapo rearing unit located in a large non-descript, unmarked, office building near the old rail station in the city. The rearing unit takes over incubating and hatching the fertile eggs, which have been collected from the nesting females, on their island hideaways. Then the youngsters are hand-reared until they are old enough to survive by themselves, back on their island sanctuaries.

During this breeding season, 46 chicks have hatched with 36 surviving, making it the best breeding season since the recovery programme started 25 years ago. The chick numbers won't be added to the overall tally until the young birds reach 6 months old and are out of danger.

The only problem with the visit was that no cameras were allowed. With only 10 people at a time in the display room and only for a very short time, if everyone had a camera trying to take photos (I know what it was like with Sirocco), it would detract from the experience. 

David was very good though and explained to one of the rangers, that I take photos for DOC and asked if they might allow an exception for me. Rachel ran back and got my camera out of the car and they allowed me to take a quick few shots before the next group came through. I knew the light was very dull  (Kakapo are nocturnal after all) with definitely no flash allowed. And by now the chicks had moved under cover so these aren't the greatest shots, they're very noisy (grainy) due to the extremely high ISO, but at least I have a record.

I reckon the male looks like an alien of some sort in this shot with his 'roman nose'. Aren't they just the cutest babies with their wayward downy fluff.  I wish we had longer with them but before we knew it, time was up and we had to move on to let the next group through. Just under 200 people visited the chicks on the first day and I'm sure there will many more taking up the offer over the next few weekends. What can I say, it was a privilege and an honour to once again be in the presence of these fascinating birds. At $2 a ticket it was more than well worth it too; they could have charged $20 and I would have been first in line.

How a Dud Became a Stud

And no, I’m not talking about David!

I wonder how many guessed what or who the very special something was we planned to see in Wellington? This ambassador for his species is also a well known media star. He has had a guest appearance at Zealandia Sanctuary in Wellington for the last six weeks and we were lucky enough to get some of the last bookings to see him before he returns to his island life this weekend.

I am of course talking about Sirocco, the world famous Kākāpō and champion bird for the New Zealand Kākāpō Recovery programme. Sirocco is one of only 125 kākāpō left in the world, all in New Zealand and all living on predator free islands. Not too long ago there were just 18 birds left and they were fast heading for extinction.

The kākāpō is a large, flightless nocturnal ground dwelling parrot and is endemic to New Zealand. A combination of traits make the kākāpō unique among its kind; it is the world's only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, it is nocturnal and herbivorous, has no male parental care and is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds.

Sirocco had an uncertain start to life, suffering a respiratory illness at three weeks old while being raised by his mother, Zephyr. Rangers moved Sirocco to their hut for treatment and he became the first ever male kākāpō to be hand-raised. Kākāpō chicks put on most of their adult weight during the first few months and by the time he was 52 days old he had recovered enough to be released, ready to survive on his own.

But Sirocco had other ideas. It would seem that the call of the wild wasn’t so loud for him and it soon became apparent that, as a result of the intensive hand-raising and lack of kākāpō company, he had been imprinted on humans. The Kākāpō Recovery team realised he was unlikely to be an effective breeding bird, but instead an extremely good advocate for his species, providing the best opportunity for people to meet a live kākāpō.

Sirocco remains a wild bird, he does not live in captivity but has visited several places in the last few years – on tour as an ambassador for his species. He has proved to be an ideal bird for kākāpō advocacy and seems to thrive on all the attention.

But it was a unique encounter with zoologist Mark Carwardine, who was filming a BBC documentary with British actor Stephen Fry, which rocketed Sirocco into the global spotlight. Footage from the program Last Chance to See which showed a rather ‘frisky’ Sirocco attempting to mate Carwardine’s head was posted on YouTube and the kākāpō star was born. Here’s the link to that YouTube clip-

Shagged by a Rare Parrot

Obviously being a nocturnal parrot, our tour to meet Sirocco, was at night. We were in a group of around 20 people and our tour began with a talk & viewing a short film on Sirocco. It also included all the ‘Dos & Don’ts’, the most important one being no camera flashes or focusing lights allowed- this was reiterated about half a dozen times by the various tour guides and Sirocco’s handler before we reached his enclosure.

We left the Zealandia’s reception, passed through the predator proof fence control gates and out into the sanctuary to walk a couple hundred metres up the path until we reached Sirocco’s headquarters- which looked a little less glamorous in daylight. This was taken when we visited the sanctuary the next day to see the rest of the birds.

Sirocco was in a large area under subdued lighting and behind perplex- I knew we wouldn’t have been able to see him ‘in the flesh’, it would be far too stressful and risky for such a precious bird. As it is he has to go into quarantine before he is returned to his island home so he doesn’t take any nasty diseases back with him.

Sirocco loves humans though and we were told to move in close so he could see our faces and be as vocal and as silly as we wanted without banging or tapping the perplex. He loves bright hats & scarves and people being animated and singing. I guess our group were a little too inhibited as he just sat on his log in the corner preening for quite a while (Mum, Rachel…we needed you!).

And because everyone wanted a photo of Sirocco and everybody crowded in so he could see them, that along with a very slow shutter speed & not much light,  it was extremely hard to get any decent shots of him. The reflections were atrocious as can be see in the photo up above with people crowded around the window. But I managed to take a few that I’m reasonably happy with and I can now say I’m one of the very few people in the world to have seen a live kākāpō and especially a famous one named Sirocco.

Sirocco did move off his perch, he made his way down to the other end and back again along a horizontal branch, squawking loudly just the once and doing a huge poo mid pole. The tour guides 'helpfully' had a plastic bag with them and a recent poo inside so people could smell it (herbaceous) and feel the weight. Not so heavy for such a large poop and bird.

Sirocco is 18 years old and has many years ahead of him- it’s not know how old he'll actually get to but it’s thought well into his 80s and possibly over 90. He weights just under 4kg, which is the usual weight of an adult male although he’ll fatten up a little more over spring and summer in preparation for the harsh winter.

All too soon the tour came to an end and Alicia, Sirocco’s handler & minder, moved into the enclosure to reassure him and answer any further questions. She also had a pocket full of treats- pine nuts. Here he thinking I’m sure she’ll give me one soon…

It was a privilege and a thrill to finally meet Sirocco and what a beautiful, endearing character he is- I just wanted to stroke his back and give him a cuddle. Long may he go on being number one kākāpō ambassador supporting his highly endangered family.

Footnote-
I was very sad and rather poignant to hear the next day that Gary 'Arab' Aburn the "man with a beard right down to his dog" and passionate kākāpō conservationist passed away the night we visited Sirocco. We have so much to thank him for:

From the 1989 BBC radio documentary series and its accompanying book, written and presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine-

A few minutes later Arab himself arrived. I had no idea what I expected a freelance kakapo tracker to look like, but once we saw him, it was clear that if he was hidden in a crowd of a thousand random people you would still know instantly that he was the freelance kakapo tracker. He was tall, rangy, immensely weather-beaten, and he had a grizzled beard that reached all the way down to his dog, who was called Boss. He nodded curtly to us and squatted down to fuss with his dog for a moment. Then he seemed to think that perhaps he had been a little over curt with us and leant across Boss to shake our hands. Thinking that he had perhaps overdone this in turn, he then looked up and made a very disgruntled face at the weather. 

With this brief display of complete social confusion he revealed himself to be an utterly charming and likeable man. Nevertheless, the half-hour helicopter trip over to Codfish Island was a little tense. We tried to make cheerful small talk, but this was rendered almost impossible by the deafening thunder of the rotor blades. In a helicopter cockpit you can just about talk to someone who is keen to hear what you have to say, but it is not the best situation in which to try to break the ice. `What did you say? I just said, "What did you say?... 'Ah. What did you say before you said, "What did you say?... 'I said, "What did you say?"' `I just said, "Do you come here often?" but let it pass.'

And here is a link to the Otago Daily Times and a recent article on-  The Life of the Kakapo Man

Cheeky, Comical & Curious Kea- The Mountain Parrot

Kea are an endemic parrot found only in the South Island’s high country. They are the world’s only true alpine parrot and there are only an estimated 1000 to 5000 birds left in the wild. Kea nest on the ground and are highly vulnerable to introduced predators such as stoat and rats.

Kea are highly social, their loud cries of “keeaa” can be heard resounding around the bluffs and valley walls of their mountain home as they call to each other. Kea are renowned for their intelligent and inquisitive nature, however their endearing and mischievous behaviour can cause conflict with people.

You’ll remember this photo from one of my previous posts, this kea, Number 6, was keen to remove the towball cover from our ute. Kea have learnt that people and vehicles stop at the numerous carparks and lookouts along the Pass (and in other mountain areas), they fly in to check for things to play with and end up learning to beg for food because people feed them.

We found Number 6 a few days later at a different carpark. This time he was trying to suck up cracker crumbs that someone had left him. Not only is it illegal to feed kea (you can be fined $100,000), it’s also very bad for their health. They are omnivorous and human ‘junk food’ is not good for them, they can get addicted to sugar just like humans and they learn that they don't need to source food for themselves. This makes them vulnerable when there are limited visitors to the mountains and they have to fend for themselves. Kea come to play not to feed.

There were six kea at this particular carpark including Number 6, a juvenile and it's parent. Earlier in the day four birds flew overhead while I was walking high up the Otira Valley. Two carried on down towards the road,  the other two landed on a rock across the stream from me. I could see one of them crouched with it's wings outspread- begging and crying. After awhile they flew on down the valley, it was probably this parent & chick at the carpark.

This regal looking fellow is the parent, I’ve since learnt that it is the father- he has 3 toes(4 is the norm) and a fellow member of my bird forum was involved with banding the chick.

And this cutie is the juvenile, you can see his feathers haven’t turned the lovely glossy olive green that the adults have and he has yellow eyelids & ceres (soft fleshing swelling at the top of the bill), which fade to grey as the bird matures.

He is learning the tricks of the trade from the adults- sit on a rock and look endearing.

But he’s a bit unsure of himself when Dad flies off- ‘Dad, Dad….come quick, she’s getting a little too close for my liking’

Here he is begging his Dad and then when he’s ignored he follows the lead of Number 6 and tries to hoover up the cracker crumbs. He then receives a bit of reassurance from Dad and happy with that jumps across to another rock. Catching the scarlet underwings of Kea is every photographer’s goal but try as I might, this was the best shot I got of the under wing colours of a flying(jumping) bird, they are so quick. I love the colours just above the tail feathers, I hadn’t realised that the reds & orange colour showed here too.

Another one of Dad, showing off his fabulous patterned olive green and blue feathers.

This character landed on the roof of a van that pulled into the car park where he commenced….

….his warm up exercises, stretching his wing out to show me his colours……

…turning around and flexing his tail….

…lifting his leg and doing a wing over……

…before laying down and doing a full body stretch….

…and balancing act. And then, happy with his limbering up…..

...he roof surfed to the bottom of the hill! I couldn’t believe my eyes and I couldn’t stop laughing even though this is a highly dangerous activity for kea (just as it is for humans). Many birds are killed by vehicles because they become too familiar with them and don’t move out of the way.

Here’s the baby trying out the taste of rubber, I shooed him away twice as cars were backing up to leave- he could have easily been run over. And while he was underneath two other birds check out a visitor's bag.

I could have stayed watching and shooting all day, they are very obliging birds pausing for photos in amongst their hi-jinks. When they'd had enough they moved in under a low bush beside the rocks, when I looked underneath at one stage there were 4 birds roosting on the bare branches and a whole pile of rubber stoppers, pieces of wiper blades, drink bottle tops and other litter underneath them- toys stashed for a slow day on the circuit!

Number 6 had given up on the cracker dust and had moved onto the power pylon plinth where he set about pushing quite large rocks over the side. He’d manoeuvre the rocks to the edge and then give them one last shove leaning over to watch them land on the ground with a clatter. People would place them back on the top and he’s push them back over again.

Until he got fed up with that game and flew off across the valley. I missed a clear shot under the wings again.

Down at our DOC camp in the village, we were woken by loud screeching very early one morning. And it was just as well because we wouldn’t have been aware that a Kea gang had come to town to check out what we had to offer them. I caught two standing on the side of our shoe bin tossing things about before I shooed them away.

Another bird was having a good look at the underneath of the van and taking special note of a cable that hung low. Another couple were climbing into a car parked nearby, the camper had left her door open and she had groceries on the front seat (she had just released a mouse that had got caught in a bag, she’d heard it scratching about for most of the night, while she tried to sleep in the back). The kea were keen to pull a supermarket bag out the door.

This group of birds were different group to the ones we’d seen in the carpark, we saw these in the village during the late afternoons. One was walking down the centre of the road on one occasion and another bouncing across the lawn with a group of school kids who were on a camp in a lodge.

Kea remind me of monkeys as they jump and walk (waddle) across the ground, they only fly when they want to leave the area. Once they had finished checking our camp ground out they waddled off up to the top of the bank beside us and along the top to the trees at the end where they waited under the bushes for the rest of their mates. One bird, obviously Boss Bird, flew up to the sign board nearby and sat there waiting.

We saw this group of birds one last time at Klondyke Corner, a large open DOC camp ground located at the eastern end of the Pass. They were begging at a child's birthday party being held in the shelter, we watched as one ran after a wayward balloon until it popped on a briar bush and gave the kea a bit of a fright.

They certainly are very comical birds.