This small cuckoo is one smart bird, it winters over in the tropical Pacific Islands before heading to New Zealand to breed and spend the summer. It’s arrival is heralded by a loud and distinctive call that will be familiar to many though most wouldn’t know what bird makes it and if they went looking for the source they’d very rarely find it. As is usual with cuckoos, this one lays it’s eggs in another bird’s nest, usually the Grey Warbler- Riroriro, leaving the tiny foster parents to raise a monster chick about four times their size when it’s ready to fledge.
This bird, with it’s back to us, seemed unaware of our presence; this and the fact that it was eating something, dropping little bits and pieces as it munched it’s way through it’s meal. I’m not sure what it was but in the bottom left photo (not a good focus unfortunately) you can see a yellow spotted body in the cuckoo’s bill.
We waited patiently and finally after what seemed an eternity it turned around and there in all it’s shining glory was a gorgeous and beautiful shining cuckoo! It paused for just a second and I managed to click off a couple of quick shots and then it was gone! I was still buzzing a day later.
This next little fellow is a favourite in our temporary backyard, he’s a Whitehead- Popokotea, and is found only in the North Island and then only south of Waikato, in native & exotic forests and scrubland. The Whitehead is from the same species as the Brown Creeper- Pipipi and the Yellowhead- Mohua which are both only found in the South Island.
We are parked in this Whitehead’s territory and two-three times a day right on cue, early morning, occasionally early afternoon and finally early evening he comes calling. Singing his little heart out, preening and hopping and jumping about the scrub looking for insects. He rarely stands still, he is very hyperactive and no matter how often I follow him he gets the jump on me most times. For every good or reasonably good shot I get, there are at least 20 that have been binned.
There is another native cuckoo that we’ve yet to see, the Long-tailed Cuckoo, it’s even more secretive than it’s cousin but it’s calls are again familiar to the ear. It also flies in from the Pacific for the summer months and being slightly larger than the Shining Cuckoo it lays it’s eggs in the Whitehead’s nests. In the South Island they parasitise the Brown Creeper & Yellowheads’ nests. Luckily these host birds have two or three clutches a season and usually only the later clutches will be destroyed by the foster chick.
And finally here is the tiny Grey Warbler- Riroriro, with it’s bright red eye, it’s found throughout New Zealand and it’s song is a distinctive long musical trill that fills suburban gardens as well as the forests. It too is hard to capture as it flits about just out of view hiding behind the dense growth as it moves through the tree branches collecting moths & insects.
There are numerous other birds around camp including tui, bellbirds, fantails and silvereyes along with the usual suspects- introduced passerines & song birds. The nights are full of the monotonous calls of many Morepork- Ruru. One especially likes to sit in the tree directly above the van calling for at least half an hour before moving on. Only to return and take up the call again just as I’m drifting off to sleep.
And when he does finally depart his position is sometimes taken by a very noisy possum who makes a horrendous sound challenging other possums in nearby trees. Early one morning I went outside to listen and counted three possums calling in just the trees around our campsite, I’ve also seen two stoats running through recently vacated camp sites and there have been plenty of mice. I wonder if any pest control is done through the area.
But much to my delight one night early in our stay, I heard a kiwi call.
