Andrew: Birds we`ve seen

White Faced Heron

Kaka


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Andrew: White-Faced Heron

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Hello. this bird info post is about the White-Faced Heron. This bird is known by many different names such as the blue crane, or the blue heron. This bird is the most common Heron in New Zealand and the numbers are incredible on Stewart Island (they`re just very good at hide and seek). They are a medium sized heron and have blue-grey plumage. They, as the name suggests, have a white face and a small portion of the neck is white as well. They appear in Australia, New Guinea and, of course, New Zealand. This is one of the most common large birds in New Zealand. They usually breed at the top of trees where they lay and incubate 3-5 eggs. Egg laying usually peaks at the end of October. The egg incubation takes up to 27 days. They eat a wide range of food such as frogs, tadpoles, fish, crabs, insects, etc and they can adapt well to almost any environment. This species does very well because their eggs can`t be eaten by rats or stoats (but the rats and stoats do not want to mess with a l...
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Andrew:Takahe

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Hello, this post is about a special bird called the Takahe. This bird is endangered and has under 150 left in the world. I saw this bird at the Te Anau bird sanctuary where we decided to take some photos. This large flightless bird is a member of the rail family of birds and is about the size of a very large hen. They are the largest member of the rail family. This bird likes to eat the leaf base and other parts of the tussock or other grasses, yet they do eat invertebrates, mainly during the chick rearing session. This bird has the most of its numbers at the Fiordland, Te Anau bird sanctuary. Strangely this flightless bird has wings for showing off to its mate. It was thought to be extinct from 1898 to 1948 until it was rediscovered with barely any population. For the last 70 years we have made various conservation efforts and most are working. Slowly but surely their numbers are growing. Here are some pictures I took of this rare and endangered bird.   I hope you enjoyed th...
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Kristen: Embrace decay...and other rain-forest inspired thoughts

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Rain-forests thrust life and death under our noses, with sounds, sights, smells mingling moistly in a glorious cacophony of colours. Death and decay are embraced, not mourned. Leaves rot, naked logs sink into the forest floor, bare branches lurch from dizzy heights to the ground. To stand tall in the rain forest, shed your juvenile leaves and branches. Seek the sun. Don't mourn your cast offs; they are already being subsumed by and nourishing those who need them. Love your neighbours and relish the dance together, weaving a forest fabric. Know that there are strengths in community and diversity.  Relish each joyful moment and seize every opportunity, for tomorrow there may be a rat. Just one rat can change everything. Is our future built on a cycle of death and decay, or will a disruptive predator change everything?
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