Observation #22987
- When
- 2025-01-09 12:06:00
- Where
- Tims Stream, Mid South Island
- What
- Sighted 4 birds
- Status
- Verified (Public)
- Who
- Margie Grant
Details
Location Details
Forest Lodge, Craigieburn Forest Park.
Comments
I've worked on the Kākāpō Recovery program as a field ranger and think I'm quite good with birds, but don't know kea super well. I think I am right about the sex of the adults for sure by their size. I would definitely say 1 of the smaller unbanded birds was a juvenile due to the color of it's ceres and crown. The other unbanded smaller non adult bird may have been a sub adult versus juvenile. I'm not familiar enough with kea to be 100%. The unbanded adult bird is one I believe has been visiting the Lodge on many occasions alone, since a first sighting report I put in from here in mid November. I would estimate I've heard it about 4 times and sighted it again about 3. When I had to evacuate overnight (2 full days) because of the fire (Craigieburn Forest Park), I came back to find he'd been investigating lots of stuff outside lol. I'll keep doing individual sightings again. Something I'm concerned about as I went and looked when these guys turned up - is that 2 of the old buildings here have lead roofing nails. I got on the roof to check it out! I'm going to try and replace them all this week. They were on the roof of one of these buildings at one stage but not chewing the nails. None of the nails bar one shows any sign of being chewed, I had a good look. And what I saw on the one nail I don't think looks fresh. I have lots of photos of these guys and a video. Please contact me if you want them.
Behaviour
Came into my call when I heard a single bird call in the distance. 4 birds responded flying together and wheeling in flight over the Lodge area and then away doing their own thing. I0mins later I went up to the Ice Skating rink above the Lodge and x2 kea were in the trees there. DT was not afraid of me at all and very curious often coming close. Another adult bird was with him, unbanded and stayed further away... mostly on the roof of the ice skating shelter initially. Both birds went foraging in the dirt when I walked off after taking photos of them for a while. They appeared to find some kind of tuber and were eating that. Two juveniles then came in and wanted this food too. Photos of these interactions and a video of both juveniles looking for their own food in the dirt. I took photos of them for some time and then went down to the Lodge. They all followed me and then started investigating things around the building. They all hung out together and moved to differing areas around the building together. I went downstairs to make sure I had shut the door there so they couldn't come in. When I came back upstairs all the birds were on the front deck and DT had come in the kitchen window and was checking out my pots on the stove top. I opened the sliding ranch door and managed to usher him out without him panicking and flying into any windows etc. The whole gang left not long after this.
