Observation #25563
- When
- 2025-11-14 12:56:00
- Where
- Cockburn Incline, Lower South Island
- What
- Sighted 1 bird
- Status
- Verified (Public)
- Who
- Diane Drobka
Details
Location Details
Homer Tunnel at 1879 State Highway 94 near traffic light.
Comments
I will email photos, including one cropped to show part of the bands. The right leg was a White CE on Black but the left leg's band was White EC on Black, plus a silver metal band below it. Searching in your database, the EC matches that of a Kea named Lynne Phillips, a female banded at the tunnel in August 2024. I could not read the numbers on her silver band which your database lists as V-4591.
Behaviour
Our Field Guides Birding Tour van stopped at the red light just before the tunnel. From inside, we saw a Kea walking down the highway toward us in the cold rain. It stopped just before it got to us and hopped onto the roof rack of a white SUV that was in front of us, where it sat for a minute as we marveled. When it hopped down and sat on the left side mirror, I knew I had to get out for better documentary photos. The Kea seemed to be curiously looking inside the vehicle. At one point, it may have been tugging on the windshield wiper. The traffic light turned green and I hopped back inside our van. The entire interaction lasted two minutes.
